Essay On Acid Rain

Essay on Acid Rain
Acid rain is a problem that has plagued earth for years. It is poisoning our waters, animals, plants, soil, and more. It is a problem that can not be
ignored or it might have catastrophic results on our environment. Acid rain is caused by air pollution, which is due to man–made actions.
Scientists have discovered that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of acid rain. Power plants and factories burn coal and oil,
which is used to produce the electricity we need to heat and light our homes and to run our electric appliances. We also burn natural gas, coal, and oil
to heat our homes, and our cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes use gasoline to run, which is another fossil fuel....show more content...
Eventually there is so much mucus that it clogs the gills. When this occurs, the fish can no longer breath. It dies and then sinks to the bottom of the
lake. Scientist predict that acid rain is one of the leading causes the possible extinction of fish. This does not only affect the fish in the water, it affects
everything including humans. These lakes and streams are not just homes for aqualife but they are our sources of water too.
Another very large problem is the effect of acid rain on trees. When a tree's roots absorb water from the ground it is taking in its source of life, and
when acid rain rains around that tree, its life source is poisoned. Tree's leaves and needles begin to drop off, and seedlings fail to produce new trees.
The acid also reacts with many nutrients the trees need, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. This starves the trees, and they become much
more susceptible to other forms of damage, such as being blown down, or breaking under the weight of snow. Also forests in high mountain regions
receive additional acid from the acidic clouds and fog that often surround them. These clouds and fog are often more acidic than rainfall. When leaves
are frequently bathed in this acid fog, their protective waxy coating can wear away. The loss of the coating damages the leaves and creates brown
spots. When the leaves are damaged, they cannot produce enough food energy for the tree to remain healthy.
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Acid Rain Essay
Not many things have the ability to kill fish, destroy economies, and deteriorate buildings, but acid rain can do all of that. This lethal precipitation
originates from both natural causes and those made by man. It has the potential to destroy ecosystems, including aquatic life and forest life. In addition
to harming nature, it can also cause economic problems. However, efforts are being made to minimize the negative effects of acid rain, and they're
working.
Any form of wet or dry deposition from the atmosphere with nitric and sulfuric acid levels higher than normal is considered acid rain. Wet deposition
includes, but is not limited to, rain, fog, snow, and mist. If weather conditions in a certain area are wet and acidic chemicals are...show more content...
Other natural sources include lightning, forest fires, and microorganisms found in soil. These sources release nitrates, one of the substances known to
raise acidity in rain (Evans 65).
Humans are more responsible for causing acid rain than natural sources. Areas with large populations and heavy traffic are susceptible to acid rain,
because car emissions contain high amounts of nitrogen oxides (Lerner and Lerner 2). Industrial pollutants are the leading cause of acid rain; they
may raise the acidity of a region's precipitation more than tenfold (Gorman 13). Power plants burn fossil fuels, like coal and oil, for energy.Sulfur
dioxide is a by–product of fossil fuels and is emitted into the air after being burned. Nitrogen oxides are less abundant but are still by–products of the
same fossil fuels (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Both of these gasses raise the acidity in precipitation greatly.
The most traumatic impact that acid rain has is its effects on living organisms and ecosystems. In aquatic ecosystems, particularly lakes and streams,
the pH of the water decreases when the water itself and surrounding soil cannot buffer acid rain. As the pH drops, certain species of fish become
intoxicated and die; bass begin to die when the water reaches pH levels of 5.5 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Entire populations of fish can
be wiped out from an

Acid Rain
INTRODUCTION: The dictionary definition of acid rain is "'rainfall made so acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm,
chiefly to forests and lakes. The main cause is the industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels, the waste gases from which contain sulphur and
nitrogen oxides which combine with atmospheric water to form acids." In Northern Europe and North America millions of trees have died because
of the causes of acid rain. Some lakes contain so much acid that all the fish have died and the birds that relied on this fish for food have left. Acid
rain also speeds up the rusting of iron and building made of marble, limestone and concrete have been severely affected. It is because of these reasons
that acid...show more content...
For example, the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere reduces the amount of methane in the air. Some new studies show that the
sulphur dioxide in acid rain counteracts with the natural productions of methane gas and therefore reducing the amount of methane in the air by 30%
and this is because of 'sulphur–eating bacteria' that live in wetlands (where most methane is produced) which outcompete with methane emitting
bacteria. PERSONAL OPINION: In my opinion I think that acid rain is a huge problem. Even though it is not a problem in Australia but in
Europe and North America there have been records of acid rain in Sydney. The fact that acid rain is killing our plant and animal life because of
what WE have emitted into the atmosphere is not good enough. We are a part of the cause just as much as we can be a part of the solution. This
goes for global warming as well. If we can buckle down and try to stop producing so much excess gases in our factories than we will significantly
reduce the amount of acid rain falling in our environment. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 2014, G. (2012). The negative and positive aspects of acid rain | Publish
with Glogster!. [online] Glogster. Available at: http://www.glogster.com/wei2912/the
–negative–and–positive–aspects–of–acid–rain
/g–6llh7hclkj80qc3cvbfi7a0 [Accessed 30 May. 2014]. Amanda Briney, C. (2014). How Much Should You

Acid Rain Essay
Acid Rain
Within this past century, acidity of the air and acid rain have become recognized as one of the leading threats to our planet's environment. No longer
limited by geographic boundaries, acid causing emissions are causing problems all over the world. Some laws have been passed which limit the
amount of pollutants that are released into the air, but tougher legislation must be implemented before this problem can be overcome.
Acid rain is produced, when automobiles, smelters, power plants, and other industrial factories burn fossil fuels such as gasoline, coal, and fuel oils.
When combusted, the non renewable resources release pollutants such as sulfur, carbon and nitrogen oxides into the air. These...show more content...
Acid rain is also a strong destructive force against man made structures, reacting with marble, plastics and rubber.
The problem of acid rain is derived mostly from northern countries such as the united States, Canada, and many countries of Eastern and Western
Europe including Japan. The consequences of the acid precipitation have been most apparent in Norway, Sweden, and Canada, however, due to tall
smokestacks many pollutants rise high into the atmosphere where air currents can pick them up and carry them as far as into an entirely different
country. This cross–border issue is causing global concerns as it is no longer simply one country's problem.
This concern has been well identified in North America where pollution emissions from Canada and the U.S. are crossing into each others territory. For
example coal–powered electric generating stations found in Midwestern U.S seem to be the cause of a severe acid rain problem in eastern Canada.
Acid rain is of strong concern worldwide, and something must be done to reduce, or hopefully end the problem. The acid kills nearly all forms of life,
and tens of thousands of lakes

Acid Rain Essay
In describing acid precipitation pollutant chosen it is more commonly known as acid rain representing a form of secondary pollution (EB,2013).
Nitrogen and sulfur oxides are released into the atmosphere reacting to water and other components forming acids (EB, 2013). Acid rain refers to
two different processes that enable the acid suspended in the atmosphere to deposit on the Earth's surface water dries (EB, 2013). Wet acid
decomposition fades to the Earth's surface when it rains snows or fogs (EB, 2013). The dry acid deposition occurs when the acid particles drop to the
Earth's surface as gas or a particulate form (EB, 2013). Acid decompositions and precipitation aren't constrained by international boundaries (EB, 2013).
Many nations use fossil fuel do not have the legislation in place of air pollution limiting meaning that can contributes to the acid deposition and
precipitation both locally and in other countries (EB, 2013). The Nations that haven't' taken any. Consideration of limiting air pollution resulting acid
deposition that will affect the global environment (EB, 2013). Once the acid compounds are released they are deposited into the soil and bodies of
water increasing the acidity resources (EB,2013). Acid water is not potable for humans (EB, 2013). Acid precipitation is both point and non–point
pollution. The point pollutions of is from factories and the non–point the acid rain makes water more acidic and release aluminum can be toxic to fish
(Acosta,

Acid Rain Essay
Acid Rain
"Acid Rain," or more precisely acidic precipitation, is the term used to describe rainfall that has a pH level of less than 5.6––a pH of 7 being neutral.
This form of air pollution is currently a subject of great controversy because of the damage it does to the environment and property worldwide. For the
last ten years, this occurrence has brought destruction to thousands of lakes and streams in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. It also leads
to the deterioration of buildings and statues by reacting with several minerals. Acid rain is formed when oxides of nitrogen and sulfite combine with
moisture in the atmosphere to make nitric and sulfuric acids. These acids can be carried away far from its origin....show more content...
This gas attacks the membranes of the respiratory organs and increases the likelihood of respiratory illness. It also contributes to ozone damage, and
forms smog (Phamornsuwana, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/DOC.HTML#SPECIFIC). Nitrogen oxide can spread far from the
location it was originated by acid rain.
Changes in environment change the wildlife living in that environment. The lowering of pH from 7 to 4 is a dramatic change in environment, and the
changes in wildlife reflect it. There are both direct and indirect effects of acid rain. Acid directly interferes with the ability of fish to take in oxygen, salt,
and other nutrients needed to stay alive. Acidic conditions in the water cause mucus to form in the gills of fish, and prevents them from absorbing
oxygen from the surrounding waters (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). With a few exceptions adult fish are unable to
survive in waters with a pH below 4.8. However, fish eggs and baby fish are unable to survive pHs below 5.5 (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info
/explore/AcidRain.html). If reproduction is not possible a given fish population will eventually die off even if the pH is not low enough to kill the
adult fish. Most importantly, acid rain can harm us through the atmosphere or through the soil from which our food is grown. Acid rain causes toxic
metals to break loose from their natural chemical compounds, thus making the

Acid Rain Essay
Acid Rain
Acid rain is polluted rain. The pollutants go up to the atmosphere and when it rains it brings the pollution down with it. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide are the gases that form the acid rain. When these gases mix with moisture it can make rain, snow, hail, or even fog. The scientific term for acid
rain is acid deposition which means when the acid is taken from the air and is deposited on the earth. Major industries, coal burning factories, power
plants and automoble engines are the main sources of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide which caues acid rain. Volcaneoes and forest fires also causes
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Some of the many problems that come from acid rain is the killing of of many plants and...show more content...
These soils are called alkaline soil, also called a base. In 1838 the German chemist Justus von Liebig offered the first really useful definition of an acid,
namely, a compound containing hydrogen that can react with a metal to produce hydrogen gas.
Soil is formed when rocks are broken up by the weather and erosion and mixed with organic matter from plants and animals. The term soil generally
refers to the loose surface of the Earth, made from solid rock. To the farmer, soil is the natural medium for growth of all land plants. The rocks that
make up soil could be acid, neutral, or alkaline, another name for a base. Limestone and chalk are rocks that are formed from tiny shells that are rich
in calcium.
Alkaline is made up of calcium. When acid rain falls on alkaine soil the calcium makes the acid become weaker or neutralize. Farmers put lime (a
very strong alkaine substance) and special fertilzers in there soil netralize the acid in the soil on a regular daily basis.
In general, soil structure is classified as sandy, clay, or loam, although most garden soils are mixtures of the three in varying proportions. A sandy
soil is very loose and will not hold water. A clay soil is dense and heavy, sticky when wet, and almost brickhard when dry. Loam is a mixture of sand
and clay soils, but it also contains large quantities of humus, or decayed organic material, which

Essay On Acid Rain
Introduction Polluted rain is called acid rain. Some acids are helpful. We have acid in our stomachs to break down and digest food. We use vinegar,
an acid, to pickle cucumbers. Acids like these help us. But, acids can also be harmful. If there is too much acid in garden soil, plants will not grow.
Some acids will burn your skin. Acid rain is harmful rain. When it falls on living things–plants, animals and people–it can harm or kill them. Leaves
burned by acid rain cannot make oxygen or collect carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis.
A Definition of acid rain Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes...show more content...
2NO2(g)+H2O (l)пѓ HNO2 (aq)+HNO3 (aq).
The impact of acid rain on human life.
SO2 & NOX gases turn in to particles that can be inhaled deep into peoples' lungs. Acid rain can harm people indirectly. This happens when people
eat fish caught in affected lakes or rivers. When we breathe in air pollution, these very fine particulates can easily enter our body, where they can cause
breathing problems, and over time even cause cancer. Water we drink from taps can be contaminated by acid rain, which can damage the brain. The
impact on human activity.
Acid rain can have terrible effects on a forest. The acid takes away important minerals from the leaves and the soil.
Minerals are like vitamins for trees and plants. Without them, trees and plants properly cannot grow. They will lose their leaves and become very
weak. They are no longer strong enough to fight against illnesses and frost.
Some soils are alkaline, when acid rain falls on them the acid becomes neutral. Plants and trees living on these soils are not in any big danger. Figure 3
The impact on the natural environment including oceans and atmosphere. Acid rain has a terrible affect on water life. Even if the acid rain does not
fall straight into the lake, for example, it may enter from rivers and streams. Some of the life in the lake such as fish and plants may end up dying,
because they cannot survive in acidic lakes. Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life

Acid Rain
Introduction: Acid Rain, or more specifically, acid precipitation, is an environmental phenomena. It is composed of sulfuric acid and nitric acid, in
addition to water, which come to be due to the interactions between the water and atmospheric pollutants, such as sulfur oxide and nitric oxide. This
combination of strong acids in water is known to be detrimental to the environment, infrastructure, and the health of people. Due to the water cycle,
other water bodies, such as lakes and streams, are affected by the excess acid in rain in that their aquatic populations decrease. Acid Rain also leaches
aluminum, as well as minerals and nutrients, from soils, harming vegetation. As for infrastructure, the acids in acid precipitation are known to erode
metal and stone. Though acid rain itself does not damage people's well–being, the sulfur oxide and nitric oxide in the air can react with other
atmospheric compounds to produce fine, inhalable sulfate and nitrate particles, which are linked to heart attacks and damaging effects on lung function
for those more prone.
The concentration of Acid Rain in this experiment will be determined in molarity (M), or mol/L, through conducting titrations. Atitration is the
controlled addition of a known acid/base solution to an unknown conjugate solution until complete neutralization occurs. This state, also known as the
equivalence point, occurs when the moles of acid is equal to the moles of base. The equivalence point in a titration can be

Acid Rain Papers
Acid rain is a serious and hazardous environmental problem. It affects large parts of the United States and Canada. It causes damage to water sources,
such as lakes and streams, as well as plant life and animals that live in the ecosystems. Acid rain is referred to as the mixture of wet and dry deposition
from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. Acid rain formation can be a result of both natural sources,
such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation or man–made sources through emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. This results in fossil fuel
combustion. In the United States, roughly 2/3 of all SO2 and 1/4 of all NOx come from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels,
like coal. When these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals, it forms various acidic compounds to form...show more
content...
This is where the ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen. Acid rain flows into streams, lakes, and marshes after falling on forests,
fields, buildings, and roads. Acid rain also falls directly on aquatic habitats. Most lakes and streams have a pH between 6 and 8, although some
lakes are naturally acidic even without the effects of acid rain. Lakes and streams become acidic when water and surrounding soil cannot
neutralize the acidic content. In areas where buffering capacity is low, acid rain releases aluminum from soils into lakes and streams; aluminum is
highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms. So, as pH in a lake or stream decreases, aluminum levels increase. Both low pH and increased
aluminum levels are directly toxic to fish. In addition, low pH and increased aluminum levels cause chronic stress that may not kill individual fish,
but leads to lower body weight and smaller size and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat. However, the effects of acid rain can be
detrimental to our forests as

Acid Rain Essay
Don't you always wish to taste the fresh rain in April? Nowadays, you may want to think twice before doing something like that. The rain might turn
out to be acid rain. You may be wondering what acid rain is. Acid rain looks, feels, and tastes exactly like normal rain, but it is very different and very
dangerous. Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction in certain substances. These substances originate from many pollution sources. The most
abundant chemicals in pollution are sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen oxides. When these materials are released into the atmosphere, they undergo
various physical and chemical changes. The most important chemical reaction is the transformation of the sulfur and nitrogen oxides into acids. Sulfuric
...show more content...
Acid rain releases toxic metals that are later absorbed by drinking water, crops, and animals that humans consume. Acid rain can deposit aluminum
into the water supply. Scientists have discovered that aluminum is one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease, a brain disorder that makes elderly
people forgetful. The air also contains many toxic gases released by acid rain. If carbon dioxide is inhaled, it can cause breathing problems and
unconsciousness. When carbon monoxide enters your body, it goes into the bloodstream and slows down the delivery ofoxygen to the rest of the body,
causing dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. Hazardous air pollutants can cause serious health problems like cancer, birth defects, nervous system
problems, and even deaths. Lead can affect young children by causing nervous system damage and learning problems. In fact, it is estimated that
death rates in the most polluted areas are 15 percent higher than those in the least polluted areas because of acid rain. The main health effect of acid
rain on humans is respiratory problems. The pollutants that cause acid rain react with water vapor and other chemicals in the air to form very fine
sulfate and nitrate particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. These particles are particularly dangerous to people with asthma, elderly and very
young people, and pregnant women, but even healthy people can have their lungs damaged by acid air pollutants. When

Hypothesis Of Acid Rain
Objective:
What is the effect of acid rain have on the growth of radish seeds?
Hypothesis:
The seeds that are not in acid rain will germinate more because the acid rain will cause most of the seeds to not germinate because the acid will burn
the chemical the seed needs to germinate
Materials
Diluted Sulfuric Acid
(Acid Rain)
Normal Rain
60 Radish Seed
Glass marking pencil
Masking tape
2 petri dishes
Sponges (2)
Graduated cylinder
Procedure:
Label the petri dishes with "regular" and "acid".
Place a sponge in each petri dish.
Pour 30 mL of water in the petri dish labeled "water" and 30 mL of the diluted sulfuric acid into the petri dish labeled "Acid Rain".
Evenly space 30 radish seeds on the sponges in each petri dish.
Seal the petri dishes securely with the masking tape, and the place them under the the sun.
Data/Observations:
Effect of Acid Rain Radish Seeds
Group

Light
Acid
Observation
1
30
25
2
29
22
3
27
16
Acid was a darker green
4
25
12
More leaves on the acid plants
5
24
17
6
25
19
Acid was a darker green
7
26
22
8
18
19

Average
25.5
19
Graph
Conclusion:
The experiment was done to see how acid rain affects seed germination. The experiment was done with 60 radish seeds, sulfidic acid, and water.We
put 30 seeds in a petri dish with a sponge that is soaked in sulfuric acid and we put the other 30 seeds in another petri dish with a sponge that is

Acid Rain Essay
Acid Rain
Do you ever look outside on a rainy night and think to yourself why are we destroying our own habitat. Of course you don't. You are more rapped up
in the beauty of a calm and serene shower with the wind blowing and a gentle howl of the breeze trickling through the trees. Why would you think of
something bad? Well, maybe you should start thinking of rain as a bad thing. Maybe not rain, but what is in the rain.
Not enough attention is being put toward the well being of the Earth. There are definitely forces at work destroying our environment as we speak. Our
government needs to explore all the deadly toxins that go into our environment every second. Without this exploration we could kill ourselves. Not
only will we...show more content...
Substances are released which run off into water bodies and toxic to water life. Acidic materials deposited directly from the atmosphere also have the
effect of altering the acid balance in water bodies and this too has an effect on the life they support. Acidic deposition onto sensitive buildings causes
decay of stonework and other materials.(Environment Agency: Acid Rain, page 1)
Where does acid rain come from? Acid rain is made from man–made emissions and a few natural compounds. A few of the emissions responsible for
acidic rain is sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. Ammonia, which is mainly from agricultural process is also responsible for a lot of the acidity in
rain. In the atmosphere it mixes with certain compounds and neutralizes them. The neutralized compounds break down when the products the reactions
are deposited, acidity is then released.
Acid rain was noted as a problem in the 1980's first effecting the ponds and lakes in northeastern USA, southern Canada, and what was the Soviet
Union, and other smaller world regions. Acid rain, no matter when or where it falls will always cause damage to the environment. Acid rain has
already caused thousands of lakes and ponds to a point of lifelessness, and has even damaged historic buildings in Europe. One of the major problems
with acid rain is that it gets carried from a mass acid rain producing areas that are usually not as badly affected. Tall chimneys that are built to ensure
that the

Acid Rain Essay
Acid rain is rain that is more acidic than normal. Acid rain is a complicated problem.
Caused by air pollution, acid rain's spread and damage involves weather, chemistry, soil, and the life cycles of plants and animals on the land and from
acid rain in the water.
Scientists have discovered that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of acid rain. Power plants and factories burn coal and oil.
Power plants use that coal and oil to produce the electricity we need to heat and light our homes and to run our electric appliances. We also burnnatural
gas, coal, and oil to heat our homes.
The smoke and fumes from burning fossil fuels rise into the atmosphere and combine with the moisture in the air to form acid...show more content...
In some instances, these gases and particles can eat away the things on which they settle. Dry deposited gases and particles are sometimes washed
from trees and other surfaces by rainstorms. When that happens, the runoff water adds those acids to the acid rain, making the combination more
acidic than the falling rain alone. The combination of acid rain plus dry deposited acid is called acid deposition.
The chemical reactions that change air pollution to acid rain can take from several hours to several days. Years ago, when smokestacks were only a
few stories high, pollution from smokestacks usually stayed near the ground and settled on land nearby.
This caused unhealthy conditions for plants and animals near the smokestacks. To reduce this pollution, the government passed a law permitting the
construction of very tall smokestacks. At that time, people thought that if the pollution were sent high into the air it would no longer be a problem.
Scientists now know that this is incorrect.
Sending pollution high into the sky increases the time that the pollution stays in the air. The longer the pollution is in the air, the greater are the
chances that the pollutants will form acid rain. In addition, the wind can carry these pollutants for hundreds of miles before they become joined with
water droplets to form acid rain. For that reason, acid rain can also be a problem in areas far from the polluting smokestacks.
Dry

Essay On Acid Rain

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