Acid Rain
By: Zoe Verrico, Tyler Litwin,
Olivia Roberts, and Mary
Catherine Stovall
What is it?
Acid Rain is a mixture of wet and dry deposited material in the
atmosphere that contains abnormally high amounts of nitric and
sulfuric acids. A dry disposition is where the glut of chemicals are
incorporated into dust, smoke, and the ground. These chemicals
then can remain on houses, streets, buildings, and trees, which
makes them prone to runoff, ultimately carrying the chemicals into
rivers, which is detrimental to the ecosystems. A wet disposition is
where the chemicals in the atmosphere can be carried in the forms
of fog, rain, snow, or mist. Acid rain ultimately occurs when these
higher amounts of chemicals within the atmosphere mix with water,
chemicals, and other materials to form compounds.
What areas are affected the
most?
• Aquatic systems
Such as...
• Catskill
•
•
Mountains and
Little Echo Pond
in New York
Appalachian
Mountains
Adirondacks
Why are they so easily
affected?
• Both the aquatic
systems and
mountains are the first
to directly receive acid
rain. Lakes, rivers,
ponds, soil, and
streams only have a
certain buffering
capacity, and become
unable to neutralize the
acidity of the rain.
Therefore, they
become acidic, which
affects the aquatic
How are we causing it?
Acid rain is caused when a chemical reaction occurs between chemicals that
have been released in the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides. These chemicals travel to very high points in the atmosphere where
they mix with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form acidic pollutants
aka acid rain. When precipitation occurs, the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides mix with water and oxygen and precipitate, harming the organisms
that inhabit the earth.
Humans Cause Acid Rain through releasing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
into the atmosphere through:
power plants
burning fossil fuels such as coal to create electricity
exhaust from cars, trucks and buses
•
•
•
How are we causing it?
(cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
Sulfur is found in traces of oil and coal which are burned by industrial
boilers and power plants (after it is burned, it combines with oxygen to form
sulfur dioxide)
Sulfur Dioxide doesn't react with chemicals in the atmosphere so it travels
long distances
It eventually comes into contact with ozone or hydrogen peroxide and can
be converted into sulfur trioxide which is easily dissolvable in water which
forms sulfuric acid and becomes a part of the water cycle
Nitrogen is released into the atmosphere by steam boilers and internal
combustion engines
Like sulfur, it also combines with oxygen to form nitrogen oxide and
nitrogen dioxide
Possible Outcomes if not
Prevented
If acid rain is not prevented or stopped, it would have a
plethora of negative effects on our ecosystems and
society in general. Some examples of these are surface
waters such as lakes streams, aquatic animals, forests,
automotive coatings, materials, visibility and human
health.
Possible Outcomes (cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
Surface Waters
Acid rain flows directly into streams, lakes and marshes after falling on
forests, fields, buildings and roads
Acid rain participates into aquatic habitats and throw off the pH, which
should be from 6 to 8 on the pH scale
Acid rain mainly affects sensitive bodies of water which are located in
buffer sheds whose soils have a limited buffer capacity
Acid rain mainly affects sensitive bodies of water which are located in
buffer sheds whose soils have a limited buffer capacity
Acid rain is highly intoxicating to the plants and organisms living in these
environments and could potentially destroy their ecosystems
Possible Outcomes (cont.)
••
Forests
•
•
Acid rain causes slower growth, injury or death of forests
In many areas of the eastern US, acid rain has caused forest and soil
degradation, especially in areas of high elevation such as areas from the
Appalachian mountains from Maine to Georgia which includes areas such
as Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks
In most cases, the destruction of forests is due to a mix of acid rain and
environmental stressors
Acid rain directly harms trees, soil and plants which destroys the
ecosystems of the creatures living in it, directly harming them
Possible Outcomes (cont.)
••
Automotive Coatings
•
Acid rain directly affects automotive coatings
The result of this is irregularly shaped, permanently etched areas present
on the horizontal surface of a car
The result of this is irregularly shaped, permanently etched areas present
on the horizontal surface of a car
Visibility
••
Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides contribute to visibility impairment
Sulfate particles are responsible for 50 to 70 percent of the visibility
impairment in national parks along the east coast and in places such as
Colorado River Plateau national parks, including the Grand Canyon,
Canyonlands, and Bryce Canyon
Human Health
••
•
•
The impact that acid rain has on humans isn't direct
Activities such as walking into acid rain, or swimming in an acid lake isn’t
any more dangerous than swimming or walking into clear water rain have
no effect on humans, being that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to no
harm to human health
However, these gases do interact with other gases in the atmosphere and
travel long distances and be inhaled deep into humans lungs
However, these gases do interact with other gases in the atmosphere and
travel long distances and be inhaled deep into humans lungs which causes
illness, premature death from heart and lung disorders such as asthma
and bronchitis
What is the Environmental Impact?
•
• fish are killed in many bodies of water
• Chronic acidification happens over a long
period of time and the acid rain causes
the water's acidity to rise
Nutrients such as calcium
are reduced
•
What is the Environment Impact? (cont.)
• Episodic acidification happens suddenly,
•
•
•
after a large rainfall and leads to large
concentrations of materials like aluminum
Acid rain affects trees water and soil
Acid rain water weakens the defenses of
trees and plants
Soil loses nutrients like calcium and
magnesium
Human Interferences
Acid rain looks and feels like normal rain and it does not have an
impact on the health of humans. However, the chemicals that cause
acid rain can be harmful to humans. These pollutants are sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants cause particles to
form in the atmosphere. Wind blows these particles and they are
inhaled by humans. This can cause lung and heart disorders like
asthma and bronchitis. Also, acid rain causes mercury to convert
into methylmercury, in fish. This will raise the toxicity of the fish that
humans eat.
How can we help?
We can help by identifying contributors to acid rain
(chemicals like sulfur dioxide), then making steps to stop
the contributors.
Ways we could help:
o
o
o
o
o
Turning off lights, and other appliances
Insulate homes as best you can
Carpool or use public transportation
Buy cars with low emissions
Switch to solar, hydro, or geothermal energy.
http://www.vautoinspect.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/How-to-reduce-carbon-dioxide-caremission.jpg
Biogeochemical Cycles!
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•
Biological
Living organisms like plants and trees take in water to
photosynthesize. The acid rain then poisons the plants
and damages leaves.
Primary consumers eat these plants that are affected
and can have bad health problems.
Biogeochemical Cycles!
Geological
• Acid rain erodes natural rock and sediment. Man made
•
statues and buildings are the most affected. The
sediment returns back to the ground.
It also dissolves mercury in soil.
Biogeochemical Cycles!
•
•
•
Chemical
pH levels in lakes, rivers, and ponds rise
as more acid rain comes in.
Smog and dark clouds form when the
sulfur and nitrogen dioxide are picked up
with the water.
The chemicals evaporate with the water
and is carried elsewhere through the
water cycle.
Biogeochemical Cycles!
Chemical
Works Cited
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Agency, US Environmental. “Effects of Acid Rain.” Acid Rain Kid’s Site. US EPA, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 2 June 2013.
<http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/>.
“Grand Canyon.” E-Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 June 2013. <https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/egee102/files/egee102/images/Lesson_04/grandcanyon.jpg>.
“How to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Car Emission.” vautoinspect.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 June 2013. <http://www.vautoinspect.com/howto-reduce-carbon-dioxide-car-emission/>.
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<http://www.industrialboiler.com/Portals/0/Skins/IBM/images/header.jpg>.
“ira
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nuclear.jpg>.
Outer Lungs.” smm.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 June 2013. <http://www.smm.org/heart/Images/outerlungs.jpg>.
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<http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/reducing/>.
- - -. “What Can You Do?” Acid Rain Student’s Site. US EPA, n.d. Web. 2 June 2013.
<http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/whatcanyoudo.html>.
- - -. “What is Acid Rain?” Acid Rain Kid’s Site. US Environmental Protection Agency, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 2 June 2013.
<http://epa.gov/acidrain/what/>.
Thanks For Watching :)