The effects of Rayleigh surface acoustic wave (R-SAW) upon the adsorptive and surface properties of a thin NiO film were studied. A 20 MHz R-SAW device using a LiNbO3 single crystal was designed to permit measurements of conductivity changes due to O-2 adsorption and desorption during SAW propagation. The SAW caused considerable enhancement of conductivity increases due to O-2 adsorption in an O-2/He flow system and also promoted the desorption of the adsorbed oxygen upon evacuation. Laser Doppler measurements showed that R-SAW had regular standing wave patterns with lattice displacement vertical to the surface which decreased considerably in the presence of 40 nm NiO, compared to a NiO-free surface. The unique feature of promotion of both adsorption and desorption by the SAW is associated with periodic lattice displacement, and a mechanism that the SAW interacts with the carriers in NiO is proposed.