What are we doing about acid rain?
Scientists from many disciplines are studying acid precipitation and its impact. The National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), a Federal program involving representatives from more than a dozen Federal agencies, has sponsored studies on how acid rain forms and how it affects lakes, crops, forests, and materials. Because buildings and monuments cannot adapt to changes in the environment, as plants and animals can, historic structures may be particularly affected by acid precipitation. Scientists are studying effective control technologies to limit the emissions from power plants and automobiles that cause acid rain. The impact and usefulness of regulations that would require limits on air pollution are also being studied. Finally, scientists are examining the processes of deterioration to find effective ways to protect and repair our historic buildings and monuments. Agencies like the National Park Service, which are charged with protecting and preserving our national heritage, are particularly concerned not only about the impact of acid rain but also about making the best choices for maintaining and preserving our historic buildings and monuments.
Beginning in 1984, the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program sponsored exposure site studies of limestone and marble, to examine the contribution to stone deterioration that comes from acid precipitation.
A field guide to buildings in our Nation’s capital
Washington, D.C., has many buildings of historic and cultural significance, and many of them are made of marble and limestone. This self-guided tour will point out damage to buildings and monuments in our Nation’s capital that may have been caused by acid precipitation. Similar effects may be found in other cities as well.
Places to visit have been divided into several areas, so the trip can be done either in segments or all in one day. A suggested tour route is described within each area. A car provides the most efficient transport between areas, but parking may be hard to find. The Metro subway system can easily be used to visit all areas except the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. The closest Metro stations in each area are shown on the map. You will need comfortable walking shoes, and you may want to bring along a camera, a hand lens (about 10× magnification) for observing details of minerals and weathering, and a pair of binoculars for closer examination of inaccessible areas.
The area around the National Capitol
This area includes the Capitol building, the Peace Monument, the Grant Memorial, and the Botanic Gardens. We begin the tour at the southeast corner of the Capitol, and go clockwise around the Capitol (along the south, west, and then north sides). We then follow a walkway heading west, from the northeast corner of the Capitol, to see the Peace Monument at the intersection of First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. We continue south along First Street to the Grant Memorial and then south again to the Botanic Gardens. Total distance is about one kilometer, or about three-quarters of a mile.