Emission reductions and ecological response: Management models for acid rain control

Abstract Presented in this paper is a series of optimization analyses for acid rain control in eastern North America. The analyses involve models that minimize cost or emissions removed subject to environmental quality restrictions at selected sensitive receptor locations. Site-specific critical loads are the measures of environmental quality, where critical loads are roughly interpreted as levels of areal pollutant deposition beyond which deleterious ecological effects are thought to occur. Our approach is demonstrated with an application that includes critical loads estimated for 768 lakes in the Adirondacks. As well, a stratified random subsample of 122 sites is modeled to assess the effects of sampling intensity on the control scenarios that are identified through the optimization procedures. Two different models for estimating site-specific critical loads are used and their effects on control strategies are assessed. From a somewhat broader perspective, this work is a demonstration of the feasibility and usefulness of large-scale integrated assessment and the role that operations research methods can play in that process.