Acid Rain

Nemanja Besevic

3/24/15

Science 9B

Acid Rain

                Acid rain is a natural occurrence which humans have stretched to the extreme at which it harms both nature and humans. It occurs mostly around places with many factories and or vehicles but it mostly affects the nature at high elevations. Acid rain is an important issue which must be stopped but it is also important to know the causes and effects of it.

                Acid rain is caused by a chemical mixture between SO₂, NO and the rain. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are both results of inefficient factories and cars. SO₂ and NO are very quick to mix with water and can be carried by the wind for very far distances and they naturally rise high up into the air so they can mix with the rain. Even though acid rain happens naturally it usually only has a pH of 5.0 but when humans started creating vehicles and factories the pH level dropped drastically. Burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of acid rain since it produces the most gas. Natural Acid rain reacts with alkalies so it becomes neutral but now the pH level is too low so it never neutralizes completely. In the last few decades humans have released so much gas into the air that we have changed the mix of our atmosphere. We have to move to more efficient ways of energy and must drive less cars or else there will be too much acid rain which endangers us, the wildlife and all of nature. Fig 1. shows the creation of acid rain.

Fig 1. The creation of acid rain by factories

                The effects of acid rain are many and none of them are positive. Right before acid rain starts falling SO₂ and NO are released lowering visibility in the general area around them. This is a short video that shows what it would look like CO₂. Acid rain can damage paint and man made building, especially if they are built using limestone. Car manufacturers have to use acid resistant paint or else every time acid rain falls the car has to be repainted, this leads to a $61 million yearly increase in cost for manufacturers. Acid rain mostly effects trees at high altitudes. It doesn't directly kill any trees, but it weakens them making them more susceptible to damage from other causes. 75% of all lakes that were surveyed by the NSWS have been acidic, some have even had a pH of 5.0 or lower. The lowest pH. level recorded was 4.2 in the little Echo Pond in New York. The low pH levels combined with episodic acidification will lead to many wish dying in ponds, lakes and rivers around the world. This does not only harm the fish, but also all of the animals dependent on fish as a food source. According to epa.gov episodic acidification is when snow and heavy downpour increase the acidity of lakes and rivers for a brief period of time. But this brief period of time is enough to kill many fish as shown in fig. 2

Fig 2. The above graph shows the acid 

tolerances of various organisms

This is perhaps the most important thing to know about acid rain, the remedies, how to stop it. Many people around the world have very little to no knowledge about what acid rain is and what it does. We must spread the word and increase awareness or there will never be a way to stop the acid rain. If you have already spread the word then it is time for conservation, turn off electronics when you aren't using them, try and use energy efficient devices, limit the use of air conditioning and adjust the thermostat.

Acid rain is a very important issue that must be addressed before a lot of damage is done. It kills many fish, destroys natural habitats and acidifies bodies of water. It lowers visibility and kills trees. It is cause by factories and cars and it must be stopped. Spread the word about acid rain and help save the Earth we all live on.

Source:

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcauses.html

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcanyoudo.html

http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/acidrain.htm