Acid rain

Brodie Feeney

9B

Mr Youell

3/19/2015

Acid Rain

An Enemy to our Survival

Acid rain is a rising problem all over the world causing large complications and difficulties in our environment. In our interconnected ecosystem what may impact on some species will eventually impact on many more including us.

Fig 1 Power Plants Burning Coal

But first, what is acid rain? According to National Geographic Acid rain is referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition containing large amounts of nitric or sulfuric acids and is created by a multitude of things such as Volcanoes, spewing out multiple chemicals and rotting vegetation but the largest cause of acid rain is Human activity such as burning Fossil fuels with our giant power plants(see fig 1), factories and automobiles spewing out gases, mainly sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. According to the EPA in the United States 2/3 of SO2 and 1/4 NOx come from electric power generation which rely on burning fossil fuels. When we burn these fossil fuels we release chemical gases which will then react with water and oxygen to create a mild solution of acid pollutants. The result is a mild solution of sulphuric and nitric acid. Over decades we have released so many different chemicals that we have changed the mix of gasses in our atmosphere. Winds will then spread these harmful acids all over the world, where they will become part of the rain, snow and sleet. 

Fig 2 Forest affected by acid rain

Acid rain is significantly damaging our environment, firstly our forests are being weakened, leaving our plants not able to withstand harm from the cold, bugs and disease(See fig 2). The EPA says the acid first seeps into the ground and takes away the essential nutrients such as calcium and magnesium in the soil, and releases aluminium making it even harder for the trees to take up water. Trees at a higher elevation in mountainous areas are at a higher risk such as spruce or fir trees as they are exposed to acid clouds which contain larger amounts of acid rain or snow. The leaves are left brown and the trees dyeing when they should be green and healthy. In some cases forests have completely died out with no obvious reason.  The pollution also has the capability to inhibit the tree’s ability to produce oxygen causing Co2 levels to rise. Without pollution lakes or any water bodies usually have Ph scale of 6.5. If the environment is not able to neutralize acidic compounds which release aluminium in the water, the acids will harm or kill aquatic life, threatening specie's population or just completely eliminating the fish's species from a water body. Some types of fish are resistant to acidity yet others are acid sensitive when the pH declines. Many are worried about the impact on shellfish as with the rise of acidic waters the shell of these animals will eventually weaken. Yet another impact is acid rain contributing to the corrosion of metals and deteriorating  stone and paint.(See fig 3) Marble and limestone are affected greatly, slowly deteriorating some significant historical works and buildings constantly needing continued renovation. Evidence of this damage can be seen all over the world on some of the greatest structures the world has known such as the Taj Mahal, The Notre Dame and Westminster Abbey.

 

Fig 3 A deteriorated sculpture 

There are many ways we could deplete the amount of acid in our ecosystem ranging from societal changes to changes that an individual could make. According to the EPA there are multiple alternative energy sources we could turn to such as hydro, nuclear and solar power. If we could not resort to a new power source we could at least clean up our smoke stacks. For example we could use coal containing less sulphur or use devices called "scrubbers" to chemically remove the So2 from the gasses from the smoke stacks. Power plants could also swap fuels, for example when burning gases that create less So2. As an Individual you could easily be mindful of your energy and electricity consumption, use energy efficient devices or buy a vehicle which releases less NOx. It is now critical that we make changes to better preserve the strength of our natural habitats

Acid rain has become a larger problem than expected and if nothing is done soon it may be too late. These small changes if implemented could lead to a larger and brighter future for our environment and as a consequence to our quality of life.

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/index.html

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/

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