Common Threads: Research Lessons from Acid Rain, Ozone Depletion, and Global Warming

Abstract

Research on environmental hazards is often haphazard: Studies from different disciplines suddenly fit together in an unexpected way; scientists geographically far apart come to similar conclusions; and what initially appears to be a minor effect turns out to be critical. This brief account of the research leading to the discovery of three major environmental threats demonstrates that successful environmental research, despite its unpredictability, has several important characteristics.