Acid Rain
Acid RainWhere does Acid Rain come from? What are the effects of Acid Rain? What can we do about Acid Rain? These are the three questions I hope to answer today. Acid Rain is a pollutant in our society and can be even seen as synonymous to the word evil, due to the fact that nothing good has come from it. The two primary sources of Acid Rain are nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides. They effect our lakes and rivers, trees, buildings and even us. It is a necessity to be aware of the dangers and snares of Acid Rain and it is high time for us to take action and implement courses for correction.
The two primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Sulfur dioxide is a colourless, prudent gas released as a by-product of combusted fossil fuels containing sulfur. A variety of industrial processes, such as the production of iron and steel, utility factories, and crude oil processing produce this gas. In iron and steel production, the smelting of metal sulfate ore, produces pure metal. This causes the release of sulfur dioxide. Metals such as zinc, nickel, and copper are commonly obtained by this process. Sulfur dioxide can also be emitted into the atmosphere by natural disasters or means. This ten percent of all sulfur dioxide emission comes from volcanoes, sea spray, plankton, and rotting vegetation. Overall, 69.4 percent of sulfur dioxide is produced by industrial combustion. Only 3.7 percent is caused by transportation
The other chemical that is also chiefly responsible for the make-up of acid rain is nitrogen oxide. Oxides of nitrogen is a term used to describe any compound of nitrogen with any amount of oxygen atoms. Nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are all oxides of nitrogen. These gases are by-products of firing processes of extreme high temperatures (automobiles, utility plants), and in chemical industries (fertilizer production). Natural processes such as bacterial action in soil, forest fires, volcanic action, and lightning make up five percent of nitrogen oxide emission. Transportation makes up 43 percent, and 32 percent belongs to industrial combustion. Nitrogen oxide is a dangerous gas by itself. This gas attacks the membranes of the respiratory organs and increases the likelihood of respiratory illness. It also contributes to ozone damage, and forms smog. Nitrogen oxide can spread far from the location it was originated by acid rain.
Acid rain has drastic effects on our environment. It causes lakes and rivers to become acidic, killing off fish - all the fish in 140 lakes in Minnesota have been killed, and the salmon and trout populations of Norway\’s major rivers have been severely reduced because of the increased acidity of the water. Short-term increases in acid levels kill lots of fish, but the greatest threat is from long-term increases, which stop the fish reproducing. The extra acid also frees toxic metals...
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