Acid Rain Research

Acid rain is rain that has become acidic, because of air pollutants in the atmosphere. Rain has a normal pH level of around 5-5.5 which is only slightly acidic. 7 on the pH scale is the neutral and anything below that is considered acidic. Acid rain has a pH level around 4 which is 10 times more acidic. Acid rain can fall in many different ways and has many effects on the environment. Acid rain is caused by air pollutants in the atmosphere. These air pollutants are mainly from man made resources such as factories and automobiles. The burning of fossil fuels is also one of the biggest factors that pollutes the air and causes acid rain. The primary emissions from man made resources are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The rain actually becomes acidic when the water molecules in the air mix with these acidic chemical pollutants and forms an acid substance. This then falls as acid rain. Acid rain can also be formed by blowing acidic chemicals into areas where the weather is wet. The chemicals then fall to the ground as fog, snow, or acid rain. The final way acid rain can fall is when acidic chemicals blow into an area where the weather is dry. It then comes down to the ground as dust or smoke. They can stick to buildings, homes, and cars. Acid rain does not always fall as rain. It can fall in any form of precipitation. These include snow, fog, sleet, and of course rain. There are many causes for acid rain, but after the acidic chemicals get into the atmosphere they will harm any environment.

There are several environmental effects of acid rain. Acid rain can harm an ecosystem very little or very badly. One effect is runoff from the acidic rain which can flow into streams, lakes, and other bodies of water. This can cause the water to be more acidic. In many sensitive water ecosystems this can kill or harm several fish and other organisms. The acids in the water from the runoff can also reduce nutrient levels. This will also harm many of the plants in an