Acid Rain
"Consequences of
liming of forest and water," discussion of liming as a technique to
mitigate the effects of acid rain, being held in Høgskolen
i
State of the Union Address Reinventing Environmental Regulation January 25 1995
In tackling this challenge, we are guided by a commitment to the progress of the last 25 years, a vision for the next 25 years, a set of 10 principles, and the knowledge that the American people want common sense protection of public health and the environment. As part of an expanded risk training program, EPA will provide (at cost) this computer program to local governments, small businesses, and local citizens groups. EPA will work with key industries, beginning with the chemical industry, to eliminate conflicting and overlapping federal air compliance requirements. EPA will target enforcement actions against significant violations that present the greatest risks to human health and the environment. To reward today's responsible companies and eliminate costly litigation and red tape, EPA will provide incentives through reduced penalties for companies that disclose and promptly correct violations -- except for criminal violations, imminent and substantial endangerment, or repeat violations. EPA will significantly expand its existing programs (e.g., Public Information Center, hotlines) to make information from all EPA programs available through Internet and other electronic means that many Americans can access directly from their homes, schools and libraries.
You've probably heard of "acid rain". But you may not have heard of acid snow, acid fog or mist, acid gas, and acid dust. The 1990 Clean Air Act includes an innovative program to reduce acid air pollutants (all referred to here as "acid rain"). these are acid chemicals, related to two strong acids: sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Lakes and streams are normally slightly acid, but acid rain can make them very acid. If a plant expects to release more sulfur dioxide than it has allowances, it has to get more allowances, perhaps by buying them from another power plant that has reduced its sulfur dioxide releases below its number of allowances and therefore has allowances to sell or trade.
Since the detection of increased acidic precipitation levels in the 1960s, the concern over acid rain has made it one of the biggest environmental concerns of today. These compounds may react in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive compound, and ozone, which is a major factor in the trapping of heat and pollutants close to ground level -- the greenhouse effect (Cullen 50). For example, if a lake has a high ANC, it is protected from acid rain, but if it has a low ANC, any acid will acidify it directly (Mohnen 32). However, while the relationship between acid rain and groundwater contamination has been experimentally established, the relationship between forest erosion and acid rain is not as clear. Although science is not yet sophisticated enough to determine pollutant origin or acid rain's effect on forest decline, it is evident that solutions are needed for drastically reducing if not eliminating acid rain to protect our water resources, our forests and our soil. Congressional leaders in 1988, the deciding factors regarding funding, favored the short term capabilities of FGD. By 1988, the Department of Energy had set aside 5 million dollars to further develop FGD and the EPA continued to sponsor research on FGD. Overall, this shows approval from the U.S government for FGD as an immediate effective solution for dealing with the causes of acid rain.
Acid rain is more acidic than normal rain and forms through a complex process of chemical reactions involving air pollution. The two most important pollutants that contribute to the formation of acid rain are oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide, which react with moisture in the atmosphere to form nitric and sulfuric acid. The sulfur and nitrogen compounds that contribute to acid rain primarily come from manmade sources, such as industries and utilities. Pollutants that contribute to acid rain may be carried hundreds of miles before being deposited on the earth. Your states Natural Resource Conservation Commission probably collects rainfall weekly from sites across the state and measures the pH, or level of acidity, of the samples. Locate all the sites on any individual state map and post the latest annual average pH reading measured at that site.
Effects of Acid Rain on Forests
Researchers suspect that acid rain may cause the slower growth of these forests. Also, some areas that receive acid rain show a lot of damage, while other areas that receive about the same amount of acid rain do not appear to be harmed at all. However, after many years of collecting information on the chemistry and biology of forests, researchers are beginning to understand how acid rain works on the forest soil, trees, and other plants. Since there are many natural sources of acid in forest soils, soils in these areas are more susceptible to effects from acid rain. Instead, it is more likely to weaken the trees by damaging their leaves, limiting the nutrients available to them, or poisoning them with toxic substances slowly released from the soil. At the same time, the acid rain causes the release of toxic substances such as aluminum into the soil.
Total Quality Management in the U.S. Geological Survey
The term "acid rain" is used to describe rain or snow that has a pH lower than what is natural for a given area. Precipitation with a pH value less than 5 is considered acid rain. Although people aren't directly in danger from exposure to acid rain, the particles in air that lead to acid rain may be a risk to human health. When scientists learned that acid rain could harm fish, fear of damage to our natural environment from acid rain concerned the American public. Due in part to the quality-assurance experiments done by the USGS, the data on acid rain collected by the NADP/NTN are regarded by scientists as some of the most reliable data of any long-term environmental measurement program. Without a continuing acid rain network, the effects on acid rain from natural changes in weather and the impacts of man's changing activities could go undetected.
Acid Rain Question: How can rain be acid? Rain as acidic as lemon juice fell in
Plain English Guide to The Clean Air Act
Acid rain You've probably heard of "acid rain". But you may not have heard of acid snow, acid fog or mist, acid gas and acid dust. The 1990 Clean Air Act includes an innovative program to reduce acid air pollutants (all referred to here as "acid rain"). These are acid chemicals, related to two strong acids: sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Lakes and streams are normally slightly acid, but acid rain can make them very acid.
Despite progress in recent years, acid
rain remains a significant environmental and economic concern for many regions
of
Stresses on the
Environment-----Pollution-----Air Pollution Problems and Issues-----Acid Rain
Discussion-----What is Acid Rain? Acid rain is precipitation - rain, drizzle or
snow - that has been acidified by air pollutants, and is more acid than
"clean" rain. The degree of acidity in precipitation is measured
using the pH scale ranging from 0 - 14 (0 being most acidic and 14 being most
basic or alkaline) (Figure AR.1). The scale is logarithmic; i.e., a decrease of
one pH unit, for example from pH 5 to pH 4, represents a ten-fold increase in
acidity. Pollutants contributing most of the acidity to precipitation are sulphur dioxide (SO2) and, to a lesser extent, nitrogen
oxides (NOx), which react with moisture in the atmosphere
to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid, respectively.
The most acidic precipitation in the Atlantic region occurs in south-western
The student shall be given opportunities to observe properties and patterns of objects, organisms and events in the environment. The student shall be given opportunities to describe objects, organisms and events from the environment, describe changes that occur to objects and organisms in the environment. Students will learn how acid rain is an air pollution problem. The two most important pollutants that contribute to the formation of acid rain are oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide, which react with moisture in the atmosphere to form nitric and sulfuric acid. Explain that the vinegar is an acid and chalk is limestone. Discuss the slow deterioration of statues and buildings due to the weak acid rain that falls on some statues and buildings.
One measure of fresh water's health is pH. In this activity, students will determine the pH of water from rain, rivers, and lakes. In this activity, students measure the pH in water from several sources. Many factors contribute to increased acidity (lower pH) including carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions and ozone depletion. Measure pH by dipping pH paper into the water samples. Record the pH values as well as the weather conditions at the time of sampling.
Acid rain Another air quality problem
impeding movement towards environmental sustainability, particularly in the
Atlantic Region, is the continuing stress on our freshwater aquatic systems,
forests and lands from acid precipitation. Although significant reductions in
acidic deposition have occurred over the past 10 years or so in response to SO2
emission control programs, and improvements have been observed in several
freshwater systems as a result, many acidified lakes will not recover without
significantly lower deposition levels (see 4.1.0 Acid Rain discussion). And,
even though additional reductions in acidifying emissions will result from the
implementation of control programs in
Baylor Biologist Studies Tadpoles, Salamanders to Assess Acid Rain Damage
For many years, scientists studying acid_rain kept track of numerical data. For example, how
was the pH of rainfall changing? Now many biologists, including Benjamin Pierce
of
Acid rain is poorly understood and we will
probably spend billions on research ending up with two opposing groups of
experts. One of the biggest money contributers to our
congressmen is a lobby group dedicated to defeating or diluting any acid rain
controls. There is a government study claiming that 300 lakes in the
northeastern
Acid Rain [8.1.1] The Sierra Club supports
a national goal to reduce current levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
production by 50% in the next ten years. The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has authority under the existing Clean Air Act to implement a program to
control acidic precipitation. The following steps should be implemented: a.
Implement and enforce tough regulations to limit any credit for the height of
tall stacks (CAA Sec. New Authority a. Control regulations must be directed at
the total amount (total atmospheric loading) of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide, not merely ambient concentrations as present laws do. d. The
international treaty now under negotiation between the
Geothermal and the Environment Acid Rain
Acid rain is caused when pollutants such as sulfur dioxide dissolve in water in the atmosphere and return to earth in the form of acidic rain or snow. This rain can have many destructive effects on our environment including the killing of trees and life in lakes. Geothermal energy produces almost no sulfur dioxide emissions and no nitrogen oxides.
Purpose of this file: To provide a primer on acid rain for environmental journalists. Acid rain refers to all types of precipitation--rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog--that is acidic in nature. Acid rain kills aquatic life, trees, crops and other vegetation, damages buildings and monuments, corrodes copper and lead piping, damages such man-made things as automobiles, reduces soil fertility and can cause toxic metals to leach into underground drinking water sources. Thus, pH 4 is 10 times more acidic than pH 5 and 100 times more so than pH 6. Similarly, pH 9 is 1O times more basic than pH 8 and 100 times more basic than pH 7. The acid in acid rain comes from two kinds of air pollutants-- sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Effect of pH on the water chemistry of a
Pennsylvania Shows Decrease In Acid Rain
Did you know
Acid Rain and Seedling Development
We picked this project because we had
participated in an experiment earlier where we found out the average pH of the
rain in
How Acid Rain is formed Acid rain is produced when chemical pollutants interact with sunlight to produce sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids combine with moisture in the air (groundwater sources that have evaporated and condensed) to produce acid rain, snow, etc. Since there is usually more sunlight in the summer months, acid rain tends to be more acidic in the summer.