The Nation - News from May 16, 1988

Government scientists will take to the sea and air in July to measure the chemicals contributing to acid rain off the mid-Atlantic coast. A research ship and aircraft will study chemicals in the air and water between Norfolk, Va., and Bermuda, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. Dr. Joe Boatman of the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., said that the scientists will measure concentrations of sulfur, nitrogen and other chemicals in an effort to track pollution as it travels off the coast. Acid rain, believed to result from the chemical reaction of water in the air and chemical pollution from factories, has been blamed for environmental damage in the Northeast part of the country and Canada.