Acid Rain

Acid Rain pH Scale: A pH number indicates how acidic or base a substance is. The lower the number the more acidic a substance is ….i.e. Lemon juice is 2.2 , Yuck!!! Very acidic! Ammonia is 12, extremely basic.

pH Scale

Acid Rain Rain, sleet or snow containing high acid content Burnt fossil fuels (sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide) + water in the atmosphere = acid rain Lethal to living things and destructive to buildings, works of art.

How Does Acid Rain Happen?

Acid Rain Statue damaged by acid rain:

Acid Rain How acid rain affects soil and plants: Acid rain increases the acid level in soil, this concentration is called ACIDIFICATION Acidification – 1. Causes release of aluminum and other toxic metals from soil which is absorbed by plant roots.

Acid Rain Acidification causes 2. Root damage 3. SO2 clogs plant pores

Acid Rain Acid Rain and Aquatic Ecosystems Causes aluminum to leach out of soil and into water. Aluminum builds up in fish and fish are slowly suffocated. When winter snow melts occur, the sudden dump of acidic water causes a rapid change in pH of water called ACID SHOCK. Acid Shock kills fish and damages fish and amphibian reproduction, ie. Birth defects, sterile offspring.

Acid Shock

Acid Rain Counteracting Acid Rain U.S. and other countries spray powdered limestone, (calcium carbonate) on acidic lakes to raise the pH. We do not have enough limestone to rescue all the threatened lakes.

Acid Rain Acid Rain and Humans Remember “biomagnification” ? Toxic metals from acid rain build up in humans because we eat the aquatic organisms and crops. Researchers suggest a connection between acid rain and respiratory problems.

Who Gets The Acid?

Working Together to Reduce Acid Rain Canada and the United States signed the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement in 1991 Both Countries agreed to reduce emissions that flow across the Canada-U.S. boundary