Umar Farooq Professor Gennifer Marconette English Composition I 7 April 2014 In 1872 a scientist English Robert Angus Smith observed that acidic perception could damage the plants and materials and he coined a term “acid rain” for it. Acid rain wasn’t considers threat to environment until 1970 scientist observed rise of acid levels in streams and lakes. Acid rain is caused when chemical compounds like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are released. They go up into the atmosphere and react and mix with oxygen, water and other chemicals in the air and form acidic pollutants. Both sulfur and nitrogen dioxide are water soluble and can easily carry with wind and become part of rain. Nature works on balance. Some rains have pH level around 5.0 that’s makes them naturally acidic. In natural acid rain the sulfur comes from the volcano eruptions they emit large amounts of sulfur dioxide while nitric acid in rain is produced by lightning activity in the atmosphere. Natural rain reacts with non-acidic materials that are naturally present in air, rocks, bed rock, streams and lakes. The reaction between them results in to a neutral solution. However the human activity is made this reaction hard the access of acidic rain can’t neutralize by neutrally and results damage to crops, streams, lakes, animals, humans and buildings. Over the past few decades human activities are the main cause of acid rain. Humans have caused the destruction atmospheric chemical balance by releasing different chemicals into the air. The major source of the sulfur dioxide is and some part of nitrogen dioxide is produced by power plants while burning natural fossil fuels like when coal is burned to produce electricity. Apart from them the exha... ... middle of paper ... ...hronic bronchitis can make hard to breath. Acid rain can also result in formation of tiny particles when these particles go inside lungs they can cause problems and permanent lung damage. International treaties are present to stop this. The long range transport of atmospheric pollutants has been agreed like Sulfur Emission Reduction Protocol l under the Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution. Most of European countries, Canada and America have signed these treaties to fight against the acid rain. Everyone can help the environment from acid rain by spreading the awareness. Conserve the energy whether it’s used in your car, home or work place try to save electric energy switch off the unnecessary lights and try to limit the use of air conditioners. Cars and other vehicles are also a big cause limit their use. Play your part in healthy environment.
Scientists have been studying the chemistry of the rain and they've discovered that while the deposition of sulfuric acid has decreased in the last two years, the deposition of nitric acid has increased. This means that the acidity of the rainfall hasn't really changed.
In conclusion, “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” was effective in proving how severe acid rain is and can be. Robert Collins wrote informatively about a notable subject what anyone can comprehend and he used many commendable writing devices which all added to the effectiveness of the essay.
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.
Formed high in the clouds where sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with oxygen and water, acid rain has a devastating ability to kill off aquatic systems, vegetation, animals, etc. The definition of acid rain is the deposition of acidic components in rain, fog, snow, and sleet. Regular rain has a pH that is slightly acidic at 5.6, but what makes one worry are the places like Washington, D.C., which possesses rain readings of 4.2 to 4.4 on the pH scale. Acid rain is mainly composed of Sulfuric Oxide (SO2) and Nitrous Oxide, which are common air pollutants from big industries, 70% of which are electric utility plants. If one views the amount pH levels of various areas around the nation it is easy to see that there is a problem, especially when a 4.0 pH level can drive many fish to die.
One of the biggest environmental problems that needs dealing 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 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. Acid precipitation is the result of sulfur and nitrogen oxides reacting in the atmosphere with water vapor. This returns to the earth as acid rain or snow. Dry deposition occurs when these oxides react without water and they settle out of the atmosphere onto the earth. Acid deposition can come from a number of different sources such as smokestacks, trucks and cars. More than 90% of the sulfur in the atmosphere comes from humans. Coal burning, the smelting of metal sulfide ores, and automobile exhaust are major human contributions to sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. Similarly, 95% of the increased nitrogen oxide levels in the atmosphere are a result of the activities of humans. The activity that contributes the most to these elevated levels is the combustion of oil, coal, and gas. Attention was first drawn to acid deposition in the 17th century when the bad effects of industry and acidic pollution on both vegetation and people were noticed. In the 1960s, it became an international problem when fishermen noticed declines in fish numbers and diversity in lakes across North America and Europe. Acid deposition causes many problems such as these worldwide, and is clearly a problem that needs to be properly dealt with.
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.
It is particularly damaging to lakes, streams, forests, and the creatures that inhabit these ecosystems (EPA). The primary cause of acid rain is the oxidation of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon compounds (Goyer). Acid rain is not only harmful to nature, but also to humans in a direct way, it accelerates the decay of building materials, including monuments or historic buildings. Acid rain is also harmful to human health, While acid rain cannot burn skin, it is linked to several indirect health effects (Boumis). Studies performed by scholars such as Dr. Goyer 's "Human Health Effects of Acid Rain," have shown that people with bronchial afflictions or asthmatic tendencies are more prone to episodes of bronchial discomfort or inflammation when exposed to the chemicals present in acid rain
To begin with, acid rain, the product of such accidents fall onto the environment affecting it in various ways. Lakes and streams are the most affected by acidification. A survey investigated what effects acidity had on over one-thousand lakes larger than ten acres and in thousands of miles of streams. “Of the lakes and streams surveyed, acid rain caused acidity in seventy-five percent of acidic lakes and about fifty percent of the acidic streams.” (EPA) Most aquatic organisms are not competent to such acidity, therefore die and decrease biodiversity. With the decrease of biodiversity the food chain is also affected and partially lost. Water ecosystems are not the only affected, acidification also accelerates the decaying of materials. Acid rain and dry deposition of acidic particles contribute to the corrosion of metals and the deterioration of paint and stone. Such effects can reduce the value of buildings, bridges, cars, an...
Acid rain is relevant in today’s society more than ever because ever since the Industrial Revolution we are burning fuel that contain 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. The acid rain is killing off wildlife, corroding buildings and reacting with nutrients in the soil. The acid rain can get into our waterways and poison the water, we can also breathe it in and the acid would irritate our upper respiratory tract. Our environment is degrading and acid rain is a big catalyst.
Have you ever wondered about the lack of fish in lakes and streams? Or maybe you wondered about the paint peeling off of a brand new motorcycle after it was sitting out in the rain. These effects are often caused by acid rain. Acid rain poses dangers to the environment, animals, and more.
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.
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...
Primarily, it is essential to distinguish acid rain from natural rain since rain is naturally acidic. Even in a clean environment, rain tends to be slightly acidic due to the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. More specifically, when carbon dioxide gas dissolves in the raindrops, carbonic acid forms. However, carbonic acid is very weak, and only reduces the pH of rainwater to about 5.6 (Jacobson 259). When examining a pH scale, natural rain water is not too acidic compared to pure water, which has a pH of 7.0.