November 1st 2015
To the federal government:
The purpose behind this letter to you is to inform you with the big issue that is taking place in our planet, which is the effect of acid rain on lakes and streams (aquatic systems).
Acid rain occurs because of the dissolution of acidic oxides in the atmosphere. When these two compounds are released into the air, they form acid rain, which are nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide S + O2 SO2, which is produced by natural means, like volcanoes and industrial processes such as the burning of fossil fuels (brown coal) C + O2 CO2. The two compounds dissolve in water and are carried very far by wind where they become part of snow and fog. Oxides from sulfur and nitrogen react with moisture in the clouds
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Though acid rain is a big issue, there are ways it can be prevented. One of the biggest ways acid rain can be stopped is by lowering your energy consumption. Now you might think, ‘what does energy have to do with acid rain’? It actually has a big affect. By switching off the lights when you leave a room, turning off your computers & televisions when they aren’t being used. Closing the air conditioner/heaters when you leave your home can make a big difference, because when less electricity is used, the pollution from power plants decreases. Power plants also known as power station is an electric generating station
Another way acid rain can be prevented is by using fewer cars! There are so many different ways of transportation. You can use bikes if you aren’t going a long distance, you can use a train, if you live near a friends house you can car pool, and this all decreases reliance on fossil fuels. Cars also emit carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming which is affecting the environment. As the temperature rises, more rain falls, which increases the risk of heavier flooding. Ice is melting, and that is dangerous for future sea level rise. Also many countries already have very low water, and when the climate changes it changes precipitation patterns, and increasing droughts, which is dangerous because people are running out of water. But a positive impact is that electric cars are better for the environment because they only use battery power, meaning there is no burning of gasoline or other fossil
Some small, day-to-day things you can do to help are finding alternatives to driving as much as possible, make energy efficiency a dominant factor when choosing appliances, turn lights off when not using them, recycle, use less water when cleaning yourself or your home, eat locally produced food, and more. Cars release high levels of carbon dioxide, so doing things like walking to work, carpooling, and riding on public transportation instead of driving yourself everywhere. The more energy you use, the more carbon you’re putting into the atmosphere so using energy efficient appliances, saving water, recycling, turning lights off when you don’t need them, and eating locally produced foods will reduce your carbon footprint. It takes a great deal of energy to ship foods from long distances; keep lights and household appliances running; and clean, distribute, and pump water through our homes. Some large things you can do are stop deforestation, get our elected leaders involved and fight misinformation. Deforestation is said to account for 10 percent of the world's “heat-trapping emissions” (Union)
Acid precipitation is a wide term that incorporates any type of precipitation with acidic parts, for example, sulfuric or nitric acid that tumble to the ground from the climate in wet or dry structures. This can incorporate into rain, snow, haze, hail or even clean that is acidic. Acid rain as numerous natural impacts, yet none is more prominent than its effect on lakes, streams, wetlands, and other amphibian situations.
Menz, Fredric, and Hans Seip. “Acid rain in Europe and the United States: an update.” Environmental Science & Policy, vol. 7, no. 4, August 2004, pp. 253-263,
“North Americans have been smelting ore and burning fossil fuels for generations. In the past, the gases went up ordinary chimneys or small smoke stacks, to descend upon near by areas and pollute them,” states author, Robert Collins. Almost everyone knows what acid rain is and has a vague idea of the consequences that exist as a cause of it. Most people however do not realize the severity of acid rain. The essay “Acid Rain: Scourge from the Skies” by Robert Collins was very effective in showing the true severity of acid rain. By using excellent developmental devices, Robert Collins was able to write an effective essay that is appealing to today’s society, as well as
Through the advancement of technology, the issue of the air surrounding the earth might have been one of the most often matters to be brought up and discussed among scientists and engineers. Acid rain is one of the more serious environmental problems and it is closely related to the air pollution. Nowadays, it has affected large part of US, Europe and Canada. People start to be concerned about acid rain since it is getting worse in the passed years. The effect of the acid rain most often leads to another bad effect. For example, the acid rain will cause the lake and streams to be acidic. Thus, it will also affect the ecosystem inside the water.
Acid rain has not been shown to be harmful to human health, but some of the particles, which can be formed from sulfate, and nitrate ions can affect respiration. They can be transported long distances by winds and inhaled deep into people's lungs. Fine particles can also penetrate indoors. Many scientific studies have identified a relationship between elevated levels of fine particles and increased illness and premature death from heart and lung disorders, such as asthma and bronchitis.
Carbon dioxide mixes with the water from the ocean. CO2 commonly emits out of engines or from factory production, trapping inside of clouds and eventually falling as acid precipitation.
Another form of industrial waste that contributes to water pollution is acid rain. Acid rain is a product of industries burning coal. The burning of coal produces sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, and when these chemicals combine with the earth’s atmosphere it forms acid rain The Northeastern part of the United States has the worst acid rain levels in the world. More specific, the states with the highest concentration are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and some boarding parts of Canada and New England area. The falling acid rain can destroy plants and animals in several different ways. The acidification of a lake, river, or stream because of the high acidic levels in the water kills algae. Since algae are the main source of food, for many species of fish, they will also suffer from the high acid levels.
Acid rains as a phenomenon has been identified during the 19th century in Europe, and was attributed the smokes rising from chimneys factories coinciding with the overtime increase of rain acidification especially in Scandinavia. There is a growing interest in acid rains and its destructive effects in the light of the development of global industry especially in the industrialized countries, which consume huge quantities of fuel and release increasing quantities of gases such as sulphur dioxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen oxides which produce sulfur and nitrogenouns acids upon the interactions with oxygen and water vapour. Acids produced remain in the form of fine mist until dissolved in rainfall once occurs and then precipitates as
Acid rain is created through discharges of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which reacts with water molecules and creates an acid. Acid rain breaks down rock and soil with contact through the Earth’s atmosphere, which is also known as weathering (Washington University).
Acid rain affects thousands of people worldwide and is produced by factories and car fumes. It is the product of humanity and should not happen if we were careful of our carbon emissions. This phenomenon has contributed to many ruined water sources around the world. If acid rain was never a problem then places like Canada would have more forests and trees in Ontario. Also not as much coral would be dying in the ocean. Acid rain is a serious problem that needs to be addressed with caution and must be effectively dealt with before it is too
To conclude, acid rain includes many elements that make it well known worldwide today and also puts my mind into a new perspective of the effects that are happening in front of my own eyes that I am not noticing. Not to mention, that if I were to pursue the career of becoming an environmental engineer, I would be able to help protect the environment from acidity and become more aware of the solutions to this problem when the environment cannot neutralize the substances on its
What is acid rain? Acid rain is rain that becomes acidified in the atmosphere. In this situation, acid rain can cause lots of damage, and we are going to have to pay for it.Our earth is getting destroyed by many things. These things can be air pollution, water pollution or even global warming. One main thing is acid rain. Acid rain destroys water, forest, and it kills wildlife. All of these damages affect ocean life and ecosystems.
In the late 1980s, there was a growing concern in the United States that acid rain was damaging forests and aquatic ecosystems (Schmalensee & Stavins, 2013). For clarification, acid rain occurs when power plants and industrial smokestacks spew sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere where they mix with water vapor (Allen & Yago, 2011). Consequently, acid rain damaged forests, crops, and buildings and damaged ancient archeological landmarks (Allen & Yago, 2011). Hence, the problem seemed too complex for command-and-control solutions. Essentially command-and-control policies provide firms with little flexibility in achieving goals either by setting uniform emission rate limits or by specifying the type of pollution-control equipment installed (Hahn & Stavins, 1992).
Is there a way to fix or maybe prevent acid rain from occurring at high frequencies? The EPA website (2012) explains how the EPA (Acid Rain Program) will try to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere. The EPA is designed to help reduce the amount of acidification in the air thus reducing the amount of acid rain. With the reduction of acid rain, the mortality rate of plants will be reduced and cost of reconstruction of historical monuments will reduce. Reduction will also reduce the amount of deaths for fish thus reducing the price for fish. If the soil is reduced, then crops will grow and be able to save farmer’s jobs and reduce prices in crops at supermarkets. The health of humans will be better, but not perfectly cured because there will always be acid rain, but the amount of acid rain will be reduced. Acid rain will always be around, but we can reduce the amount of acid rain getting produced by humans. Humans are the main cause of acid rain, but humans can be the