Acid Rain Luka Martinovic

Luka Martinovic

Patrick Youell

Science 9B

May 7, 2016

Acid rain is a type of rain that is unusually acidic, this means that it possess higher level of hydrogen ions (low pH). Acid rain can have a bad effect of plants, aquatic animals, paint and buildings. Acid rain comes if many different forms. It can be found in snow and fog in general. Acid rain is mostly caused by erupting volcano's. When a volcano erupts it releases chemicals in the air which cause the normal rain to contain unusual acidity. Acidic rain isn't always caused by natural happenings it is actually mostly caused by human creations. Some human creations that cause acidic rain are factories, power plants and different types of vehicles that contain fuel.

Effects - There are many ecological effects of acid rain, but the greatest effect is the impact it has with lakes, streams, wetlands and aquatic environments. Acid rain causes them to absorb the aluminum that makes its way from soil into lakes and streams. This also has a great effect on aquatic animals and animals that use that water. Many fish are not able to survive if their environment contains more acidity then it should have. Acid rain can effect lakes and streams in two different ways, chronic and episodic. Chronic results from many years on acid rainfall. This reduces the alkalinity and increases acidity of the water. Chronic reduces the level of nutrients such as calcium. This may result to weaken the fish and other plants. Episodic is a sudden jump in the acidity in the water. This results from a heavy rainstorm. It also happens in the spring, because the sulfates and nitrates will concentrate in the lowest layers of a snow.This can lead to a high concentration of substances such as aluminum, which is toxic to fish.

Figure 1: Acid Rain Cycle

Acid rain has a great effect on buildings, sculptures and paintings. Acid rain has a corrosive  on limestone or marble. It is well established that either wet or dry deposition of sulfur dioxide significantly increases the rate of corrosion on limestone and marble. Many sculptures have been destroyed from acid rain as if it melts down the marble material in a way. Many people wrap sculptures during the winter with waterproof covers so the acid rain doesn't effect the sculpture. You can see the effect of acid rain over several years in figure 2. Acid rain could eventually decompose the whole statue in figure 2.  

Figure 2: Effect of Acid Rain 

As I said before acid rain is mainly caused by human solution. The only way to stop acid rain is to reduce this pollution. This could be done by reducing burning of fossil fuels. This is a long term issue and many people have been fighting pollution for years. People have tried to use also electric cars and to prompt this alternative system. If people were to switch to a alternative system for their vehicles it would help out a lot. Maybe instead of driving a car you can walk if possible or ride a bike ans so on. Power plants are as well playing a huge roll in acid rain. If people were to use less electricity it would stop power plants and hopefully decrease the acidity in the rain.  

Work Cited:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision

http://chemistry.elmhurst.edu/vchembook/196buildings.html

http://classroom.synonym.com/acid-rain-affect-buildings-statues-22062.html

https://www3.epa.gov/region1/eco/acidrain/enveffects.html

Acid Rain- MIhailo

   Mihailo Karadzic

   Mr. Youell

   Science 9A

Acid Rain

Acid  rain is type of rain that comes from the clouds and it is a very weak acid that is composed of water droplets, sulphuric and nitric acids. Acid rain can take many different forms. The most common forms are: snow, rain, fog and tiny bits of dry material that settles to Earth.

This type of rain comes from the sky, where in clouds nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide mix with water droplets. These two compounds come from: factories, coal-burning power plants, power stations, automobiles, rotting vegetation and volcanoes.

Some of the products of burning fossil fuels are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These two gases are released and are mixed with air, water and form nitric acids and sulphuric acids. These acids can spread easily by wind for hundreds of miles. When it falls it hits oceans, buildings, rocks, river systems and ends up in soil. 

The biggest effects the acid rain causes are on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other aquatic environments. When acid rain falls into bodies of water, the bodies of water become more acidic and tend to absorb aluminum. This combination is toxic to animals such as crayfish, aquatic animals, fish, and clams.

Some plants and animals can tolerate acidic water better than others. Even these species overtime less tolerant. Some species such as birds are tolerant to acid rain but the food they eat is affected by the acids. When they eat food that has been affected by the acids they intoxicate their bodies.

When the acid rain falls it comes into contact with leaves and needles which are in turn damaged. Forests that are located on top of mountains are one of the first things to be affected. Soils get robbed of their essential nutrients and aluminum goes into the soil. This aluminum makes it hard for trees to absorb water.

Trees become weaker due to the effects of acid rain in combination with other environmental stressors. Plants become less able to withstand cold temperatures, insects, and diseases and have their ability to reproduce inhibited. Certain soils are better at neutralizing acids than others. The soils that are bad at neutralizing acids are prone to quickly lose an enormous amount of nutrients.

In order to minimize acid rain, the sources of acid rain must be regulated. Fossil fuels should be burned less often. Alternative fuel sources and cleaning up industry smokestacks should curb emissions of gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. This acid rain effect can’t be stopped immediately.

To reduce the amounts of acid rain on the planet we must slow down the production of gases (sulfur dioxide and nitric oxides) that mix with water to form sulfuric and nitric acids. Also, people can start conserving energy by using less electricity in their homes, at work, etc. which will require less energy to be produced by electrical power plants which as a result would slow down the emissions of said gases. Vehicles are another source of pollutants that cause acid rain. The reduction in cars on the street and other vehicles will result in less acid rain. Instead of driving to work or school people can use public transportation, carpool, bike, or take a walk.

Acid Rain

Predrag Sutanovac

Mr.Youell

Science 9B

Acid Rain

Figure 1: Acidic rain cycle

One of the major current issues in the world is acid rain. Acid rain is just like normal rain, but it is acidic. It causes problems for plants, animals and humans. It has high level of nitric and sulfuric acids, and it can come in forms of snow or fog. In figure one we can see the cycle of acidic rain. 

Causes

There are numerous causes to acid rain, such as natural causes or human activity. Some natural causes include rotting vegetation or volcanoes erupting, such is stated in the "National Geographic-Acid Rain" Article. However, it is us humans who deserve the most blame for the increasing amount of acidic rain fall. Whenever we generate electricity and burn fossil fuels by; using cars/vehicles, coal burning power plants, or factories, we release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere. When these chemicals react with oxygen and water they form solutions of nitric and sulfuric acids. These solutions are stored in clouds, which can transport them almost anywhere using the force of wind. Later, the solutions are precipitated from the clouds onto the ground.  

Effects

Figure 2: Trees after being affected by acidic rain

-Forests are one of the victims of acidic rain, especially those in higher elevation. When the rain reaches trees it harms the leafs of the trees with its acid. Also, the rain will make it hard to the trees to receive water from the ground. It does this by releasing aluminum into the soil and taking away crucial nutrients from it. In figure 2 we can see the effects of acid rain on forests. 

-Aquatic life is another victim of acidic rain. Many lakes, fish, and any other creatures near water are affected by acidic rain. The rain that previously fell onto the soil is now transported through it. It enters streams and lakes making them acidic, it also releases aluminum into them. The fusion of these components together makes the water toxic for many creatures in it and around it. In figure 3 we can see that different species can withstand a different amount of acidity(PH level) in water. 

Figure 3: This chart shows that not all species
can withstand the same amount of acidity in water

-Also, it is not only marine life being impacted by acidic rain. Any other species that eat life forms which have been in toxic water can also be impacted by the acid rain. Us, humans are not influenced directly by it, though it can still have an effect on us. For example, if a fish has been living in a toxic lake and a human eats that fish, the person can be affected.   





Remedies

Humans cannot have an effect on natural causes of acid rain, but we can attempt to stop doing things that contribute to the creation of acidic rain. Instead of using fossil fuels as our major source of energy, governments should try to find other sources such as: solar energy, geothermal energy and wind energy. Citizens can also help this cause. Instead of reaching a destination by driving a car which burns fossil fuels we could use the metro, electric cars, bikes, or even walk. To stop contributing to the formation of acid rain we must try harder to change their life style in order to help plants, animals and ourselves. 

For more information on acid rain visit these links:

• Nat Geo: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/
• Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain
• BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision/1

Acid rain- Zachary Tyndall

Acid rain

Zachary Tyndall

Mr. Patrick Youell

Science 9A

May 5, 2016

Acid rain is a rain that is more acidic than it should be, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have very bad effects on plants, marine animals and infrastructures (buildings).  It can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry material that settle to Earth. Rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release some chemicals that can cause acid rain, but most acid rain falls because of human activities. The biggest culprit is the burning of fossil fuels by coal-burning power plants, factories, and vehicles.

Acid rain has many ecological effects, but none is greater than its impact on lakes, streams, rivers and other water environments. Acid rain makes waters acidic and causes it to absorb the aluminum that is from soil which goes into lakes and streams... This combination makes waters too acidic for the aquatic animals to live. Acid rain also damages forests, especially those at with higher trees. It takes the essential nutrition from the soil and releases aluminum into the soil, which makes it hard for trees to register water. Leaves and needles are also harmed by acids.

Acid rain damages the layer on the leaves of trees. This makes it more difficult for trees to absorb the minerals they need for healthy growth and they may die.

Figure 1: Effect of acid rains on trees.

Acid rain also has a very big effect on buildings, monuments, statues… It ruins them by stripping away the stone that was used to make those structures. Limestone and marble were common materials that were used to make buildings and outside statues. But to the surprise of many people, the acid could turn the calcium carbonate molecules that made up the stone materials into calcium sulfate molecules. Because calcium sulfate can be dissolved by water, acid rain would eventually completely dissolve the outsides of buildings and statues.

Figure 2: The effect of acid rain on statues.

The only way to fight acid rain is by lowering the amount of the pollution that causes it. This means burning fewer fossil fuels. Many governments have tried to cut the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels by promoting alternative fuel sources. These efforts have been met with mixed results. But even if acid rain could be stopped today, it would still take a lot of time for it to be gone completely. Us people can also help prevent acid rain by conserving energy. The less electricity people use in their, the fewer energie will be used in the power plants . Vehicles are also major fossil fuel users, so we can reduce the amount of energy spent by using the public transport, walking… even electrical cars are becoming much more affordable so that is another option.

In conclusion acid rains are a big problem in the whole world and it doesn't only affect our surroundings, but it affects us too. Every single person can make a difference, and we should all be aware of the danger that they cause to Earth.

Sources:

http://classroom.synonym.com/acid-rain-affect-buildings-statues-22062.html

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision/1

https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects-acid-rain

Seungjun Lee

Mr. Youell

Science 9A

5/5/2016

Acid Rain blog - science

Did you see the statues in tourist attractions that look as if they were melting down? Look at the first picture, this is a statue made out of limestone and when it is contacted by the acid rain, the chemical reaction takes place to almost, melt it down.

In many places, it rains acid rain. And acid rain can damage trees by damaging its leaves or make rivers and lake too acidic and kill the marine creatures in it. But, what are the acid rain, how are they made, and how do we know if it rains acid rain at your place?

Acid rain is rain that is acidic. More acidic than normal rain, that has pH level of 4.4 or less. It is quite acidic when compared to normal

rain which is usually around 5.6 of pH level where 6 is neutral.

When fossil fuels are burnt, it creates two kinds of gases and those are; carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Carbon monoxide will decrease the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry if inhaled. If inhaled, it can also cause tiredness, unconsciousness and death. Sulfur dioxide is what makes the acid rain. When it is dissolved in clouds, it makes the rain acidic.

A natural way that you can tell whether your place rains acid rain or not by looking at the plants called lichens. They grow on rocks or tree bark and they absorb water and nutrients from rain. Some of the gases dissolved in the acid rain can damage lichen like sulfur dioxide which will prevent the lichen from growing. From seeing how much the lichen is grown, you can tell whether the rain is acidic or not. The lichen in neutral rain will be very healthy and bushy. Leafy ones are indicating that the rain is polluted by a little and crusty lichens mean that the rain is very acidic and contains a lot of sulfur dioxide.

Nowadays, there aren’t that many new statues being built, but many statues have been broken down, and the acid rain is corrosive with other things as well, so it also destroys many other things like buildings, so, we should think about that and try our best to decrease the amount of pollution as much as possible.

source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision

Acid Rain - Jaewoo Park

Acid rain is one of the major problem that is happening in the world now days. It destroys our land, vegetables, and even animals. We can solve it by figuring out what is the cause of it, and how does it effect us and our environment.

Figure 1: Acid Rain cycle

Acid Rain is one of the effect caused by air pollution. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and Carbon Monoxide can make acid rain. “Carbon monoxide, CO, is produced when fuels burn in a limited amount of air. It is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. Carbon monoxide passes into the red blood cell after breathing it in. It binds more strongly to haemoglobin than oxygen does, so the blood will be able to carry less oxygen than it should. This can cause tiredness, unconsciousness and even death.”             (http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision/1 ) Sulfur dioxide has a sharp, choking smell, and when it is combined with rain, it makes more acidic. Lastly, Nitrogen oxide is a substance that can cause people to get asthma from breathing it in only for 30 minutes. Sulfur dioxide and Carbon monoxide are mostly produced from burning fuels, and Volcanos.nitrogen oxide can be produced from wheat paddy and animal wastes.

These chemicals are transported to the air, and have a chemical reaction with water, which makes the water acidic. The acid rain  In figure 1, it explains in a chart how acid rain is made. Acid rain can have a mass impact on marine animals. When it drops into the soil, it makes aluminium. Aluminium can flow into the water, which can impact on animals. Other than that, when the acidic water drops below ph of 5, Most of the fish’s egg cannot hatch. At a lower ph level, Most of the marine animals, including fish dies. Also, acid rain removes minerals and nutritientfrom the soil that tree needs to survive, which cause to death. Acid rain can effect humans too. It will be fine to beath in, or get acid rain on your head when it is not too strong, but if it is, then it might damage your lungs, and you can have a lung dissorder such as asthma and bronchitis. Acid rain can damage the surface of a rock, or a metal. When acid rain drops on the metal, it will slowly dissolve its surface. Also there will be rust on it, which makes it look dirty.

Figure 2: PH Scale

People might think that there are only acid rain. Unfortunatelly, there are also acid snow, and acid dust. These does the same reaction as acid rain do. They all damage your lung or your skin if they are strong enough.

We can Easily make the acid rain more neutural. We can use less power, like saving the electricity, or to use less hot water and more cold water. Hot water is heated by electricity, which can burn more fossil fuels. We can try to use less paper products, so that people cut down less trees. Trees can help to neutralize acid rain by releasing oxygen and taking in carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. We can use more public transportation such as metro, bus, train, or taxi so that less gas is produced by cars and fill out the ozone layers. The country can use more renewable energy like solar power, wind mills, or hydroelectric energy instead of buring fossil fuels or coal.

Acid Rain is mostly caused by burning fossil fuels. The chemical substance, Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and Carbon Monoxide are the chemicals used to make acid rain. Acid rain can kill marine animals and trees, and we can have lung problems by breathing it in. We can save energy and use less fossil fuels to make the rain less acidic.

Work cited page :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision/1