Author: dabrister

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Acid Rain and Snow

Melting snow and heavy rain downpours can result in episodic Melting snow and heavy rain downpours can result in what is known as episodic acidification. Lakes that do not have usually have high levels of acidity may temporarily experience effects of acid rain when the melting snow brings great amounts of acidic deposition and the soil cannot absorb it. This can result in short term stress on the ecosystem.

Acid rain can affect any environment. However, I do find it interesting that snow is also negatively affected. I wonder why doesn’t the ice particles in the air absorb  the acid and release it when the snow melts. I also wonder if there a way to stop the snow from becoming acidic in the presence of the harming.

 

Source:

ENN: Environmental News Network — Know Your Environment. (2016, September). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/50014

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Air Quality and Acid Rain

Sulfur Dioxide affects air quality. It is generally produced in the burning of sulfur-containing fossil fuels, mostly in vehicle engines, power plants and domestic heating. It combines very happily with water to produce sulfuric acid. In the atmosphere, this makes it the main cause of acid rain, causing damage to buildings, alters our lakes and rivers, and strips soil of its essential nutrients. SO2 also irritates the lungs and throats of anyone who breathes in even low levels of it, and it particularly affects those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or bronchitis.

There is a whole cycle of pollution that somehow, can be lead back to acid rain and its effects. I personally never thought that small particles in the air can affect everyday life. The worse pollution gets so does acid rain and vice versa, there should be a solution to stop this abusive cycle.

 

Source:

(2016, July). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewinkless/2016/07/11/air-quality-in-cities-what-you’re-actually-breathing-in/

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Benefits of Acid Rain

The environment can adapt to a certain amount of acid rain. Often soil is slightly basic, because bases counteract acids, these soils tend to balance out some of the acid rain’s acidity. However areas, such as southeastern United States, where limestone does not naturally occur in the soil, acid rain can harm the environment. Frogs, have a hard time adapting to and reproducing in an acidic environment. Plants such as evergreen trees, are damaged by acid rain and acid fog. Due to needles being destroyed the black forest had a lack of green pine needles. Acid rain has also eaten away the stone in some buildings and stone artwork.

The rot we see on buildings come from acid rains, looking at buildings today in places like New York we see wear and tear but not really any drastic erosion on buildings. We can assume this is due to the amount of acid actually put into the atmosphere through rain. Acid rain is very common, however small amounts are released every so often, meaning that the amount of amino acids in the air builds over centuries. Reading the part about the frogs, it makes me think that in certain areas that acid rain leads to the extinction of certain species, since the rainfall can make it harder for certain species to adapt and reproduce.

Source:

Wong, J. (2016, November 06). Gardens: The surprising benefits of acid rain. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/06/the-surprising-benefits-of-acid-rain

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Acid Rain Imposes on North American lake

The impact of decades of acid rain (better known as acid precipitation) is causing North American lakes to turn to jelly. The water isn’t literally turning to jelly, but acid reduces the availability of calcium in lakes, only aquatic organisms with low calcium requirements can survive, causing others that have higher calcium requirements to become covered in a jellyish coating. The overabundance of these critters disrupts food webs and clogs intake pipes. The biological impact of “jellification” is unknown, but this development is especially disheartening given that the effort to combat acid precipitation was mostly successful. This can cause disruption in aquatic ecosystems, killing fish and aquatic organisms.

Shocking how acid rain is found to be affecting our environment in different ways. There should be some regulations the government can pass to insure the purification of lakes and rivers. I never thought that acids can cause “jellification” in bodies of water.

 

Source:

The Latest Legacy of Acid Rain: Jellied Lakes | JSTOR Daily. (2016, November). Retrieved December 1, 2016, from

http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=27103B6D701845F79C3AB654BBF1FC59&CID=36908AB83A7762DA30D983583B4663BA&rd=1&h

=8a2WPmnw2SpuwRSTNYp6xf-7EcyY0BiqXoKz4ew0QCk&v=1&r=http://daily.jstor.org/the-latest-legacy-of-acid-rain-jellied-lakes/

&p=DevEx,5085.1

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Does Greenhouse Gasses Effect Acid Rain?

Acid rain is any form of precipitation with high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. Acid Rain occurs from small/dry material that comes from fog. These small particles settle on earth and raises the levels of sulfuric and nitric acids. Rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release some chemicals that can cause acid rain, but most acid rain falls because of human interactions with the burning of fossil fuels. Coal burning is the biggest factor;power plants, factories, and automobiles also emmitt acids that contribute to Acid Rain, when released into the atmosphere. These chemical gases react with water, oxygen, and other substances that form solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid. Winds can spread these acidic solutions across the atmosphere up to over hundreds of miles. When acid rain reaches Earth, it runs across the surface in runoff water, it then enters water systems, and sinks into the soil. Acid rain has many ecological effects, but the greatest impact it has is on lakes and streams. Acid rain makes waters acidic and causes them to absorb the aluminum that makes its way from soil into lakes and streams. Some species can tolerate acidic waters better than others. However, eventually this will end up affecting the whole entire food chain, including non-aquatic species.

Knowing that acid rain can run into water systems and destroy aquatic environments is very concerning. If society as a whole limited our role in the emissions of greenhouse gasses, we can lower the amount of acid rain. Because of acid rain, lakes and streams are highly affected, that makes one wonder if acidic water is causing a decrease in aquatic biodiversity? I think in order to reduce these kinds of things from happening, we should start with regulations that limit the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted per month by humans.

 

 

Source:

Society, N. G. (2016, September). Acid Rain Facts, Acid Rain Information, Acid Rain Pictures, Acid Rain

Effects – National Geographic. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/

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Overall Effects of Acid Rain

Acid rain has impacted soil, forest and vegetation, wildlife and human activities. alternatives/ solutions to acid rain is to reduce air pollution by decreasing the use of fossil fuel. Impacts of Asia’s acid rain according to the World Resources, acid rain is now mostly problematic in areas of southeast China, northeast India, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea that are downwind of urban and industrial centers. High levels of acid rain in these areas led to the decline in crop yields and tree growth.

I find it interesting that the U.S isn’t one of the major countries dealing with acid rain just because of all the manufacturing and population growth we have especially in California but we seem to have more solutions to decrease the use of fossil fuel. This has so much significance to Environmental Science because if it wasn’t due to air pollution acid rain wouldn’t be such a dramatic defect. However if you really think about it acid rain seems to be more prominent in third world countries. Most likely due to the fact that they burn more fossil fuels.

Network, B. E., & Juhi Chaudhary, Earth Journalism Network. (2016, June 9). Acid Rain. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://earthjournalism.net/resources/acid-rain
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Monstrosity of Acid Rain

Rain itself is already a slightly acidic compound. However, acid rain is rainfall that has become overly acidic due to high levels of nitrite and sulfuric compounds in the atmosphere. These high levels are caused by air pollution mainly from factories burning fossil fuels. It causes environmental harm by destroying forests and lakes. The presence of acidic solution in these bodies of water affects the wild life that consume or inhabit it. Fortunately the U.S is the least affected by this problem however places like China, Taiwan, most of Eastern Europe, and Southeastern Canada are majorly affected. The decrease in pH in lakes due to acid has also caused a decrease in biodiversity.

Biodiversity in food, plants, people, and animals is what keeps us striving and acid rain effects the environmental health of the planet. Acid rain not only devastates the natural world but it also affects human life. These chemicals can lead to lung disease, environmental asthma and many other life threatening diseases.

Source: R. (2016, April 1). Menu. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://sites.psu.edu/endangeredenvironment/2016/04/01/atrocities-of-acid-rain/
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Effects Fell Through The Food Chain

 Rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release certain chemicals that can cause acid rain, but most acid rain falls because of daily human actions. The burning of fossil fuels by coal-burning power plants, factories, and automobiles has the biggest effect. When humans burn fossil fuels those chemicals react with water. Winds spread these acidic solutions across the atmosphere. When acid rain reaches the earth, it flows across the surface and enters waterways sinking into the soil.

Because we have things such as cars and factories that give off so much pollution it makes it harder for us to have clean air. When these toxic chemicals get into the air it causes damage not only to plant and aquatic life but to humans as well. The air we breathe is polluted and people think that the smell we get after rain is cleaning of the air when in fact it’s the opposite.

Source: Society, N. G. (2016, September). Acid Rain Facts, Acid Rain Information, Acid Rain Pictures, Acid Rain Effects – National Geographic. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/acid-rain-overview/
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Acid Rain Effects On Soil Starts To Reverse

Acid Rain Effects on Forest Soils begin to Reverse – USGS

Led by a U.S Geological Survey researchers have found that soil acidification from acid rain can be harmful to plant and aquatic life. As acid rain acidifies soil it depletes calcium reserves, which are important due to the fact that calcium prevents formation of aluminum which is toxic to plant and aquatic life. However the effects of acid rain has now begun to reverse in forests of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The top soil layers have shown a strong recovery response, but deeper layers are increasing in aluminum, which shows signs of further acidification. However, this is seen as part of the recovery process as aluminum moves downward in the soil hopefully it will be stored in a non-toxic

I personally find it interesting how resilient this earth can be. Us humans cause global warming leading to acid rain and yet the soil still rejuvenates and heals itself. However, on the other hand if we don’t stop damaging the earth one day we will cause irreversible damage and the soil won’t just replenish itself. Acid rain is an interesting problem because we don’t know what kind of damage exactly causes it so its gonna be a harder issue to fix. Which relates to Environmental Science in the sense that, scientists want to find ways to create a better way of living but can’t due to the damage we humans do to the earth.

 

Source:

C.Bailey, S. W. (2016, August 25). News. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from https://apple.news/APHc3yzXJNySj5tMqHhwszg