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Impacts of acid rain on the environment
How does acid rain affect aquatic ecosystems
Acid rain
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Recommended: Impacts of acid rain on the environment
Acid rain is becoming an increasing dilemma due to pollution made from erupting volcanoes, rotting vegetation, and most importantly, the burning of fossil fuels. It has been linked to the corruption of lakes and streams, a decrease in fish and wildlife populations, and human health risks. Not only does it endanger aquatic fish and wildlife but acid rain is also known for the destruction of man-made structures. This phenomenon is becoming a growing concern as the consequences of human pollution are being observed through it. Although the results of acid rain cannot be negated, there are precautions that can be taken in order to prevent further destruction of the environment.
"Acid rain describes any form of precipitation with high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. It can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry material that settle to Earth." (Howard, 2014). The pH of pure water is 7 and, naturally, the pH of rain water is slightly acidic; usually around a 6 on the pH scale. Rain is considered acid rain when its pH is lower than 5.6. Acid rain is not acid falling from the sky like some people seem to assume. It is rainfall that is mixed with elements and gases that then cause the moisture to become more acidic than usual. The release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the result of the combustion of fossil fuels and, therefore, two of the primary chemicals found in the production of acid rain. "It is thought that acid rain began around 1950 to 1955 in the Northeastern United States" (Likens, 1996).
In the Earth's atmosphere, volatile gases mix with the air. The most common of these volatile gases are sulfur oxides and nitrogen. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides are continuously increasing due to human poll...
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...could conserve energy to prevent acid rain. The less electricity used in homes, the less chemicals power plants will be able to emit. Unfortunately, even if the production of acid rain were able to be stopped today, it would still take many years to for the harmful effects of it to disappear from our already damaged ecosystem.
Acid rain is a continually growing concern each year as researchers discover more harm on the environment caused by this phenomenon. Although individuals are more than willing to point out the damage done from this, they are not as willing to actually take action to prevent it from happening. Acid rain is just one of the many incidents caused from human pollution that is quickening the destruction of Earth. Get up, conserve electricity, recycle, walk somewhere instead of drive, and save the Earth before there is nothing left to be saved.
The bubbling pool of acid: Acidification most disastrous event in the history of our planet
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.
increasing the supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and significantly reduce U.S. global warming emissions… a 25 percent by 2025 national renewable electricity standard would lower power plant CO2 emissions 277 million metric tons annually by 2025—the equivalent of the annual output from 70 typical (600 MW) new coal plants (“Benefits of Renewable Energy
In an era of rising technology and increasing population, demands on the environment are continually being pushed to new levels. As a result, it becomes important for us to expand our knowledge about the environment and take appropriate actions to protect this element of most importance to human existence. One component of our environment experiencing some of the greatest abuse due to humans is the air. Air pollution has been on the rise ever since the beginning of industrialization. The climbing number of factories and use of cars worldwide are the major culprits of this environmental hazard. There are various gases released into the air that can be considered air pollutants, but one of the most prevalent and dangerous to the environment is carbon dioxide (CO2). Up to 95% of the CO2 produced is the result of natural processes (Burnett & Matthews Jr., 1998). The rest is a direct result of human activity, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels in the production of energy
Today, we take many of our natural resources for granted without think about the consequences. For example, cutting down trees, burning fossil fuel, and the consumption of meat. Our ozone layer is becoming weaker and weaker to due factories burning too much fossil fuel. This causes too much carbon dioxide, which affects our ozone layer. If we can limit the amount of natural resources we use on a daily basis, we will be able to see a big change in society.
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.
Climate change mitigation can mean something as simple as green improvements to household appliances like stoves and refrigerators or more complicated plans like making older machines more efficient, using renewable energy, or even planning and building a new city (UNEP, n.d). One would notice that there are no immediate effects of climate change mitigation. This is correct. But there are long-term effects of switching to greener home appliances, using renewable energies, and overall moving towards a low carbon footprint society.
... reduce natural gas consumption. Long-term I am committed to installing new energy efficient windows to truly reduce energy consumption. To help reduce the family’s water consumption we recently installed an energy efficient washing machine that uses over 60% less water than the previous model that was installed. As an additional means in which to help conserve water I will be installing a rain barrel in the summer to water our outdoor plants. While these actions might not seem significant, they can make a significant difference. According to Energy Star, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL, in just one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.
* Nitrogen Oxides are presented through the atmosphere. N2O are very powerful in the chemistry of the troposphere and the stratosphere, and they are very important in ozone production and in the destruction processes. There are a number of sources (the oxidation of N2O like lightning and fossil fuel combustion) whose contribution to NOx concentrations in the upper troposphere is not well measured.
If we are able minimize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we could be helping
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.
ways. The use of electricity will reduces the usage of the earth’s resources such as gas and oil.
Acid rain has been affecting my home and its surrounding since I can remember. I grew up in upstate New York and acid rain is starting to leave a large impact. When hiking in the mountains a person can see the affects it has had, the large amounts of trees are turning yellowish brown and dying in the higher elevations.
Prevent dangerous climate change by phasing out fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) and replacing them with clean renewable energy such as solar.