The phenomenon that may be unspecified to those regions who don’t experience it, is acid rain, also known as acid deposition. Acid rain results from a combination of chemical compounds in the sky that, through precipitation, make their way to the Earth’s surface. While acid rain can occur anywhere in the world, it most frequently prevails in areas with high industrial activities, for their unfortunately higher levels of pollution.
Acid rain most commonly consists of sulfuric or nitric acid. Acid rain, by definition, is a broad term that can refer to many types of acid deposition and precipitation. This can be snow, hail, fog, dust, and of course, rain.
Environmental Effects
Acid deposition creates many negative issues on our planet’s ecosystems. The acidic compounds produced encourage the leaching of aluminum, which is extremely toxic when ingested or existing in soil. As it filters through the hydrologic cycle (water cycle), these acidic properties pollute the waterways which contain organisms such as fish and other wildlife who are sensitive to these extreme pH changes. Aluminum also contaminates soil and thus kills many plants and trees. Intense rains or snow meltings can induce a strong episodic acidification which exponentially increases the harmful outcomes of acid deposition.
Impact on Humans
Swimming in lakes and the unavoidable action of breathing in air, are sure-fire ways to consume the toxic properties of acid rain such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The consumption of these compounds has been linked to heart and lung diseases through countless scientific studies. It’s important to recognize the intertwining worlds of animal ecosystems, and human dwellings- what affects one, affects the other- and in this instance, acid rain is not an exception.
What causes acid rain?
(In other words: what needs to be changed) As stated above, acid rain occurs most commonly in areas of high pollution output often due to industrial processes. Burning fossil fuels for electricity, vehicles, manufacturing hubs, and oil refineries are a few of the leading causes of acidic pollution. Emissions from these actions and locations find their way into the atmosphere and get transported through acid deposition.
Acid rain is an issue that deserves more attention when informing people of the global environmental crisis. However, acid rain is not just an issue for these areas stated above; acid rain can travel by wind over long distances, therefore it becomes a problem for all.
Written by: Madison DeLorme
Citations:
Santhosh, Lakshmi. “Where Does Acid Rain Occur?” Sciencing, 2 Mar. 2019, sciencing.com/acid-rain-occur-23996.html.
“What Is Acid Rain?” US EPA, 24 June 2022, www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain.
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