Acid rain is caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from industrial processes and vehicle exhaust. It damages trees, crops, aquatic life, and buildings. The acid in rain leaches aluminum and mercury from soil and rocks into lakes, posing dangers to organisms and humans. Solutions include reducing emissions through technologies like catalytic converters, using renewable energy to limit power plant emissions, and decreasing electricity and vehicle usage.

2.  Acid rain is rain consisting of water droplets that are
unusually acidic because of atmospheric pollution most
notably the excessive amounts of sulphur and nitrogen
released by cars and industrial processes.
 Acid rain is also called acid deposition because this
term includes other forms of acidic precipitation such
as snow.

3. • Burning coal. Oil and
natural gas in power
stations makes electricity,
giving off sulphur dioxide
gas.
• Burning petrol and oil in
vehicle engines gives off
nitrogen oxides as gases.
• These gases mix with water
vapour and rainwater in the
atmosphere producing weak
solutions of sulphuric and
nitric acids – which fall as
acid rain.

4. Acid rain is an extremely destructive
form of pollution, and the
environment suffers from its effects.
Forests, trees, lakes, animals, and
plants suffer from acid rain.
Trees
The needles and leaves of the trees
turn brown and fall off.
Trees can also suffer from stunted
growth; and have damaged bark
and leaves, which makes them
vulnerable to weather, disease, and
insects.

5.  Natural vegetation and crops are
affected by acid rain.
 The roots are damaged by acidic
rainfall, causing the growth of the plant
to be stunted, or even in its death.
 Nutrients present in the soil, are
destroyed by the acidity.
 Useful micro organisms which release
nutrients from decaying organic matter,
into the soil are killed off, resulting in
less nutrients being available for the
plants.

6.  The action of acid rain causes harmful
elements like mercury and aluminium to
be leached from the soil and rocks and it
is then carried into the lakes where
aquatic life may be affected.
 Warning signs have been posted at
several lakes, telling about the dangers
of eating fish which may have been
poisoned by mercury.
 Just as the soil has a natural ability to
neutralise the acidity of rain water, within
a certain limit, so also lakes and other
water bodies can to a certain extent
nullify the effects of acid rain.

7.  If a lower life form is killed, other species that depended on it will
also be affected.
 Every animal up the food chain will be affected.
 Animals and birds, like waterfowl or beavers, which depended on
the water for food sources or as a habitat, also begin to die.
 Due to the effects of acid rain, animals which depended on plants
for their food also begin to suffer..

8.  Humans can become seriously ill,
and can even die from the effects of
acid rain. One of the major problems
that acid rain can cause in a human
being is respiratory problems.
 Many can find it difficult to breathe,
especially people who have asthma.
Asthma, along with dry coughs,
headaches, and throat irritations can
be caused by the sulphur dioxides
and nitrogen oxides from acid rain.

9. Acid rain dissolves the stonework and mortar of buildings (especially those
made out of sandstone or limestone). It reacts with the minerals in the stone to
form a powdery substance that can be washed away by rain.

10. • 1. Sulphur dioxide can be removed from power stations chimneys
but this process is expensive.
• 2. Reduce the amount of electricity we use
- turn tv’s off at the mains, don’t leave on standby.
- turn off lights when a room is not in use.
• 3. Use renewable energy like wind power, solar panels, tidal
power, HEP schemes and geothermal energy.
• 4. Fit catalytic converters to vehicle exhausts which remove the
nitrogen oxides.
• 5. Limit the number of vehicles on the roads and increase public
transport.