Tomislav Acid Rain

Aid rain is rainfall made acidic by atmospheric gases and pollution to the point where it causes environmental harm. Acid rain is created when fossil fuels, such as coal are burned. Natural fossils contain sulfur compounds. When fossil fuels are burned, they release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This gas then dissolves in water droplets in clouds. This causes the rain to have a higher pH level than normal.

Figure 1: Effect of acid rain on trees

Why is it bad for us? Acid rain is an important issue, since it affects our ecosystem greatly. Acidic rain destroys leaves, buildings and monuments, soil, aquatic life and many more. The effect of acidic rain can be seen on Taj Mahal. Over years, the reaction between marble and acidic rain caused the structure to change color. A structure that used to be perfectly white now shines a dark orange color.

Figure 2: Taj Mahal

The intensity of acid rain varies countries. Countries with higher population density will often have more acidic rain than the countries with lower population. This can be seen as India and China have the highest intensity of acid rain.

Figure 3: Countries most affected by acid rain 

How can we help solve this issue? Scientists say that by reducing the burning of fossil fuels, we can make a difference. As seen on the news recently Volkswagen, a popular car company was found to be emitting 40 times more nitrogen oxide than allowed. However acid rain doesn't just affect buildings and nature around us. In nature, everything is connected. For example, in a heavily acidic area such as china, a cow eats grass after it has rained. The acid then affects the quality of meat on that cow, thus harming our health. This can concept can be seen throughout many different areas in nature. Another example of that would be the fish population. Fish that swim in acidic heavy waters often die, and in some cases the ones that do survive can end up on the market. It can cause rashes on our skin, and in extreme cases it can melt spots in skin.We can all contribute to resolving this issue. 60% of all nitrogen oxide comes from transportation. By taking public transportation we can reduce that number. As technology advances, electric cars are becoming more affordable. In 2014, over 740,000 electric cars have been sold worldwide.

Figure 4: Nissan's electric car

In conclusion, the acid rain issue is becoming more and more severe. It is the nature telling us that something is wrong. It is affecting everything around us, including us. As humans, we should not take earth for granted. We can all make a difference by doing small things.



Sources:

http://thenortheasttoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/taj-mahal-web.gif

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/001/cache/dead-spruce_133_600x450.jpg

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-are-air-pollution-smog-and-acid-rain.html

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

http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/acid2/acid2-images/AR-worldwide.gif

Cause and Consequences of Acid Rain

Tamara Ilic
Mr. Patrick Youell
9B Science
4/10/2016
                                                      Causes and Consequences of Acid Rain

        This blog post has purpose to educate the reader about the causes, effects, consequences and remedies of acid rain. You should already be aware that acid rain is one of the major problems for organisms and society on planet Earth, the effects of acid rain are very harmful for plants, aquatic animals and infrastructure. As you already know acid rain can be found in two forms of precipitations ,rainfall or snow. It is produced from great amount of acidic substances (carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide) mixed together.

Causes
Acid rain is considered both natural phenomena and/or type of air pollution caused by human activites. In cases in which acid rain is considered a natural phenomena is when the chemical reaction is caused by nature. Undoubtedly, one of the most frequent natural cause of acid rain are volcanic eruptions. During volcanic emissions massive amounts of sulfur dioxide are released into the atmosphere where they combines with other acids like carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to form acid rain. Even though living organisms release carbon dioxide when they breathe, CO₂ is considered to be a pollutant when it merges with burned fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. Human activities which involve burning of fossil fuels are the major cause of acid rain. Main sources of burning fossil fuels are power stations which release enormous amount of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide is the essential chemical compound in creation of acid rain, it is a toxic gas with a chocking, irritating smell. When sulfur dioxide mixes with other gases in the atmosphere and dissolves in water droplets in the clouds it gives the rain more acidic properties which leads to creation of acid rain. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: The process of Forming Acid Rain

Effects
According to National Geographic (Article 1) acid rain has many ecological effects, however none of them is as substantial as the impact of acid rain on aquatic life. Once acid rain mixes with water in lakes, rivers and seas it turns the water acidic and causes the water to absorb aluminum from the soil, this mixture creates toxins deadly for aquatic animals. Even though some species can consume acidic water better than others as the National Geographic (Article 2) states "what impacts some species eventually impacts many more through the food chain". This means that if our food was once exposed to consequences of acid rain we might also get effected.(See Figure 2)

Figure 2: Aquatic life effected by acid rain

Besides aquatic life, acid rain damages wax layer of tree leaves and takes of the soil of essential nutrients which makes it more inconvenient for trees to absorb the water. If trees don't take as much water as expected they are being exposed to lack of growth and healthy state. In Figure 3 you can see the effect that acid rain has on trees.

Figure 3: Trees after effected by acid rain

Interesting fact:
According to BBC Bitesize Lichens (See Figure 4) are used as natural indicator of pollution caused by sulfur dioxide. They grow in places in which it is easy to absorb aluminum-free water and nutrients, which suggests that there is no pollution in the near area, since sulfur dioxide is capable of damaging the lichens and preventing them to growing. Rain water in these fields contains just enough nutrients to sustain Lichens, therefore makes them natural indicator of sulfur dioxide pollution.

Figure 4: Lichens

Remedies
Since we are unable to prevent natural pollutants such as volcanoes,  we should try reduce all the harmful acts that we are doing that are contributing to the formation of acid rain. One of the major harmful human activities is burning coal fuels. Governments should spend more resources on discovering new sources of energy, and more money on pollution control. Simple citizens of countries should try and drive cars as less as possible, they could use public transportation, ride bikes, or simply go by foot. In order for us to prevent acid rain we all need to make an effort and help animals, plants, infrastructures, and our selves from suffering.
       This is a very pressing issue for the whole world. Even though this might not be on all headlines of newspapers, it is destroying nature, killing aquatic animals, and effecting almost all living organisms on our planet.
Hyperlinks:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/

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

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

The Effects on the Problems that Acid Rain Produces to the Society and Species

Alexandre Bekos

Science

Mr.Youell

Start: Friday, April 8, 2016

End: Tuesday, May 5, 2016

The Effects on the Problems that Acid Rain Produces to the Society and Species

Fig 1 Pollution causing Acid Rain
http://indosurflife.com/2012/12/acid-rain-indicated-to-happen-in-indonesia/

Acid Rain is one of the major factors around the world that destroy vegetation, plant life and animals, it can be scientifically proven that Humans are the main cause of Acid Rain. (see fig 1) Do you believe that humans are the cause for  Acid Rain to occur? Can it be proven that Acid Rain destroys soil organisms and other species?

First of all to understand the acidity of Acid Rain it can be measured with a pH level, a number system is used from 0 to 14 which determines the acidity. Acid rain is slightly acidic because it mixes with oxides that happen in the air. Rain that would not be polluted it would have a pH level between 5 and 6. As the air gets more polluted with Nitrogen Oxides and Sulphur Dioxides then the pH level can increase up to a pH level of 4. The most extreme occurrences were recorded up to a pH level of 2  which does not happen that often.

Second Acid Rain or Acidic Deposits that Fall from the Earth's Atmosphere is produced from the pollution of factories and vehicles, the fossil fuels. This term was first invented by the Scottish Chemist Robert Angus Smith to describe how the Acidic precipitation in Manchester first impacted the environment. Different Gases we burn such as fossil fuels contain sulfur dioxide which can harm the environment and if humans or animals inhale it then they can get choked and possibly die. Sulphur Dioxide is a gas which comes from volcanoes and sometimes factories depending on what they are producing.

Fig 2 Affected Trees by Acid Rain
http://miraimages.photoshelter.com/image/I0000e_Uit7IPwt0

Thirdly when Sulfur Dioxide is combined with the water in the clouds then it produces Acid Rain, it usually is more acidic than the normal water. Acid Rain can damage trees, plants, lakes, seas, animals and other organisms. Firstly When Acid Rain is produced and is poured on trees it can damage the waxy layer on leaves and trunk making it more difficult to photosynthesize(see fig 2). Second of all Acid Rain can damage rivers making it more difficult more sea animals to survive, when the Acid Rain comes in contact with the water it mixes and transformed it toxic making it unusable to animals, bathing and extraction of clean water. Third of all  Acid Rain damages lichens which grow on tree barks and rocks, these species are used as biological indicators of sulphur dioxide that need healthy rain which Acid Rain is the contrary.  

Fig 3 Britain's Chimneys
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8329000/8329883.stm 

Fourth of all the Greenhouse Effect has a huge impact on Acid Rain. The Greenhouse effect is the thermal radiation (heat) from the Earth’s surface to stay in the earth. The problem is if Acid Rain is produced then it combines with gases helping it to destroy the layers of the atmosphere. For example Acid Rain is a common problem in britain because at first they built very tall chimneys which did not decrease the problem, it only caused more problems because then it would be easier for the wind to transport those gases and then for Acid Rain to occur somewhere else. (see fig 3)  If we (humans) want to decrease this problem then we shall not pollute into the air, the problem of the problem is that we cannot stop factories and cars from polluting however we can start to place filters that clean the bad gas to release a cleaner and more purer gas. This could decrease deforestation, death of mammals and  danger to the atmosphere. Second of all different human activities such as farming and burning fossil fuels can cause Acid Rain. Farming causes the production of methane and nitrous oxide such as rice fields, cattle and animal waste which is used as a fertilizer for crops.

Fig 4 Statues Destroyed by Acid rain
http://www.cashmancuneo.net/gr/nd/acid/acid.html

Fifth of all buildings can also get destroyed with a massive amount of Acid Rain which in places does occur. Buildings, statues, vehicles, pipes and cables can get destroyed in time with all kinds of winds, snow, rain and other natural causes however Acid Rain helps to speed up the process by destroying them much quicker (see fig 4). The worst types of rocks that are affected by Acid Rain are Sandstone and Limestone which are more likely to get affected.

Sixth of all we can prevent Acid Rain by reducing emissions. Firstly we could get new ways to burn fuel so we don’t produce much pollution. Second we could get rid of Sulphur by spraying a mixture of water and powdered limestone which will reduce Acid Rain. Third we could find new ways in how to use and produce less energy. Fourth we could walk, cycle or share cars to reduce pollution. Finally we could restore lakes by having powdered limestone (liming) added to the water to neutralize it however it is very expensive.

In conclusion Acid does affect trees, lakes, animals and even buildings which is a problem in our society. It has been proven that Humans cause Acid Rain with pollution however we still have a chance to fix it. Are you going to start making a difference to the world?

Sources for Writting:

#1-"What Is Acid Rain?" What Is Acid Rain? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2016. <http://webprojects.oit.ncsu.edu/project/bio183de/Black/chemreview/chemreview_reading/acid_rain.html>.

#2-"Acid Rain and Global Warming." BBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2016. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/znsk7ty/revision/1>.

#3-"Acid Rain." The Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes. 2008, Richard Haeuber, "Acid Rain." UXL Encyclopedia of Science. 2002, "Acid Rain." World of Earth Science. 2003, Morton Lippmann, "Acid Rain." Dictionary of American History. 2003, William E. Sharpe, "acid Rain." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2016, "acid Rain." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004, Arthur H. Chappelka, "acid Rain." World Encyclopedia. 2005, AILSA ALLABY;MICHAEL ALLABY, "acid Rain." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009, and Michael Allaby. "Acid Rain."Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 May 2016. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/acid_rain.aspx>.

Causes and Effects of Acid rain; how can we prevent it?

Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction between chemical compounds and once they mix with other chemicals in the atmosphere (water, oxygen), acid rain is formed. We are responsible for the polluted air, therefore we are responsible for acid rain. It is harming plants, animals, soil, lakes, rivers, and us humans. Humans have the ability to reduce the chances of acid rain by doing very simple things.

Acid rain is caused by air pollution. The major precipitant of acid rain is the burning of fossil fuels by coal-burning power plants, factories and even cars (See Figure 1). Within the visible grey fumes that are coming out of a car are hidden particles much more harmful then we know.  Human activities are the greatest cause of acid rain, but there are also some natural pollutants such as erupting volcanoes and rotting vegetation, they too release chemicals that result to the formation of acid rain.

Figure 1: Burning Fuel 

A chemical reaction is triggered when compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are released into the air. Once the substances rise into the atmosphere they mix and react with the following; water, oxygen, and other chemicals, forming mild solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid. Wind spreads the acidic solution across the atmosphere (See Figure 2). Acid rain occurs in forms of snow, fog, and even tiny bits of dry material.. It enters water streams/systems, and sinks into the soil, look at Figure 3  there you can clearly see the impact that acid rain had on Canadian lake, Ontario.

Figure 2: The formation of Acid Rain

Figure 3: Canadian Lakes Effected by Acid rain 

However, even though acid rain has multiple ecological effects, it has had the greatest impact on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other aquatic surfaces as you can see in Figure 3 above. Since the water is polluted with acid rain, it endangers crayfish, clams, fish, and other water animals. Some species are able to handle the acidic waters better than others, but in an interconnected ecosystem what impacts some species will also at some point impacts multiple other through the food chain, including land species (See Figure 4).

Figure 4: Bird Hunting Fish out of Lakes

Acid rain does great damage to forests which are at higher elevations. It takes the essential nutrients from the soil and releases aluminum in the soil, making it hard for trees to absorb water. Acid rain also damages the waxy layer on the leaves of trees (see Figure 5), making it even harder for trees to be able to absorb the minerals that they need for healthy growth and without those minerals it is very likely that the trees may die. Another effect that it has on trees and plants is that it makes it difficult for them to withstand cold temperatures, insects, diseases, and it may take away their ability to reproduce.

Figure 5: Branches form the Black forest trees, the left branch shows the effect of acid rain; needle loss, yellow boughs.

To prevent the forming of acid rain factories should burn less fossil fuels, and try to find a replacement for the product. Sulphur could fade out of smoke by spraying a mixture of water and powdered limestone into the smokestack.  Another good way to avoid air pollution is for the government to spend more money on pollution control even if it means increasing prices of electricity bills. Besides increasing some bills governments should invest in researching different ways to produce energy. We have to start with small changes in order to prevent the forming of acid rain.

In order to preserve aquatic life, trees, plants, soil, and infrastructures we need to spread awareness about the impacts that acid rain has on organisms on the planet. Governments should be more aware about the seriousness of the situation, in order to change things.

Acid Rain

Acid rain

As you may know, acid rains are very bad for the environment. But do you really know everything about acid rain. Here you are going to find out something more about acid rains.

First I will tell you what is acid rain. Acid rain is the result of air pollution. Air pollution is made by gases and those gases are coming from burned fuels that are coming from cars and factories. Some of the gases (especially nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide) react with tiny drops of water in the clouds and they combine into sulphuric and nitric acid. Then it falls to the ground as a weak acid and there is where the name comes from “acid rain”. (image 1)

(image 1)

How much is acid rain acidic?

 Those kind of chemicals are measured in pH scale. The pH scale is measuring with numbers from 0 to 14. The number 0 represents the most acidic chemical and 14 represents alkaline (opposite of acidic). Number 7 represents neutral in this scale (image 2).

(image 2)

The very strong acids (0 or 1) would burn the human skin in any kind of contact, but luckily acid rain is not that strong. It is much, much weaker. Acid rains are usually around 5 to 6, sometimes it can even come to number 4. The highest scale for acidic rain that was ever recorded was number 2.

How dangerous can acid rain become?

 Acid rain is making really big problem in the world. One of the problem is that it is destroying buildings and statues. The walls of the buildings are getting rougher and rougher which could lead to the destroyed buildings in next twenty or more years. The statues are also getting rough and nobody can see the actual face of a person or an animal on the statue (image 3). In a time the statues will disappear and nobody will know that there was even a statue. That is really big problem for human history.

(image 3)

Also the trees are getting destroyed. Their branches and the ground around them. And in the end it kills them. Acid rains can also effect living being such as humans and animals. When acid rain rains, a lot of that rain goes to the lake or river and the little organisms are then infected by acid. Then the fishes are eating them and then other bigger animal eats fish and so on. In the end are humans or some really big animal. Then we or that other animal are infected and we are going to be sick.

Is there a solution for pollution that causes acid rain?

Luckily there is a solution and most people know it, but they ignore it because they do not know how much damage acid rain can make to them. The solution is very easy. Even you can help the environment to become better. The solution is to minimize the use of all electronics as much as possible. If you are not using any device turn it of. You can buy many electronic devices that are using less energy than the regular devices. If you and your family are going somewhere on holiday do not forget to turn thermostat (the device that controls temperature in the house is usually using most of energy) and many big devices of, because they are using a lot of energy in the house. . Also one of solutions are to minimize the car use. A lot of people are using cars even if they do not need it at all. Even if they are going somewhere close. If people would use less cars and instead run and pollution would reduce about 15%.

Now after this blog I hope that you have more sense about acid rain and how much damage can it make if people are not careful. So I really hope that you are going to watch about around for the environment and do not cause pollution.

Thank you.

Lan's acid rain blog

Lan Mozetic

May 4, 2016

Patrick Youell

Science

Acid Rain

What is Acid Rain?

Acid Rain is caused by nature and by man - made contraptions. Nature releases gasses from decaying plants and volcanoes. Man made things like cars and factories cause the air to be polluted.

Acid Rain is caused by air pollution. This means that compounds and particles are added to the air. This changes the pH of rainwater and makes it more acidic. Atmospheric water should have a pH of 5.6. Pollutants like nitric and sulfuric acids make particles that are more acidic and help create acid rain.

Acid rain is considered dangerous because it damages anything it comes in contact with. Only in the 1960’s did scientists start researching acid rain and the damage that it can do. They started wondering why the statues were starting to become deformed.

What is the problem of  acid rain?

There are many problems with acid rain:animals, plants and soil get damaged by acid rain. Because of it’s acidity it cause (for example) trees to not be able to produce enough nutrients to support the tree and it’s ability to grow. When acid rain falls into the water it causes some fish that can’t tolerate a large amount of acid to die. After they die they float in the water and are eaten by other animals. Since the fish live in the water it’s whole body is affected by the acid and when it is eaten, the other animal also get poisoned by the acid. Acid rain is also very harmful to humans. It causes smog. Smog is a mixture between smoke and fog. Smog is created by volcanoes when they erupt, acid rain and when a large amount of coal is burned.

Acid rain has done many bad things in the past. For example in Sweden there was enough acidic water mixed in the drinking water that it could make a person's hair green. A big tragedy happened in London in the year of 1952. A very acidic smog killed 4,000. In India the Taj Mahal(one of the 7 wonders of the world) is being threatened by acid rain.

Many countries are affected by acid rain. The countries that are most affected are.: N.W USA, S.E Canada, central Europe, Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland and Norway),India and China.

Many scientists have been thinking of solutions towards acid rain. Most think and say that coal burning is one of the main causes of acid rain. They suggest finding another way of mining coal and how to use cars that run on fuel or cars that run on electricity. They also suggest going places by bike, walking or using electric trams in the city. This could also help with the problem of obesity.

Along with most things in the world acid rain has a history. It's hard to pin - down exactly when the problem started by scientists assume it started in the 1730’s during the industrial revolution. The problem itself was discovered in the 1950’s but only started getting investigated in the 1960’s. In 1984 it was reported that almost half of the trees in the Black Forest in Germany have been damaged by acid rain.

The USA and 24 other nations made an agreement on rules limiting nitrogen oxide emissions to 1987 levels. In the 1990’s they made rules with “ Clean Air Act” to lower the amount of sulfur dioxide from power plants down to 10 million tonnes by January 1, 2000.  We should take care of our planet and not kill it with pollution and acid rain.

Sources:  

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-are-air-pollution-smog-and-acid-rain.html

http://envis.tropmet.res.in/kidscorner/acid_rain.htm

https://www.epa.gov/acidrain

pH Unacceptable Rains

Andrea Mitrovic
Science 9a
Mr. Patrick Youell
May 3, 2016

pH unacceptable rains 

Under the term of rain we consider all forms of perspiration (rain, dew, snow, fog). Distilled water has a pH of 7,0, that's neutral water and can be found only in a laboratory. Rains that normally pour have a pH of 5,6. Slight change of pH is because of presence of carbonic acid H2CO3. Acid rains are pollution's that pour on the ground with pH that is less then 5,6. 

In 1852, in England, Robert Angus Smith first determined the connection between the polluted air and acid rain. That was the first historical appearance of the scientific term "Acid Rain", but this phenomenon was put in the center of attention at 1990.   

Figure 1: Acid rain pathway. 

Circulation of gasses that combine with water give us a the acid rains. 

Next to rain there are dry depositions that fall like ash. 

Acid rains forms when sulfur dioxide (SO2)  and nitrogen oxides (usually they are nitrogen oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2) are combined with moisture from air on high altitudes. Oxides and water are in gas form. They interact together and form acid. These oxides form sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). Forming the acid in cloud pH of water  is changing. If the concentration of oxides is high the acid that is formed will have a low value of pH , acid will be stronger. There are documented reports of rain with pH 2.1 in USA IN 1964 , pH 2.4 in Scotland in 1974 , in Serbia the lowest value of pH 2-3 in rain is in city Bor.

Bor is big mining and smelting basin in eastern Serbia. The copper is draws from two surface mining and the nature of ground is change. Smelting is the process of separating metal from solid waste, by doing this process factory emits a lot off sulfur dioxide in atmosphere. The smelting factory in Bor doesn't have a new technology to be surroundingy a friendly factory , so the every day pollution is very high.

Figure 2 : Mining and smelting basin of Bor.

Visible devastation of the ground and high concentration of gasses going from high chimneys. All town of Bor suffers from these gasses, a lot of children are sick with lung diseases.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides merge in our environment naturally and artificially. 

Natural way is volcanic fumes and biodegradation organic substances helped buy bacteria. 

Artificial sources of pollution's are combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and heavy industry. Fosters theory from 1993 defined that natural sources contribute 60% of air pollution and artificial sources only bring 40% of air pollution's.  

The present of air pollution brings a lot of environmental problems.

Acid rains increase the soil acidity and essential minerals are leached from the soil. Evergreen trees are always harder hit by acid rains then deciduous trees. The visible signs of acid rain is change of color on trees or grass , slower growth , the inability of reproduction.

Figure 3: Visible differences in ever green trees that are under influence of Acid Rain. 

Change of color is the most visible sign of pollution. 

Figure 3: Visible differences in ever green trees that are under influence of Acid Rain. 

Change of color is the most visible sign of pollution. 

In urban areas the influence o acid rain is visible on street facades. Every unprotected metal exposed to acid rain will rust.

One of the most important factors in preservation of environmental is uniting the whole world to reduce emissions of gases in to the atmosphere.

Figure 4: Emission of SO2 in the world and forecast of what Europe and America should do to lower their emission of this gas, and not so good prog-nose of what will happen in Asia in 2020.   

Bibliography:

https://www.chem.bg.ac.rs/~grzetic/predavanja/Osnovi%20hemije%20atmosfere%20i%20zagadjivaci%20vazduha/ATMOSFERSKI%20TALOG%20I%20KISELE%20KISE.pdf

http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Smelting.html


https://www.google.rs/search?q=kisele+kise+uticaj+na+biljke&espv=2&biw=1417&bih=738&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_itLrtL7MAhUBb5oKHStTAE8Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=map+of+pollution+in+the+world+,+acid+rain+effect&imgrc=XYw1-sDS8ppbPM%3A

https://www.google.rs/search?q=acid+rains&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3k4-m077MAhUL7hoKHfxpDn0Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=emisija+antropogenog+porekla+u+svetu&imgrc=AcVueJ3uuvFJoM%3A

https://www.google.rs/search?q=acid+rains&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3k4-m077MAhUL7hoKHfxpDn0Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=acid+rains+and+evergreen+forest&imgrc=FYrFLYXWpoby9M%3A

https://www.google.rs/search?q=acid+rains&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3k4-m077MAhUL7hoKHfxpDn0Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=xDd12_HGAAlBIM%3A

https://www.google.rs/search?q=kisele+kise&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjM9resoKzMAhXD1RQKHShUDK8Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=borski+rudnik+zagadjenja&imgrc=dHTts69pG3ss1M%3A

Acid Rain

Michelle Ernest

Science

Mr. Youell

Grade 9

Acid Rain

This blog is about acid rain; how it is caused, what its effects are, and its remedies. Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning it has a dominate elevated level of hydrogen ions (low pH). Acid rain is mostly caused by human activity and it can cause a variety of environmental issues.

There are ways to prevent acid rain from accruing. Recycling is one of the main solutions to acidic rain. It takes less energy to re-use/ recycle materials such as metal, plastic and paper, than make them from scratch. Other solutions are reducing the use of electricity in houses, due to its use of power plants which produce fossil fuels. Instead use solar panels which produce energy from the natural sunlight. Walking and using bicycles as much as possible is much better than driving cars or going by any sort of public transport because their exhaust release bad gases such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO2).

If we don't take these matters into our own hands, acid rain will cause Earth many environmental issues. Pure rain (2:01 minutes) has the pH level of 7 though some rain already has a pH level of around 5.0, making it naturally acidic, though human activity disturbs nature's balance making the pH lower. An alkaline chemical is a  substance that neutralises other substances once in contact with each other. Alkaline chemicals that are found in air, soil, lakes, and streams reacts with normal precipitation, neutralising the natural acids. However, due to the pollutants perception becomes overly acidic, making these materials incapable to neutralise all the acids. Over time, these natural neutralisers get destroyed by acid rain. Acid rain can damage trees, plants, crops from farmers, and pollute lakes and rivers. It destroys the ecological systems by eliminating food sources, and reducing biodiversity. Acid rain effects the aquamarine life due to their survival resistance to water. Both arthropods and fish can not live in water with a pH level lower than 5. According professor Thomas Wolosz, from the State University of New York,  normal lakes can be home to about 9 to 16 zooplankton, however in acidic lakes only around 7. Acid rain also damages the gills and embryos from fish (shown in figure 1). For the aquatic system, reproductive failure has been a primary way that causes animal extinction. Some female fish don't release ova during the mating season due to the low calcium level that affects the reproductive physiology. The carbon dioxide increases in the acid water making the level of carbon dioxide in the organism's blood increase as well, affecting their growth and formation. Acid rain effects the aquarian life which leads to its extinction.

Figure 1: This image shows how the pH level affects the embryo. When it has the pH level of 7 it is most likely normal, however lower than that the embryo becomes abnormal.

Acid rain can also affect humans because when there are burning fuels in an areas with limited air, carbon monoxide (CO) is produced. Carbon monoxide is a form of fossil fuels, and since we breath it in, it goes through our blood flow which can cause unconsciousness, tiredness and can even cause death. 

Now what exactly causes acid rain? A chemical reaction that starts when compounds such as, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are exposed to the air (shown in figure 2), causes acid rain. They cause acid rain because the substances raising high into the atmosphere, reacts and combines with water, oxygen and other chemicals which forms more acidic pollutants. They mix and become part of rain or any other type of precipitation.

Figure 2: This image shows how the gases get released in the atmosphere from a car, truck, and power plant. It shows how the substances go up in the clouds and combine with the water (and oxygen), creating acid rain.

The main cause of acid rain is due to human activity. The majority of SO2 and NO2 are released by power plants when fossil fuels are burned in order to produce electricity. Power plants are a thermal power station which use the source of nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactor, also know as an atomic pile, is a machine that is used in power plants to generate electricity. This is used to start and control a preserved nuclear chain reaction. Other than power plants, exhausts from trucks, cars, and buses release both NO2 and SO2 into the atmosphere..

Figure 3: This i a good example of how human activity, power plant, looks like. The smoke that is being produced comes out of the power plant, goes up into the atmosphere, and mixes with the rain particles, causing acid rain.

Acid rain is getting more acidic over time and since it destroys alkaline chemicals there will be no more natural neutralisers. We as humans are the only ones who can minimize the acidity of acid rain. Acid rain is very harmful for the environment and because we are able to create this harm, we should be able to fix it.

Sources:

https://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcauses.html

https://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/potm/2005_10/Page1.htm

http://science.opposingviews.com/acid-rain-harmful-animals-3769.html