Canie, not the same thing. HW said it is the sulphur in coal that causes acid rain...EQF is correct here. It is CO2 directly that the article is talking about, not the sulpher.

I'm pretty sure that the reason they have/had fishless lakes in the Adirondacks is that there is no limestone to neutralize the acid. We are in the middle of a huge area of Paleozoic limestone here in the heartland, so not likely that coal sulpher would cause that kind of problem here. Plus, less coal power plants upwind of the heartland here.

In the ocean, as EQF posts, anything with Calcium Carbonate tries to neutralize the acid, hence dissolving sea butterflies, and eventually coral reefs. There is something called the Calcium Compensation depth in the oceans...the depth below which Calcium Carbonate dissolves, and silica is preserved. You can see cherts (silica) on top of metamorphosed basalt (sea floor) in the backcountry behind Santa Barbara in the Franciscan Complex (rocks).

I have not read the Sea Butterfly scientifc article, but it is possible that the research was done from the Antarctic icebreaker Palmer ( or another country's ship). I'm sure there are those in congress that would question spending presumably Federal (if USA reearch) funds to study such insignificant creatures. Think canary in coal mine, think food chain.

Chris