Acid Rain Paper
Acid Rain is classified as rain with a pH lower than 5.7. The pH of normal rainfall is around 5.6; the acidity in this is natural and due to the CO2 and carbonic acid that is present in the atmosphere. Acid rain contains higher amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids compared to normal rainfall. There are many factors of pollution that lead to acid rain. There are natural pollutants in acid rain including emissions from volcanic and decaying vegetation, but the majority of the pollutants are man-made. Emissions from sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO) are the main causes of acid rain; both of these are a result of electric power generation and fossil fuel combustion. Burning coal, driving vehicles, CFCs, HAPs,
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All sources of energy have environmental benefits as well as environmental costs. Many of these energies are more efficient but more expensive to produce, which decides who is able to afford them. But I am sure that as time goes on these alternative sources of energy are becoming more and more cost effective. Acid rain majorly affects any environment and it is sometimes impossible to restore the environment back to the condition it was before the introduction of acid rain. Limestone is one way to shorten the healing process for acidic lakes, but while used extensively in Norway and Sweden it is a very expensive and tedious process and only considered a short-term remedy, but does allow the environment to return to health much quicker. There is no cure-all for the damages caused by acid rain. Time and a restoration of a healthy environment with a normal pH level is the only solution known to modern day technology at this time. Because of the harmful affects of acid rain, the distance it can travel and how pricey it is to try and reverse, it has become the reason for more than a few lawsuits. The basis for many of these lawsuits is that a factory in location A is causing a major (harmful) effect on the environment in location B. Acid rain occurs in clouds and these clouds may travel hundreds of miles; this is what the lawsuits are based on. The result of these lawsuits is that the
It is caused by pollutants in the water, when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine in the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide is formed by coal burning power plants and nitrogen oxides are made by car exhaust (1).The precipitation of acid rain occurs in the sulfur cycle, nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle. Acid rain can be harmful to plants, animals, can pollutes rivers and streams, and destroys statues and buildings. Acid rain can suck the nutrients out of plants, or release a toxic substance into plant roots. The problem being investigated in this experiment how much acid rain affected building materials.
There are several different pollutants that can lead to acid rain such as SO2, SO3, NO2, and CO2. These pollutants react with water to create acids as shown below.
To conclude, acid rain includes many elements that make it well known worldwide today and also puts my mind into a new perspective of the effects that are happening in front of my own eyes that I am not noticing. Not to mention, that if I were to pursue the career of becoming an environmental engineer, I would be able to help protect the environment from acidity and become more aware of the solutions to this problem when the environment cannot neutralize the substances on its
Acid precipitation is a wide term that incorporates any type of precipitation with acidic parts, for example, sulfuric or nitric acid that tumble to the ground from the climate in wet or dry structures. This can incorporate into rain, snow, haze, hail or even clean that is acidic. Acid rain as numerous natural impacts, yet none is more prominent than its effect on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other amphibian situations.
Acid rain is created through discharges of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which reacts with water molecules and creates an acid. Acid rain breaks down rock and soil with contact through the Earth’s atmosphere, which is also known as weathering (Washington University).
Acid rain is usually cause by a chemical reaction which begins when compounds like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen for instants which are released in to the atmosphere. The substances can rise very high thousands of feet in to the air. Were the substances mix and react with the water molecules, oxygen and other
Acid rain can hurt the plants in the forest environment because when the plant start drinking the acid rain it makes the plants natural defense weaker. In doing that they are easier to die by diseases because they do not have much natural defense to protect them. It can also cause fires to the environment. Acid rain is known to take the nutrients out of soil killing trees, plants, and crops. With the low nutrients it does damage to the red spruce tree
Acid rain has a large concentration of hydrogen ions mainly coming from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. It could kill living organisms, damage buildings, and monuments.
Acid rain affects thousands of people worldwide and is produced by factories and car fumes. It is the product of humanity and should not happen if we were careful of our carbon emissions. This phenomenon has contributed to many ruined water sources around the world. If acid rain was never a problem then places like Canada would have more forests and trees in Ontario. Also not as much coral would be dying in the ocean. Acid rain is a serious problem that needs to be addressed with caution and must be effectively dealt with before it is too
Acid rain was discovered in 1872, about one hundred years after the commencement of the Industrial Revolution, when a scientist by the name of Robert Angus Smith, identified the problem. Initially, they found that such occurrences were mainly in the northeastern states of New York, and Pennsylvania because the coal burned there was more sulfuric. However, the problem of acid rain was not found in a focal point, but can in fact be located anywhere. It has transformed rain which is pure, and which existed way before human kind into a dangerous phenomenal that is toxic to the environment, and humanity. Such gases combine with the oxygen, and water in the air, so once the water in the air comes down as rain, sleet, hail, or snow, it carries with it the gases.
Many of the acidic deposits that fall from earth from to the atmosphere can cause the pH of the water to change, making them have a higher acidity than desired. This process was named acid rain from the Scottish chemist, Robert Angus Smith who discovered this in the 19th century (Reed, 2014). Acid rain is commonly known as air pollution today causing many detrimental effects on the environment (Funk & Wagnalls, 2016). Based on the pH of the concentrated rainfall, acid precipitation begins to take place. Acid precipitation begins in the atmosphere since this is where most of the pollutants are being combined to create many of the acids that aid in the acidity of acid rain. Most of the pollutants come from the oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxides (N2O), which later on aid in the acidity of the rain fall (Funk & Wagnalls, 2016). By fully understanding the history and formation of acid rain through inorganic chemistry, scientists can extrapolate the data to help find solutions to decrease the pH concentrations of acid rain.
Though acid rain is a big issue, there are ways it can be prevented. One of the biggest ways acid rain can be stopped is by lowering your energy consumption. Now you might think, ‘what does energy have to do with acid rain’? It actually has a big affect. By switching off the lights when you leave a room, turning off your computers & televisions when they aren’t being used. Closing the air conditioner/heaters when you leave your home can make a big difference, because when less electricity is used, the pollution from power plants decreases. Power plants also known as power station is an electric generating station
Acid rain is a form of rain that contains nitric and sulfuric acid, with a pH of less than 7.0. Acid rain can weaken the
Acid can take the form of clouds, fog, rain, snow, hail, mist, and dust particles. Acid precipitation, such as rain, looks like normal rain and tastes like it as well. In small amounts, it is harmless. In other ways, it is anything but. Acid precipitation does not affect people directly, but when it is inhaled, it can cause heart problems and affect the lungs, giving people asthma and bronchitis. Some of the effects that acid precipitation has, is that it has the ability to lower the natural pH of lakes and rivers. Acid precipitation can reduce agriculture yields and it can corrode metals and stone structures. Acid precipitation is detrimental to our ecosystems, destroying trees and lakes and and plants and animals.
Another form of industrial waste that contributes to water pollution is acid rain. Acid rain is a product of industries burning coal. The burning of coal produces sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, and when these chemicals combine with the earth’s atmosphere it forms acid rain The Northeastern part of the United States has the worst acid rain levels in the world. More specific, the states with the highest concentration are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and some boarding parts of Canada and New England area. The falling acid rain can destroy plants and animals in several different ways. The acidification of a lake, river, or stream because of the high acidic levels in the water kills algae. Since algae are the main source of food, for many species of fish, they will also suffer from the high acid levels.