Acid Rain

Any type of precipitation (rain, snow, hail, etc.) with high levels of nitric and sulfuric acid is described as Acid Rain. This growing dilemma is known to be caused by volcanic eruptions and rotting vegetation. However, the major source of acid rain is, in fact, human activity.
According to National Geographic, the burning of fossil fuels by factories, power-plants (see figure 1), and vehicles, is the number one offender.

Figure 1: Power plants in China emitting enormous amounts of carbon dioxide
  

First, let's explain how acid rain is created. When vegetation rots, or volcanoes erupt, they release chemicals into the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels also releases unwanted gases and chemicals, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, into the air. These chemicals react with substances such as water and oxygen, and go on to form mild solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid. Forces like wind spread the acidic solutions across the atmosphere. Once these solutions precipitate, whether it be in states of rain, snow, or hail, they make their way across the surface and reach a body of water, like the ocean or the river or the lake, and sinks to the soil. See figure 2 for a visual representation of the process.

Figure 2: A diagram on the process of acid rain

The biggest issue concerning acid rain is the effects it brings to our environment. Bodies of water stand today as the most impacted places on Earth by acid rain. Making the water acidic, acid rain allows for the bodies of water to absorb more of the aluminum which moves from the soil to the lakes and rivers. Due to this, the water becomes way more toxic and is too dangerous for aquatic species, such as fish and clams, to live in. This may seem like a small problem. However, in an "interconnected ecosystem," as the author of the article calls it, "what impacts some species eventually impacts many more throughout the food chain." I feel like this statement is completely true, not only for the animals, but also for the plants. The US EPA states that trees which sit at high altitudes, such as red spruce trees which grow at 2,000 feet (see figure 3), are highly damaged by acid rain. If trees are damaged, species depending on them for food or shelter will have a smaller chance of survival, and once these species begin to decrease in numbers, so will the rest of the species in the food chain. Almost like the domino effect.

Figure 3: A Red Spruce tree, Picea rubens

Along with environmental impacts, acid rain can also make the process of decay of buildings much quicker. It contributes to the deterioration of paints and stones, especially marble and limestone. Limestone is a very important material which is commonly used to construct buildings, bridges, and statues (see figure 4). Acid rain has the power to aesthetically ruin and destroy ancient buildings and cultural heritage sites in countries all around the world. This showing how acid rain not only impacts the environment, but also society.

Figure 4: Michelangelo's David, a sculpture built in marble during the Renaissance (about 500 years ago)

The most obvious, straight-forward way to reduce the amount of acid rain which precipitates would be to pollute the environment less. This can be done by switching to renewable, non-polluting resources, such as solar and wind energy, and hydroelectricity. Non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, and other fossil fuels, pollute the Earth's atmosphere way more than renewable ones. Using renewable resources is also beneficial in the long run. These resources don't run out, so they can be reused as often as one wishes. Another way to stop emitting gases into the atmosphere would be to reduce transportation running on petrol, such as cars and other non-public vehicles, and steering in a different direction, like electric cars (see figure 5). These automobiles run on electricity, obviously, thus release less gas.

Figure 5: The Tesla Model S, a 100% electric car

"So why should we care about acid rain?" is the question most of you would be asking yourselves at this point. It's rather simple, actually. It's in our best interest to be aware of the subject. We are now cautious about what we do with energy and how we treat the environment, we see how our actions have an effect on our own lives. Acid rain is a much bigger obstacle than most people see it today. Personally, I believe organizations and governments should attempt to prevent worse environmental conditions by making people aware of the issue at hand. If one does not have access to information on the matter, they will never be able to help stop it.