A team of American scientists, including researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, has gone to Germany to help determine what is killing fir trees in that nation`s Black Forest. Air pollution is suspected, and the Argonne group will measure dry deposits of sulfur dioxide in an area of the Black Forest. Sulfur dioxide is a major constituent of acid rain, but it can settle out of the atmosphere without the aid of precipitation. ”Dry sulfur dioxide can be just as damaging to plants as acid rain,” said Marvin Wesely, head of the Argonne group. The cooperative program gives scientists a chance to compare and refine new instruments and measurement techniques, he said.
