Acid deposition has far-reaching impacts. It affects fish and other aquatic biota as a result of the progressive acidification of inland waters, including marshes, lakes, rivers, and streams.
Acid deposition threatens forests as a result of soil acidification.
It accelerates and aggravates the decline and decay of monuments and buildings of cultural importance. For these reasons, the problem of acid deposition is of deep concern. The problem first came to worldwide attention in Northern Europe and North America. There the problems of acidification of lakes and decline or dieback of forests have been especially prominent. There is concern that acidic meltwater during the initial snow melt period may have an adverse impact on freshwater aquatic ecosystems.