The Human's Impact on Acid Rain
Acid rain is any precipitation that is acidic in nature. Rain is
already slightly acidic in nature because as it falls, it dissolves
some of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and falls as very dilute
carbonic acid. This is not significantly harmful to the environment
Even though the concentration of Nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides
(which are the main causes of acid rain), are much less than the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the former gases
are much more soluble and therefore have a much greater effect on the
acidity of the precipitation. Liquid acid rain is dissolved in the
rain and are carried a long distance before they fall. Dry depositions
simply fall near to the source.
Sulphur dioxide is responsible for 60-70% of acid rain worldwide. Of
this, approximately 90% is the result of human activities. The main
sources for sulphur dioxide are:
* The combustion of fossil fuels. (all fossil fuels contain about
2-3%) of sulphur, so it is released as sulphur dioxide when it
undergoes combustion (mostly from coal fired power stations). In
1998, for instance, U.S. SO2 emissions were measured at 17.7
million tones. The level of acid rain has risen a lot since the
industrial revolution.
* Sulphur dioxide is also released in car exhausts. And, again, the
rapidly increasing number if cars had lead to an increase of acid
rain.
* The smelting of metal sulphide ores to obtain the pure metals is
also a source of sulphur and therefore acid rain
95% of the elevated levels of nitrogen oxides are caused by human
activites. The ...
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...veloped, and some countries may not be able to afford it. Also,
renewable fuels are limited by nature. Some methods will be
appropriate in some areas while it may be impossible in another. For
example, a solar energy plant would be inappropriate in Antarctica.
Use lead free petrol: This is expensive and is also less efficient
than leaded petrol. Also, leaded petrol cannot be used with a
catalytic converter as it will destroy it.
Use tall smoke stacks: This relieves the problem of heavy local
pollution as the nitrogen oxides and sulpur dioxides rises higher into
the air. But this only means that the pollution spreads further away,
and just passes on the problem instead of solving it. For example,
Norway has problems with acid rain, but most of it comes from Britain.
It could cause ill will between the two countries.
“North Americans have been smelting ore and burning fossil fuels for generations. In the past, the gases went up ordinary chimneys or small smoke stacks, to descend upon near by areas and pollute them,” states author, Robert Collins. Almost everyone knows what acid rain is and has a vague idea of the consequences that exist as a cause of it. Most people however do not realize the severity of acid rain. The essay “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” by Robert Collins was very effective in showing the true severity of acid rain. By using excellent developmental devices, Robert Collins was able to write an effective essay that is appealing to today’s society, as well as informative especially for today’s constantly changing world.
Acid rain has been proven to have damage forests, fresh waters and soils, killing insect and aquatic life-forms. It also causes damage to buildings and impacts on human health. Many people do not know what acid rain actually is. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, low pH levels, higher than normal amounts of sulfuric and nitric acid, occurs naturally and from man made sources. Forms when gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals (what is acid rain?). The only water that will not have some amount of acidity is pure water. Pure water has a pH of 7 which is neutral; regular, unpolluted rain water has a pH of around 5.6. The acidity in rain water comes from the presence of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and Sulfur Dioxide. CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid. Nitrogen and water react during lightning storms, forming Nitric Oxide. NO is then oxidized to form N02. The NO2 reacts with water to form nitric acid. Due to this, the pH is lowered to be slightly acidic (Acid Rain). Acid rain can occur naturally in the environment, but the problem occurs when human interaction is the cause of the acidic levels.
Acid gases are produced when fossil fuels like coal and oil are burned in power stations, factories and in our own homes. Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air. Most of these acid gases are blown into the sky, and when they mix with the clouds it can cause rain - or snow, sleet, fog, mist or hail - to become more acidic. Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these
Rain occurs nature as part of the water cycle, but sometimes rain can do more harm than good. Acid rain can causes damage to plants, animals, and even structures. Acid rain occurs naturally without human interference, but since humans started to make objects that contribute to the creation of acid rain, it happens more frequently than if humans would not be involved. People not only raised the amount of acid rain that falls, they can also be the ones to bring the amount back down to reasonable levels.
Acid Rain: whenever I conjure up images of acid rain I always allude to huge, boiling-red raindrops falling from mean purple clouds on a path destined for destruction. I can see them spiraling down uncontrollably in fireballs of rage to the earth; it becomes very apparent. Perhaps my imagination has gotten the better of me here, but acid rain is definitely no sweetheart. Actually, acid rain looks like any other rain. Believe it or not, it does not have flaming tales on the end of it, but it can produce some serious risks to the world as we know it.
Some people think that acid rain can burn skin if it lands on them. This however, does not happen. Acid rain can not burn skin, it still can causes damage to plants, animals, and even structures. Acid rain occurs naturally without human interference, but since humans started to make objects that contribute to the creation of acid rain, it happens more frequently than if humans would not be involved. People not only raised the amount of acid rain that falls, they can also be the ones to bring the amount back down to reasonable levels. In order to help, people must first understand what acid rain is.
Acid Deposition One of the biggest environmental problems that needs to be dealt with in society today is acid deposition. It is largely caused by humans, and causes much pollution to the environment and harms people and buildings as well. Although there are minimal positive sides to this issue, the negatives far outweigh it and call on people around the world to take action to reduce and even solve this problem. Coming in both wet and dry forms, acid deposition consists of acidic pollutants including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides that have been deposited from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth. There are both wet and dry forms of acid deposition, wet forms being referred to as acid precipitation.
Liming will not solve the problem of acid rain, to do that we must cut
Acid rain has a harmful impact on the environment which is a serious environmental problem that affects large parts of the United States and Canada. Acid rain is particularly damaging to lakes, streams, forests and the plants and animals that live in these ecosystems. Acid rain is referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. They are oxidized in the air until they are converted to sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids are then captured by raindrops which fall to the earth as acid precipitation. This process is called deposition. We know this as acid rain, but we can have acidic snow or hail and even acidic dust particles falling from the sky. It can occur in natural resources, such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides resulting from fossil fuel combustion.
Definition of acid rain: Acid rain is rain with a pH of less than 5.6. It is deposited material (wet or dry like snow or dust) from the atmosphere that contains more than normal amounts of nitric and /or sulphuric acid. Acid rain is more relevant in today’s society than ever because ever since the Industrial Revolution, we are burning fuel that contains nitrogen and sulphur compounds. Nature produces some nitrogen dioxide and some sulphur dioxide, but that does not compare to how much power stations, motor vehicles and blast furnaces produce. Acid rain is killing off wildlife, corroding buildings and reacting with nutrients in the soil.
The majority of people know our water is polluted but what they don’t know is why, and how polluted it is. Acid Rain has been a leading addition to the pollution in our water supply today. Acid Rain comes in the form of rain, snow or fog and is polluted by acid in the atmosphere. In our environment perfect clean water has a pH of 7, acid rain has a pH of 5.5 and below, meaning it is very acidic. The air combines with mainly sulfur and nitrous oxide and makes the water in the air acidic. This acid precipitation then falls onto the environment making the streams and rivers acidic killing the organisms that live in and around these bodies of waters. The rain also kills off trees and other plants at higher elevations. The area that acid rain mostly affects is the North Eastern United States because of the wind currents and because of its soil buffering capacity is low(EPA 1). The buffering capacity is the ability for the land to neutralize acidic compounds. The wind is a major contributor because it carries these acids from different work sites and puts them into the air around the east. One of the leading studies and areas of concern is in upstate New York. One study from the environmental agency in New York said “by 2040, about half the region’s 2,800 lakes and ponds will be too acidic to sustain much life and 100 percent of its rivers and streams will be too acidic to support life during spring snow melts” (Dao 3). Acid Rain has polluted many of the bodies of waters in New York and its surrounding areas. The pollution is contributed from many things although most of the sulfur and nitrous oxide is put into the air from burning fossil fuels. Any person who relies on transportation by a motorized vehicle or a person that relies on power form a company that burns fossil fuels contributes to the pollution. The chemicals that these companies are putting out aren’t affecting them but instead are affecting the east.
One of the impacts Humans have on the atmosphere is acid rain. Pure rainfall is slightly acidic because it absorbs gas in the atmosphere; carbon...
Acid rain, another effect of air pollution, is formed when sulfur-rich fuels such as coal and oil are burned and combined with water. This rain is harmful to our environment because sulfur creates an acid that kills fish, trees, plants, and crops. It also damages paint on cars and wears away the stone used in buildings and statues (Stille 31). Acid ra...
The different gaseous pollutants, like nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide will react with water droplets formed in clouds which will produce sulphuric and nitric acid. When it starts to rain, the clouds will release acidic water droplets. Luckily, the water droplets are weak in acidity, similar to lemon juice. Acid rain cannot burn us like strong acids do, they can only irritate the skin. Even though, acid rain cannot hurt us health wise, we must be aware of what it does to our environment. According to Washington University, acid rain effects bigger bodies of waters like lakes and ponds, therefore the living organisms like fish end up dying. Forests are also effected when acid rain reaches the soil which allow the trees to grow healthy and strong. The material of buildings can also erode at a faster rate, especially if buildings or landmarks are made of materials like limestone and sandstone. Acid rain exists purely because of the air pollutants that exist. Therefore, it is important to find a way to reduce pollutants to better improve our air quality (What Is Acid
As nations continue to develop and populations continue to soar, the demand for energy and food has grown exponentially. Energy and food production, however, produces various types of pollution that have numerous undesirable effects on our environment. A large portion of these pollutants are released into the atmosphere from factories worldwide. When considering all of the consequences of modern day pollution, acid rain is undoubtedly one of the major concerns. Because acid rain is capable of harming a wide range of both living and nonliving things, studying its various effects and the corresponding mechanisms can yield pertinent information, which can be used to combat its effects.