Acid rain
Cause and Effect on Acid Rain
Introduction
Beautifully crafted statues are now worn out or severely damaged, aquatic wildlife population are dying off, forests have lost the leaves that protect their trees and produce food, and the rates of lung diseases in humans are rising around the world. The cause of all of these problems can be linked back to acid rain. Most people don’t understand the concept or science behind acid rain. The common belief is that it’s a natural process, but it’s actually caused by pollution and human activity. Acid rain affects us all, and people need to understand and recognize that acid rain is a problem.
What Is Acid Rain?
Acid rain is also called "acid deposition" and it is acidic precipitation with a pH lower than 5.6. The pH is a scale used to measure acidity where the lower the number, the more acidic a substance. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7.0, while normal surface water is slightly acidic with a pH of 5.6. Humans or natural occurrences can cause acid rain. For example, when a volcano erupts, it releases sulfur dioxide as one of the main components, which can enter the water and cause it to become acidic. However, the primary source of acid rain is the acidic compounds released by atmosphere pollution. Industrial processes like factories and motors like cars release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide and dioxide (NO2 or NO3, commonly written as NOx), which are both strong acids when added to water. As shown in the image below, power plants can release large amounts of these two gases, and prevailing winds spread acid rain across a state or even hundreds of miles away. http://nighthawks75.wikispaces.com/nitric+acid+rain
Acid rain can be in the form of what is called wet deposition or dry deposition. Wet deposition is mainly in the form of preciptation like snow or acid rain, but can also be through sources like fog or dew. In dry deposition, the acidic chemicals may be
Introduction
Beautifully crafted statues are now worn out or severely damaged, aquatic wildlife population are dying off, forests have lost the leaves that protect their trees and produce food, and the rates of lung diseases in humans are rising around the world. The cause of all of these problems can be linked back to acid rain. Most people don’t understand the concept or science behind acid rain. The common belief is that it’s a natural process, but it’s actually caused by pollution and human activity. Acid rain affects us all, and people need to understand and recognize that acid rain is a problem.
What Is Acid Rain?
Acid rain is also called "acid deposition" and it is acidic precipitation with a pH lower than 5.6. The pH is a scale used to measure acidity where the lower the number, the more acidic a substance. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7.0, while normal surface water is slightly acidic with a pH of 5.6. Humans or natural occurrences can cause acid rain. For example, when a volcano erupts, it releases sulfur dioxide as one of the main components, which can enter the water and cause it to become acidic. However, the primary source of acid rain is the acidic compounds released by atmosphere pollution. Industrial processes like factories and motors like cars release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide and dioxide (NO2 or NO3, commonly written as NOx), which are both strong acids when added to water. As shown in the image below, power plants can release large amounts of these two gases, and prevailing winds spread acid rain across a state or even hundreds of miles away. http://nighthawks75.wikispaces.com/nitric+acid+rain
Acid rain can be in the form of what is called wet deposition or dry deposition. Wet deposition is mainly in the form of preciptation like snow or acid rain, but can also be through sources like fog or dew. In dry deposition, the acidic chemicals may be
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