What are some possible solutions to acid rain?
You can do this in a number of ways:
- Turn off lights, computers, televisions, video games, and other electrical equipment when you're not using them.
- Encourage your parents to buy equipment that uses less electricity, including lights, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, and washing machines. ...
- Try to limit the use of air conditioning.
What is the government doing to stop acid rain?
The U.S. Congress in 1990 created a federal Acid Rain Program to reduce the adverse effects of acid rain through annual emission reductions from power plants that burn fossil fuels. Massachusetts also has established emission limits on power plants and works closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address acid rain.
How do you reduce acid rain?
Acid rain can be reduced through the use of alternative sources of energy, decreasing energy consumption and using alternative forms of transport. Acid rain results from the deposition of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, which occurs when fossil fuels are burned. Transportation contributes most to acid rain pollution because automobiles depend on fossil fuels.
How do you fix acid rain?
How can we Fix it? There are three main strategies that we can use to reduce the amounts of acid rain released into the atmosphere. These three methods are are; Reducing emissions, Finding alternative sources of energy, and conserving resources. Here are some ways we can do this. Reducing our Emissions - Burning fossil fuels is still one of the ...
How to Reduce Acid Rain: What Can We Do?
There is a wide range of environmental issues to be concerned with. One of the most little understood is acid rain. This article is going to explain what acid rain is and how it is formed. It is also going to explain how to reduce acid rain yourself in five simple steps.
What are some examples of appliances that help reduce acid rain?
Appliances are one of the most expensive items in your house to operate in terms of energy consumption. Primary examples include washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and air conditioners.
How does acid rain affect the food chain?
As the condition worsens, the impacts are felt further up the food chain and can lead to large amounts of animal deaths. Acid rain is also particularly harmful to physical structures as well. Over time, it can cause paint to peel and erode stone monuments.
How does acid rain affect plants?
In terms of the environment, acid rain is also incredibly harmful to plants. Acid rain strips vital nutrients from the soil like magnesium and calcium. It also causes aluminum to be released into the soil which hampers the ability of trees to absorb water effectively. Over time, this can cause large patches of forests to die out.
What is the pH of acid rain?
Acid rain occurs when the natural PH balance of rain has been changed further towards the acidic side. PH naturally runs from zero to 14 with zero being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. A PH reading of seven is considered to be neutral on the PH scale. Acid rain is actually a type of acid deposition.
What is the biggest contributor to acid rain?
The largest contributor of acid rain is likely sitting in your driveway. Cars regularly release a variety of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere that has a direct impact on things like acid rain. One of the best options is to switch out for a hybrid or electric vehicle.
What tools do you need to maintain your yard?
For those of you who maintain your own yard, you likely own a variety of tools. Some common examples include lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, edgers, and chainsaws. The majority of these tools are likely gasoline powered and require copious amounts of oil to keep them in proper running order.
What is acid rain?
Acid rain can be defined as rain or any other kind of precipitation that is unusually acidic, which means that it has higher levels of hydrogen and thus a lower pH-score. It is caused by emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which react with water molecules in the atmosphere and produce acid rain. Acid rain has harmful effects on the ...
How does acid rain affect water?
Also, the groundwater system is eventually affected by acid rain. This leads to an overall drop in pH-levels in the entire water system.
How does acid rain affect the environment?
Moreover, also humans are adversely affected since acid rain causes corrosion of steel structures (e.g. bridges) and the weathering of statues and stone buildings.
Why is acid rain so severe?
The phenomenon of acid rain is especially severe in areas that have a high population density compared to rural areas since the number of inhabitants usually positively correlates with the number of cars and therefore leads to more emissions and eventually to more acid rain.
What are the effects of acid rain?
Effects of Acid Rain 1 Effects on aquatic environments 2 Effects on animals and plants 3 Effects on forests 4 Effects on global warming 5 Effects on soil 6 Effects on vegetation cover 7 Effects on buildings 8 Effects on health
Why do trees need pH?
Forests, like many plants, need a certain pH-level to grow in an optimal way. If acidity levels are altered due to acid rain, trees may no longer be able to grow. Moreover, the trees and the corresponding ecosystem are more vulnerable to insect destruction, diseases, and damages caused by extreme weather.
Why is agriculture important in acid rain?
Agriculture also plays an important role as a factor for acid rain. On the one hand, farmers often use excessive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides in order to maximize their crop yields. However, these substances can contain substances like nitrogen compounds which can eventually result in acid rain.
How effective is cap and trade for acid rain?
Since its launch, cap and trade for acid rain has been regarded widely as highly effective at solving the problem in a flexible, innovative way.
What is sulfur dioxide?
Decades ago, sulfur dioxide pollution – mostly from coal-fired power plants – was causing acid rain and snow, killing aquatic life and forests. A debate ensued: Regulation would direct all plant owners to cut pollution by a set amount, but this method, critics argued, would be costly and ignore the needs of local plant operators.
How long did it take to get rid of acid rain?
From its discovery in 1963 to passage of the Clean Air Act in 1990, legislative action on acid rain took 27 years. Over that time, many a cross-border argument erupted. “The first international altercation over acid rain was the US accusing Canada of acidifying lakes in the boundary waters,” says Schindler.
How did Hurley help the fight against acid rain?
In the fight Hurley helped to lead against acid rain, this meant talking to coal workers at sportsmen’s shows, engaging them in conversations about clean water for fishing salmon, and going for walks in war cemeteries where acidity was ruining the limestone of gravestones.
What would scientists do to protect the lake?
Scientists would protectively suit up like Darth Vader, make a sulphuric acid solution and use the boat propeller to mix the cocktail across the whole lake.
What type of shrimp is acidified?
The freshwater shrimp Mysis relicta suffers in lakes that have been acidified (Credit: Andrew Milling)
Why did the recovery of lakes happen?
Broader recovery, in lakes across North America, happened because acid rain was tackled at its source.
Where was acid rain discovered?
In 1963, as part of a long-term ecosystem study that is still ongoing today, Gene Likens collected a sample of rain at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. That sample was “about a hundred times more acidic than we thought it should be”, says Likens, now emeritus professor in ecology at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Sciences in Millbrook, New York. His discovery back in 1963, on the heels of work dating back to 1872 and even earlier, set the collective wheels in motion to raise awareness and isolate the cause of acid rain. Not just in North America, but across the industrialised world.
Which states are producing more than half of the acid rain that was collected in Canadian lakes?
It became obvious, says Schindler, that the US, particularly the Ohio Valley and industrial areas of Pennsylvania and New England, were producing more than half the acid rain that collected in Canadian lakes.
What can I do to prevent acid rain?
Fortunately, there are many ways you can prevent acid rain. Today, your options go far beyond turning lights off in vacant rooms or recycling (which are great to do anyway).
What is acid rain?
The term acid rain refers to the abnormally low pH (making it acidic) of all atmospheric precipitation forms including snow, sleet, hail, and fog.
What are some examples of disruptions that acid rain can do in ecosystems?
Here are some examples of the disruptions that acid rain can do in ecosystems: Fish, amphibian, and insect reproductive problems. Dead or dying trees from acidic soil and leaf absorption. Bird habitat destruction. Coral reef bleaching. Marine exoskeleton softening (base of ocean food webs)
What is the main source of acid rain?
The main source of acid rain is human-caused burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur is a contaminant, principally of coal, oil, and diesel fuel, that is released when they’re burned in power plants, homes, some cars, or construction vehicles. Once in air, sulfur combines with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide.
How far can acidic pollutants travel?
First, although many of these acidic pollutants are formed in cities, they are airbound and can travel hundreds of miles. Far from their sources, they may wreak environmental havoc on water bodies, forests, and marine life.
What is the reaction of gasoline and water vapor in the air?
These later react with water vapor in air to form nitric acid.
How do volcanoes produce acid?
These chemicals are formed via reactions with oxygen and water in the air through multi-step processes. The resulting compounds are sulfuric, nitric, and carbonic acids.
What is acid rain?
Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.
What Causes Acid Rain?
This image illustrates the pathway for acid rain in our environment: (1) Emissions of SO2 and NOx are released into the air , where (2) the pollutants are transformed into acid particles that may be transported long distances. (3) These acid particles then fall to the earth as wet and dry deposition (dust, rain, snow, etc.) and (4) may cause harmful effects on soil, forests, streams, and lakes.
What happens when acid deposition is washed into lakes and streams?
When acid deposition is washed into lakes and streams, it can cause some to turn acidic. The Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Network measures and monitors surface water chemistry at over 280 sites to provide valuable information on aquatic ecosystem health and how water bodies respond to changes in acid-causing emissions and acid deposition.
How does acidic water affect the environment?
When the accumulated acids are washed off a surface by the next rain, this acidic water flows over and through the ground, and can harm plants and wildlife, such as insects and fish.
Where does acid rain come from?
While a small portion of the SO 2 and NO X that cause acid rain is from natural sources such as volcanoes, most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuels. The major sources of SO 2 and NO X in the atmosphere are: Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Is rain acidic or alkaline?
The lower a substance's pH (less than 7), the more acidic it is; the higher a substance's pH (greater than 7), the more alkaline it is. Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6; it is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO 2) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid. Acid rain usually has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4.
