Acid_rain...is it harm ?

What is an acid rain?

Acid_rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic.

Not clear…… NO problem

Acid rain is mostly caused by human emissions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds which react in the atmosphere to produce acids.

Not clear yet…….NO problem

Acid rain is nothing but rain, snow or fog that is polluted by acid in the atmosphere and damages our environment

How Acid_rain formed

Rain is acidified by oxides of sulfur and nitrogen (rain water get mixed with sulfur and nitrogen oxides).

Not clear…….NO problem

Acid_rain is formed when pollutants called oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, contained in power plant smoke, factory smoke, and car exhaust, react with the moisture in the atmosphere

Not clear yet …….NO problem

Dry deposition, such as soot and ash, sleet, hail, snow, smog and low level ozone are forms that acid rain


What are the Acid_Rain Main Contents and its sources

Some of the common air pollutants that acidify rain are mainly caused by these substances that are being released into the air:

• sulphur dioxide (SO2)

o Sulfur dioxides are released by burning coal, paper production, and melting metal. S

o Another way that a lot of our pollution is caused is by creating electrical energy.

• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Nitrogen oxides are released into the air by burning fuels such as gasoline and coal.

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs):

VOCs are released into the air by burning gasoline, wood, coal, or natural gas, solvents, paints, glues, and other products that are used at work or at home.

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Carbon dioxide is released by burning coal, oil, natural gas

• Carbon monoxide:

Carbon monoxide is released by burning gasoline, oil, and wood.

• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs):

CFCs are the chemicals that are used in industry, refrigeration, air conditioning systems, and consumer products.

• Hazardous air pollutants (HAPS):

HAPS are released into the air by sources such as chemical plants, dry cleaners, printing plants, and motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and planes).

• Lead:

Lead is released by house and car paint as well as the manufacturing of lead batteries, fishing lures, certain parts of bullets, some ceramic ware, water pipes, and fixtures.

• Ozone:

Ozone is released by motor vehicles, industries, burning coal, gasoline, and other fossil fuels

• Particulate matter (PM):

PM, little particles of pollution, is released by cars, trucks, and buses that are burning diesel fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, road construction, steel making, mining, and turning on fire places and wood stoves.


All above are significant local pollutants that generate health impacts, ecological damage and also causes acid_rain.

What effect does acid_rain have on sea life?

• Acid rain is very harmful to the environment.

• Acid rain damages everything over a period of time because it makes the living things in the environment die.

• Acid rain affects the life in the water as well as the life on land.

• It is almost worse in water than on land because the fish that are in the water need the water to breathe. When the water gets polluted, then the fish get sick and end up dying (all fresh water shrimp die when a pH of 6.0 and All fish will die when the water goes below a pH of 4.5)

• Most of the frogs and insects that live around the water will also die when the water reaches a pH of 4.5

• With a pH of 5.5, all of the bottom-dwelling bacterial decomposers, animals that eat the remains of the food that other animal don’t want, will begin to die. When these decomposers die, they leave the un-decomposed food on the bottom of the water. This pollutes the water by making the water dirty for all of the fish to swim in.

• Aquatic plants will grow the best when the water is a pH between 7.0 and 9.2.

• If acid rain gets to be more of a problem, then all of the sea life will eventually be gone.



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