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A View of NAPAP from North of the Border
Author(s) -
Schindler D. W.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
ecological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.864
H-Index - 213
eISSN - 1939-5582
pISSN - 1051-0761
DOI - 10.2307/1941768
Subject(s) - multidisciplinary approach , documentation , confusion , ecology , biology , computer science , psychology , sociology , social science , psychoanalysis , programming language
Despite widespread political interference with programs and confusion of science and policy, the NAPAP program has produced a number of sound, if not outstanding, publications documenting the effects of acidic deposition. NAPAP's outstanding strengths in aquatic science are in paleoecology and spatial surveys of chemistry. NAPAP has severe shortcomings in documentation of temporal trends, in deducing biological responses to acidification by organisms other than fish, in considering the effects of nitrogen deposition, and in considering results from countries other than the USA. Summaries of the NAPAP program in 1987 and 1990 underrepresent the extent of damage caused by acidification, as documented elsewhere in NAPAP's publications and by the peer—reviewed literature at large. Overall, it represents a mediocre return for a large amount of investment, and is a poor model for future large, multidisciplinary science projects.