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Acid Rain

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Acidification of the surface of the water is a major problem in areas of the northeastern United States, in eastern Canada, and in southern Scandinavia, it also occurs in other parts of the world as well (Baker & Schofield, 1982). The acidification on the surface of water causes many fish populations to decline in soft-water aquatic environments, that are exposed to acid precipitation (Neville & Campell, 1988). This acidification of the surface water is caused by acid rain. Acid rain or otherwise known as acid deposition is a term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that comes down from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. These forms include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that can be acidic. Acid rain is caused by when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are put into the atmosphere and then transported by wind and air currents. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These chemicals then mix with water and other materials before falling into the ground. A small portion of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause acid rain from natural sources like volcanoes, but most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuel (Feely, et al., 2010). Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are two of the major sources associated towards acid rain. Atmospheric deposition of the sulfur and nitrogen molecules is derived from coal-fired

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