Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Acid Rain
Seen Environmental Learning Information Sheet no 8
What is acid rain?
Acid rain is the term used to describe air pollutants that cause water and soil to become more acidic. In turn this can harm plants and animals that depend upon these elements for survival. Acid precipitation is a more accurate name since it can occur in the form of acid snow, acid dew, acid fog, acid frost, acid hail and acid dust. Rain water is never totally pure. It always contains some impurities from dust particles or from absorbing gases from the air. The acidity or alkalinity of a liquid is usually measured by its pH level. Normal rainwater has a pH of around 5.6 because it naturally absorbs carbon dioxide in the air to form a mild carbonic acid. Water that is polluted and becomes too acidic will usually have a pH of below 5. SO2+H2O+sunlightH2SO4 N02+H20+sunlightH2NO2 Acid precipitation has been occurring in relatively small amounts for billions of years. However as a result of the industrial revolution in the last 200 years resulting in the burning of coal and other fossil fuels, and the increase in motor car emissions, acid precipitation has become a problem. Increased industrial activities meant more coal burning in steam engines for power. The fossil fuels which were laid down hundreds of millions of years ago contain chemical elements including carbon, hydrocarbon, sulphur and nitrogen which were once stored in the bodies of living things. When these fossil fuels are burnt these chemical elements are released into the atmosphere. Sulphur from the coal begins to mix with the oxygen in the air to create sulphur dioxide. The sulphur dioxide mixes with the moisture in the air and comes down as sulphuric acid rain. The problem has been increasing over the last 200 years but it has been since the 1950s that it has been recognised as a major environmental threat. These days only half of the sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere, comes from natural sources such as volcanoes and rotting organic matter, the rest all comes from human activity.(see diagram below) Burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal in power plants, various industrial processes and the exhaust fumes from millions of vehicles contribute to the large amount of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One big problem is the fact that the gases are often carried hundreds of kilometres by the wind and then fall as acid rain on woodland areas, and surface water in un-expecting communities. At present the worst affected places in the world are in the USA, Canada and Europe, especially central and northern Europe.
Information Sheet No 8
In southern Africa large-scale air pollution causing acid rain is largely limited to the Mpumalanga highveld and Soweto, which experience extremely high levels of sulphur dioxide pollution. About 64 % of South Africas electricity is generated at coal power plants in Mpumalanga. Gauteng generally ranks as one of the world's worst polluted areas, putting it in the same league as Bangkok, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Beijing and Sao Paulo.
industrial pollution. The pollutants are blown onto nearby farmland and forests and cause damage to the trees, stunt the growth of plants and reduce crop yields. The longer the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides remain in the air the more likely they are to react with moisture in the air and create sulphuric and nitric acids. These acid pollutants can stay in the air for several days and can be carried hundreds of kilometres by the wind. This is called wet deposition. Wet deposition can directly attack the leaves of the trees that it lands on as well as being able to soak into the soil and in turn damage plants. It can also end up in rivers and water-courses killing aquatic plants and animals and polluting drinking water. 80% of Norways lakes are now considered to be either dead or in a critical state as a result of acid pollution and 300 lakes in Ontario, Canada are estimated to have a pH of less than 5. When acid rain increases the acidity of the soil or waterthese can in turn dissolve toxic metals. If these are absorbed by plants they can be passed on to humans or animals that eat the plants or their fruit. Cubatao in Brazil, is considered to be one of the most polluted industrial centres in the world. 80% of its flora is gone, fish die in its polluted waters, more
Information Sheet No 8
Information Sheet No 8
Information Sheet No 8
Theme: Development and the Environment Topic No 8: Acid Rain Important ideas to stress in your teaching and learning
Acid rain is formed when gases in the air (sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide) combine with water vapour in the presence of sunlight. The gases causing acid rain are man-made resulting from the burning of fossil fuels in industries and power plants. These gases may travel hundreds of kilometers in the wind before falling as acid rain. As a result solving the problem requires international co-operation. Acid rain damages buildings, kills plants (especially trees) and animals and pollutes lakes, soils and groundwater supplies. Acid rain is a big problem in northern Europe and the north east of the USA. With growing industrialization based on burning coal and oil, it is a significant problem in parts of China and India. In southern Africa acid rain is most severe in eastern Mpumulanga, RSA. Acid rain can be controlled by reducing power station and vehicle emissions. This however is very expensive and so is only slowly being introduced. In the long term a change to alternative technologies that generate energy without polluting is required.
Glossary
Aquatic Degradation Fossil fuels Organic Photosynthesis connected with, consisting of, or dependent upon water. the decline in the quality and performance of the environment. any carbon-containing fuel, for example coal, peat, petroleum, and natural gas, derived form the decomposed remains of prehistoric plants and animals. relating to, derived from, or characteristic of living things. a process by which green plants and other organisms produce simple carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, using energy that chlorophyll absorbs from sunlight. things that pollute or cause harm to an area of the natural environment, for example, chemicals or waste products that contaminate the air, soil, or water. rain, snow, or hail, all of which are formed by condensation of moisture in the atmosphere and fall to the ground. the accustoming of somebody to living in a town or city rather than in the rural areas, and the causing of people to migrate to a town or city from the rural areas.
Information Sheet No 8