Acid Rain Short Essay

ACID RAIN Acidified particulate matter in the atmosphere that is deposited by precipitation on to a surface, often eroding the surface away. This precipitation generally has a pH less than 5and some times much lower depending upon the concentration of acidic components. Acidic deposition principally by the pollutant gases such as sulphur dioxide (so2) and the nitrogen oxides cause acidic deposition. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, forms Sulphur dioxide. that contain high quantities of sulphur; nitrogen oxides are contributed from various industrial activities and from car exhaust fumes. Acid rain is linked with damage to and death of forests and lake organisms in Scandinavia, Europe, and North America. It also causes damage to buildings and statutes. Even the cleanest rain is slightly acidic (measuring pH6), owing to the presence of dissolved carbon. However as sulphur dioxide dissolves readily in rain drops to form sulphur acid and the acidity can increase by as much as a thousand times. Acid deposition occurs not only as wet precipitation (mist, snow, or rain), but also comes out of the atmosphere as dry particles. or is absorbed by directly by lakes, plants and masonry as gases. Acid gases can travel over 500km/300 mi a day and therefore acid rain can be considered an example of transponder pollution. (Environmental Sciences). Both 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 The acid rain causes harmful elements like mercury and aluminum to be leached from the soil and rocks and it is then carried into the lakes where aquatic life may be affected . The effects of acid rain also inhibit plant germination and reproduction. As the pH reaches 5.5, plankton, certain insects and crustaceans begin to die. At a pH of around 5.0, the fish population also begins to die. All living organisms are interdependent on each other.

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