Acid Rain - AP Environmental Science

Sulfuric acid. Strong acid that aggressively attacks building materials.

Sulfuric acid. Strong acid that aggressively attacks building materials.

Leaches essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium. Acid mobilizes nutrients, making them unavailable to plants.

Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6. Normal rain is slightly acidic at pH 5.6 due to dissolved CO₂.

Trees absorb and store acidic water, affecting soil and habitats. Forest canopy intercepts acidic precipitation, concentrating effects.

Acidic rain, fog, and snow. Direct delivery of acids through precipitation events.

Lime addition or liming. Lime raises pH by neutralizing acidic water chemistry.

Forests and aquatic ecosystems. These ecosystems are particularly sensitive to pH changes.

Lowers the soil pH, making it more acidic. Cumulative acid inputs gradually reduce soil alkalinity.

Reduces visibility due to sulfate and nitrate particles. Fine acidic particles scatter light, creating haze conditions.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). European organization managing cross-border pollution agreements.

A pH value below 5.6. Normal rainwater is pH 5.6 due to natural carbonic acid formation.

Lower pH levels can harm or kill aquatic organisms. Acidic water disrupts fish reproduction and survival rates.

Respiratory issues due to inhalation of fine particles. Acid rain precursors form harmful particulate matter in air.

Soils low in calcium and magnesium. These soils lack buffering capacity to neutralize acids.

Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6. Normal rain is slightly acidic at pH 5.6 due to dissolved CO₂.

Acidic gases and particles settling out of the atmosphere. Acidic compounds fall to earth without precipitation involvement.

Leaches essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium. Acid mobilizes nutrients, making them unavailable to plants.

Automobile exhaust. Internal combustion engines produce significant NOₓ emissions.

Promote renewable energy sources. Clean energy reduces fossil fuel combustion and emissions.

It corrodes buildings and monuments, especially limestone. Acids react with calcium carbonate in stone, causing deterioration.

Catalytic converters in vehicles. These devices reduce NOₓ emissions from vehicle exhaust.

Acidic rain, fog, and snow. Direct delivery of acids through precipitation events.

The Gothenburg Protocol. European agreement to reduce sulfur and nitrogen emissions.

Calcium carbonate in limestone. This mineral neutralizes acids through chemical reactions.

Damage to fisheries and agriculture. Reduced productivity and infrastructure damage cost billions annually.

The settling of acid or acid-forming pollutants from the atmosphere. Includes both wet and dry forms of acidic pollution fallout.

Burning fossil fuels. Coal and oil combustion releases large amounts of sulfur compounds.

Install scrubbers in industrial smokestacks. Scrubbers remove sulfur compounds before gases are released.