Acid Rain

Acid rain is rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air and has low pH levels that can harm the environment. It is a type of acid deposition that can appear in many forms such as, wet deposition, which can be rain, sleet snow or fog that is more acidic than normal, and dry deposition, where gases and dust particles become acidic. (Epa.gov) Acid deposition in wet and dry forms, falls on buildings, cars and trees and makes lakes acidic, which then leads to the danger of plant and animal life. Dry acid deposition though, can be inhaled by humans, which can then cause health problems. (Epa.gov)

Acid rain causes a cascade of effects that harm or kill individual fish, reduce fish population numbers, completely eliminate fish species from a water body, and decrease biodiversity. As acid rain flows through soils in a watershed, aluminum is released from soils into the lakes and streams located in that watershed. So, as pH in a lake or stream decreases, aluminum levels increase. Both low pH and increased aluminum levels are directly toxic to fish. In addition, low pH and increased aluminum levels cause chronic stress that may not kill individual fish, but leads to lower body weight and smaller size and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat. Acid rain can hurt the environment in many ways one that gets affected by acid rain

Acid rain has a large concentration of hydrogen ions mainly coming from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. It could kill living organisms, damage buildings, and monuments.

4) these acid particles are harmful to the environment, including soil, forests, lakes and

Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

Acid rain is usually acidic, meaning that it will process elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have bad effects on buildings, plants, or even animals. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which will react with water molecules in the atmosphere which produce acids and causes acid rain.

pH is the concentration of hydrogen ions in a substance. A solution with a pH of 7.0 is considered “neutral” because the concentration of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions are equal. A liquid that has a pH above 7 is considered basic or alkaline (a base) , and a liquid that has a pH of below 7.0 is considered acidic (an acid). When a base is dissolved in water, it lose hydrogen ions to the water, resulting in more hydroxide than hydrogen ions, making an alkaline solution. When an acid is dissolved in water, it receives hydrogen ions from the water, resulting in more hydrogen ions in the acid, making an acidic solution.

Acid rain is a serious and hazardous environmental problem. It affects large parts of the United States and Canada. It causes damage to water sources, such as lakes and streams, as well as plant life and animals that live in the ecosystems.

Acid rain has been a problem dating back to the 1800s, but it was not until the 1960s that attention was finally brought to the forefront of this problem. Acid rain is not just rain, it is also snow, fog, hail, and mist. Rain itself contains acid because it mixes with naturally occurring oxides in the air. According to Fact Sheet, unpolluted rain would have a pH level of between 5 and 6. When the air becomes polluted with nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide the acidity can increase to a pH level of 4 (p. 1). Rain with a pH below 5.6 is called acid rain (Hill & McCreary, p. 208). This low level causes many problems for our environment. Power plants, factories, car exhaust fumes and even natural pollutants all contribute to

Many of the acidic deposits that fall from earth from to the atmosphere can cause the pH of the water to change, making them have a higher acidity than desired. This process was named acid rain from the Scottish chemist, Robert Angus Smith who discovered this in the 19th century (Reed, 2014). Acid rain is commonly known as air pollution today causing many detrimental effects on the environment (Funk & Wagnalls, 2016). Based on the pH of the concentrated rainfall, acid precipitation begins to take place. Acid precipitation begins in the atmosphere since this is where most of the pollutants are being combined to create many of the acids that aid in the acidity of acid rain. Most of the pollutants come from the oxides, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxides (N2O), which later on aid in the acidity of the rain fall (Funk & Wagnalls, 2016). By fully understanding the history and formation of acid rain through inorganic chemistry, scientists can extrapolate the data to help find solutions to decrease the pH concentrations of acid rain.

Burning of fossil fuel in industries and transport sections, industrialization and urbanization have led to increase concentration of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere leading to air pollution. The increased used to tall stacks for power plants and industries; atmospheric emissions are being transported regionally and even globally. Rain is one of the essential ingredients for human life. Although rain is naturally acidic, it is being increasingly acidified by pollution from homes, factories, power stations and cars. The term used to describe the problem is "acid rain". Acid rain has become a major environmental concern for several decades, it has broad economic, social and medical implications and has been called unseen plague of industrial age. The major components of acid rain is sulphur dioxide, sulphur trioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide dissolves in rain. These components deposited as dry and wet depositions. One obvious consequence of acid rain is corrosive effect on exposed stone and metal structures, but there are also many biological that are not obvious. However, like many environmental problems, acid deposition is caused by accumulative actions of millions of individual people. It may not been seem as though acid rain is much as an issue, but it can cause more than you can imagine.

In latest days, the water in our atmosphere has indication that it is already polluted with nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, both are chemical compounds that develop acid once joint with water. When the water vapor compresses and falls down to the land, it is usually denoted as acid rain, though acid rain likewise falls down as snow or as dried out small particles, blending with water once it touches surfaces on the land.

Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction which is when compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere. These chemicals are transported by the current of the wind. The SO2 and NO react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants, known as acid rain. A small portion of the acid rain is from natural sources-such as volcanoes-most of it is from the burning of the fossil fuels. SO2 and NO very easily dissolve in water and can be carried far by the current of the wind. They can become a part of the, rain, sleet, snow, and even fog that we experience on certain days.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with precipitation, oxygen, and other substances in the atmosphere to form acid rain.

As claimed by the National Geographic which has been around for over 100 years and has some of the world 's best researchers, scientists, and photographers working for them, acid rain is created from different chemicals that are put in the air unnaturally. Acid rain is any precipitation including snow and fog, that has high levels of nitric and sulfuric acid. When acid rain falls from the sky, it continues causing more and more damage around the world (“Effects Felt”). Scientists have proven that acid rain has been said to have a pH of 4.3 while pure water has a pH of 7. Meaning that acid rain has around the same acidity as orange juice and vinegar. This is extremely destructive to the environment. It is basically the same as pouring vinegar and orange juice all over the plants and lakes. Acid rain is an aberrant