1. Acid Rain

2. 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.

3. pH Scale

4. 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.

5. How Does Acid Rain Happen?

6. Acid Rain
Statue damaged by acid rain:

7. 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.

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

9. 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.

10. Acid Shock

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Who Gets The Acid?

14. 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