Understanding national trends is fine, but learning more about your own area is always more interesting. You can retrieve acid rain data for your own locality by connecting to the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP). The graphics below will walk you through the steps necessary to download the acid rain data you need to complete this investigation.

  !   Click the buttons below the graphic to view screen shots of the steps to follow in accessing acid rain data.

When you access the NADP site, it will open in another browser window. You can refer back to this window to see the sequence of instructions.

Click here to access the data site, then complete steps I - V below to get your local data.

Step I. Click on your state on the map

Step II. Click on the site closest to your home

Step III. Click on "Annual Data" in the lower left corner of the screen

Step IV. Enter the data selection information as follows:

a. End year: latest year available
b. Start Year: 9 fewer than latest year
c. Type of Data: (use the top option)
d. Report Format: HTML Table
e. Intended Use: K-12
f. Brief Description: type "classroom activity"
g. Get Data

Step V. The four columns with their headings highlighted contain the data that you will need to record.

12. Record and graph ten years of NH₄⁺, NO₃⁺, SO₄^2- and Lab pH values recorded at a site near your home.