ACID RAIN

What is Acid Rain? Rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air ◦ Forms when nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides combine with water in the air to form nitric acid and sulfuric acid

Sources of Acid Rain Human activities (power plants, vehicles and burning fossil fuels) Reactions in the environment ◦ Chemicals react with normal precipitation and form acid rain

Why is Acid Rain harmful? Causes health problems ◦ Respiratory diseases Harms forests ◦ Acid strips nutrients from leaves and needles on trees ◦ Aluminum in soil makes it hard for trees to take up water Damages Lakes and streams ◦ Can be deadly to aquatic life Damages Building and objects ◦ Strip off paint, wear down on materials

Effects of Acid Rain

Statue of Liberty- result of oxidation, NOT acid rain

What is being done to control it? Government regulations and new technologies ◦ Clean Air Act of 1990 Reducing pollution (scrubbers) Other sources of energy (solar and wind) Cleaner cars (catalytic converter)

What can you do? Conserve energy ◦ Turn off electrical equipment when not in use ◦ Encourage parents to buy energy saving equipment ◦ Limit air conditioning ◦ Adjust your thermostat ◦ Recycle ◦ Walk ◦ Carpool

pH scale Measures how acidic an object is Acids are from Bases are from 7.1 – 14 Neutral substances (pure water) are 7 Normal rain is slightly acidic = Acid rain is typically around 4.0 (ten times greater than normal rain)

pH scale A logarithmic scale, based on powers of 10. A pH change of 1 equals a 10 fold change in Hydrogen ion concentration ◦ A pH of 6 is 10x more acidic than a pH of 7 The pH increases as the number of Hydrogen ions (H+) decreases