How Acid Rain Affects the Aquatic Ecosystem
Abstract
This paper shows that acid rain is a reality. It is destroying our freshwater ecosystems and must be stopped in order to save them. If the problem is not fixed soon the aquatic ecosystems will be destroyed.
Table of Contents
1. What is acid rain?
2. Acidification of Freshwater
3. Effects of Freshwater Acidification
4. Where is Affected the most?
5. What is being done to fix it?
6. Conclusion
7. References
What is acid rain?
Acid rain is polluted rain, snow, or fog. The burning of fossil fuels, base metal smelting, and fuel combustion in vehicles emits sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) (FAQ Acid Rain). These gases enter the atmosphere and transform into sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3), which then acidify the water vapor. The acidified water vapor will then fall to the earth as acid rain, snow, or fog (Acid Rain and the Aquatic). This is called ìwet depositionî. There is also ìdry depositionî which falls to the ground in particulate form (FAQ Acid Rain).
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Acidification of Freshwater
The acidification of freshwater lakes and streams is not a new problem. Fish stocks probably died out in many lakes in Norway as early as the turn of the century. In the 1950ís and 1960ís this was finally associated to acid rain. Yet, it wasn't generally accepted by scientists until the 1970ís (Rivers and Lakes).
Acid rain either falls directly onto the lake or enters through the catchment (Buchdahl). A very small percentage enters directly so the majority enters through the catchment. The alkaline rich catchments can neutralize the rain. However, not all types of bedrock have the same capability of neu...
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...Available http://kola.dcu.ie/~enfo/bs/bs14.htm, October 27, 1998.
Acid Rain In Pennsylvania. [Online] Available wysiwyg://115/http://www.dep.state.pa....tate/airwaste/aq/factsheets/fs2036.htm, November 3, 1998.
Buchdahl, Joe. Freshwater Acidification. [Online] Available http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/freshwat.html, October 28, 1998.
Effects of Acid Rain on Water. [Online] Available http://epa.gov/acidrain/student/water.html, October 27, 1998.
FAQ Acid Rain. [Online] Available http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/stugeon/acfacts.htm, October, 28, 1998.
Krabbenhoft, D.P. and D.A. Rickert. Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems. [Online] Available http://wwwdwimdn.er.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-216-95/index.html, October 27, 1998.
Rivers and Lakes are Dying. [Online] Available http://odin.dep.no/html/nofovalt/depter/md/publ/acid/Rivers.html, October 27, 1998.
The bubbling pool of acid: Acidification most disastrous event in the history of our planet
...oceans. Anthropogenic systems such as the combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution have greatly increased the rate of acidification to levels where negative impacts ensue. Negative impacts occur both to marine organisms that rely on certain water conditions to maintain vital functions and the environment which is damaged by highly acidic waters. There is great variation in the acidity of each of the oceans, differences caused by the chemical composition of the ocean and biogeography. Understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification is relatively new to the scientific community and therefore little is known on how to counteract anthropogenic influences. Although reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced will in turn reduce the lowering of the oceans acidity levels and reduce negative impacts on the environment and marine organisms.
According to the Worldwatch Institute the rapid industrialization has polluted many lakes and streams resulting in chemical pollution and increased algae blooms leaving the water undrinkable. These combined issues are then causing knock on effects to the aquatic life by staving them of oxygen. Many areas are also suffering with an increase in dust storms; these have been a cause of over agricultural use. These increased storms would not cause many problems but now they can ...
Methylmercury becomes deadly to the environment through the process of biomagnefication. To achieve biomagnefication, the mercury must be consumed by microorganisms nd work its way up the food chain increasing in concentration as it enters large...
This silent killer is destroying these beautiful lakes and their surrounding watersheds. Acid rain has an adverse effect on the lakes, and their surrounding watersheds, of the Adirondacks in New York State.Acid rain is defined as chemically polluted rainfall. It's causes are: coal burning plants, industrial factories, smelters, and car emissions. It's formed by water molecules combining with the sulfur dioxide emitted by the burning of coal and with nitrogen oxide from auto emissions.
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.
Rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release some chemicals that can cause acid rain, but most acid rain falls because of human activities. When humans burn fossil fuels, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are released into the atmosphere. If large amounts of NO2 and SO2 are present in the atmosphere than the pH of rainwater will be significantly lowered. Nitric acid (HN03) can be linked to around 1/4 of the acid rain in the environment. Large amounts of NO gas is produced by high-temperature air combustion that takes place in car engines and power plants....
Acid rain affects many things in our world greatly. Acid rain is precipitation that has been released into the atmosphere and is very harmful and can do lots of damage.
Ocean acidity will spoil marine ecosystems if it remains persistent. Preserving sustainable fishing industries will become unmanageable if the carbon dioxide absorbed by the world’s oceans is not considerably abridged.
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
When a motor vehicle runs, it produces nitrogen oxide which then mixes with the sulfur dioxide from power plants and other places. Together the two gasses then interact with molecules in the atmosphere. This interaction makes the molecules acidic and from there either falls as a form of wet deposition or dry deposition. Every day when people get into their form of motorized transportation they all contribute to the creation of acid deposition. In another article written by the EPA they tell of the causes of acid rain. Before humans started pumping these gasses into the air the environment could handle the naturally acidic precipitation, but now the precipitation has become too acidic for nature to be able to counteract the acidity: “ Over time, these neutralizing materials can be washed away by acid rain. Damage to crops, trees, lakes, rivers, and animals can result.”(What Causes Acid Rain? 1) Acid rain can cause damage to many different objects, living, or nonliving acid rain can still
Le Quesne, Will,J.F., and John K. Pinnegar. "The Potential Impacts of Ocean Acidification: Scaling from Physiology to Fisheries*." Fish and Fisheries 13.3 (2012): 333-44. ProQuest. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
The study was done to see the zebra mussel mercury concentrations by comparing a lake with indirect atmospheric mercury concentrations and a lake that had mercury discharges. The difference in the seasons caused a higher result of Zebra Mussel THg concentrations. The connection of water column THg to zebra mussel THg prove that zebra mussels are a good source of measurement for the mercury concentrations of aquatic life. It can also be used as a successful bioindicator for contaminations of mercury in marine ecosystems. They continue to grow and develop in very polluted area, which makes them a great measurement of biological contaminated in areas that are polluted.
Latham, A., Wright, E., & Tsang, A. (n.d.). Pollution's Effects on the Great Lakes Ecosystem: Introduction and Background. Pollution's Effects on the Great Lakes Ecosystem: Introduction and Background. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section5group1/introduction_and_background
Oroian, Viman Oana I. "Damaging Effects of Overall Water Pollution." BioFlux (2010): 113-15. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.