This document summarizes a student's experiment on how acid rain affects aquatic plants. The student hypothesized that plants exposed to higher levels of simulated acid rain by adding vinegar would get sick and die faster. The student observed the plants over 48 hours, finding that those with more vinegar added showed more browning, spots and fading, and eventually died, supporting the hypothesis. The student concluded the experiment showed that increased acidity harms plants over time.

1. H ow Acid R ain Affe cts Aqu atic
P lant Life
By: K ath e rine D avie s

2. N ote facts
How is acid rain formed?
Source 1. Pollution in the air, mixed with rain is acid rain
Source 3. Acid rain doesn’t happen without rain and pollution,
volcanoes or forest fires
How does acid rain affect the earth?
Source 2. Acid rain blocks fish gills with mucus
Source 2. Destroys man made buildings and paint
Source 2. Destroys stones and sculptures
Source 2. Can poison animal’s and human’s food
Source 2. Kills plants and the minerals and nutrients in the soil
Is it a natural disaster?
Source 3. Acid rain, most of the time, is a man made natural
disaster

3. N ote F acts (cont.)
Where does it occur?
Source 1. Acid rain is found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, several
southeast states, the mountains in the west and some
northeast states
Source 1. Acid rain is found in north Europe, east and west
North America, Japan, China, Soviet Union and South
America
How do scientists predict acid rain?
Source 2. Acid rain is predicted through the water cycle
Does it create other disasters?
Source 3. Acid rain doesn’t create other disasters, other than
destroying homes and lives

4. N ote F acts (cont.)
Does it have good or bad effects?
Source 2. Destroys man made buildings and paint
Source 2. Destroys stones and sculptures
Source 2. Can poison animal’s and human’s food
Source 2. Kills plants and the minerals and nutrients in the soil
What are the different types of acid rain?
Source 2. Natural acid rain is caused by the the sulfur dioxide
and
nitrogen oxide from volcanoes and forest fires
Where is most affected?
Source 2. The northeastern states are most affected

5. N ote F acts (cont.)
When was it discovered?
Source 1. Acid rain was not recognized until the middle of the 20th
century
Source 1. Damage from acid rain was not noticed until the 1930-50s
Source 1.In the late 1970s, governments started studying the
problem
How can you tell it’s acid rain?
Source 1. Un-polluted rain has a pH of 5.0, anything below is acid rain
Why did I pick my topic?
Source 3. I picked my topic, because it seemed like an interesting
topic I would enjoy
When does aluminum become toxic?
Source 1. Aluminum only becomes toxic at less than 6.0 pH

6. Bib liograp h y
Source 1. Effects of Acid Rain on Freshwater Ecosystems.
Date of access: March 5th, 2012
http://rst2.edu/ties/acidrain/PDF/3effects/ef7.pdf/
Source 2. Our Struggling Lakes and Forests
Date of access: March 6th, 2012
http://www.netplaces.com/kids-enviroment/the-air-and-the-water/acid-rain-our struggli
Source 3. Man Made Natural Disaster: Acid Rain
Date of access: March 7th, 2012
http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Man-Made-Natural-Disaster-Acid-Rain/140637

7. Level of pH that aquatic creatures will die
(s maller numbers mean more acidity)
p H l ev el
7
6
5
4
3
H
p
pH level
2
1
0

8. H yp oth e s is
How does acid rain affect freshwater plants?
If I simulate different amounts of acid rain on
banana plants and water wisteria, then the
ones with more simulated acid rain will get
very sick and die faster, because the more
poison a plant receives, the faster it will die.

9. M ate rials
•6 Aquatic Banana Plants •Measuring Cups
•12 Water Wisteria Plants •Sharpie
•2 Gallons of Distilled Water •5 5-cup Containers
•White Distilled Vinegar •pH Meter
•Medicine Dropper •Notebook
•Pencil

10. P roce d u re
• Rinse and number the containers
• Add 4 cups of distilled water to each
• Add equal plants to each
• Add vinegar, adding 1 more milliliter to each
container (except the 1st container)
• Test pH levels
• Take pictures of each container
• Record data and observations (in a chart)
• Record and take pictures every 48 hours

11. p H Le ve ls
Bowl Milliliters of Vinegar pH Level
0 mL 7.65
1
1 mL 4.44
2
2 mL 4.06
3
3 mL 4.01
4
4 mL 3.92
5
12 mL 3.58
6

12. O b s e rvations

13. N orm al p H of
D is tille d Wate r and Vine gar
pH
Distilled Water 8.2
Vinegar 2.6

14. C om p aris ons
Bowl 24 hours later 48 hours later
1 No change No change
2 Brown spots on the leaves No change
3 Lots of brown spots and crumbling Brown and faded on all
the leaves
4 Leaves are brown and falling off Completely brown on all
the leaves
5 Some leaves have lost color and Leaves are more brown or
others have turned brown more faded
6 Brown and swollen banana plant Everything dark brown
roots and leaves are dark brown and the leaves fell off

15. Bowl 1
(No vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

16. Bowl 2
(1 mL of vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

17. Bowl 3
(2 mL of vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

18. Bowl 4
(3 mL of vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

19. Bowl 5
(4 mL of vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

20. Bowl 6
(12 mL of vinegar)
Day 1 48 Hours

21. Variab le s
Independent:
Amount of pH; amount of vinegar
Dependent:
Number of living plants
Controlled:
Amount/type of plants; amount/type of
water; type of vinegar

22. C onclu s ion
My hypothesis was correct. The plants with
added acidity are dying over time, some
faster than others because of the higher
amounts of acidity. Next time, I would do the
project over a longer period of time to see
what happens to the bowls with lower
acidity.