Acid Rain

Acid Rain

Pollution comes in various forms. Whether it's toxic waste, CFC's, or
sewage, they are all hazardous, to the earth. These can deplete the earth and
it's inhabitants of resources, causing a harmful change. A product of
pollution is acid rain. We shall see that acidification is harmful to all forms
of life. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is polluted by sulphur
dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). This acid precipitation can be in the
form of rain, snow, sleet, fog, or cloud vapors. The acidity of substances
dissolved in water are measured by their pH levels. Normal precipitation pH
levels fall between 5.0-5.6.2 When levels fall below these numbers, then the
precipitation is said to be acidic. There are two ways in which acid deposition
can form. The first way occurs when nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide land on
the Earth's surface, and interact with frost or dew. The second way takes
place due to the oxidation of nitrogen oxides or sulphur dioxide gases that are
released into the air.3 Since it may take up to several days for the gases to be
altered into their acid counter-parts, the pollutants can travel miles away from
their original source. Emissions of (SO2) are responsible for the majority of
the acid deposition, which falls to Earth. When we burn coal, we are releasing
(SO2), into the air, since coal is slight made up of sulphur. Volcanic eruptions
can add a great deal of sulphur into the atmosphere. Everyday organic decay adds
sulphur int...

Acid Rain

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