Acid Rain

By

Saruf Alam

Acid rain has nowadays become a very common experience. It happens everyday globally but no one realizes how dangerous it really is. Many times you usually go out and it starts drizzling. When walking the water feels warm and many people don’t realize that it is acid rain. Note: Acid rain feels warm because it is pH 5.6 and below (pH 5.6 and below is acidic and feels warm). Acid rain has a slow but really dangerous effect on the environment and the world. Do we care? No, and that is what makes it dangerous.  

History:

People say that the problem – acid rain originated in the 1730’s as that was the height of the industrial revolution. People found out about it in the 1950’s but did not take it seriously but then in the 1960’s it became important to the government. After the 1960’s the problem got worse as the tall chimneys made it easier for more of the harmful gases including sulphur to flow to the clouds. In the 1984’s it became a big problem around the world. The United Nations made an agreement with USA and 24 other nations to control the nitrogen and sulphur emissions to prevent air pollution and acid rain. In the 1990’s, the Clean Air Act set rules to cut down 10 million tones of emissions by January 1, 2000.

What is Acid rain?

Acid rain is precipitation or rainfall with pH 5.6 and below. Acid rain is formed when oxides of sulphur and nitrogen combine with the atmospheric moisture and forms nitric acid and sulphuric acid. Many industries and power plants give out sulphur dioxide in our atmosphere. Even worse, they have very high chimneys which make the smoke dissolve into the clouds. Cars also let out lots of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide which rises up into the clouds. These chemicals are dissolved in the water vapors and fall in the form of acid rain. These huge amounts of water and chemical falls down as rain, snow or even fog polluting our environments and destroying many things in its way.

Nowadays acid rain is happening nearly everyday worldwide.  People have not realized the long term hazardous effects of acid rain. But it is one of the factors affecting our environment and habitat. The issue of acid rain affects seems small in front of global warming but it actually is a part of global warming. It is having a significant impact on our lives every second without us noticing it.

Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide:

Carbon dioxide:

Carbon dioxide emission also causes acid rain though indirectly. It disturbs the global heat affect that is the green house effect. Which causes it to react with other atmospheric pollutants and these gases mix in the clouds and decrease the pH level making the water acidic. Carbon dioxide is released by vehicular emission and by burning of fossil fuels. Unless we take some major steps, the carbon dioxide emitted from the traffic will double by the end of the century. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted is directly related to the amount of carbon in the fuel and the amount of fuel burnt. At the moment we do not have a technology to reduce emission of carbon dioxide from vehicle.

Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of many industries and cars. Most of the industries and power plants use coal for energy. They burn the coal and through chemical reaction, they get carbon dioxide. Some of the carbon dioxide is recycled but then the left over are all let out in the air. The same thing is for cars. There is a posh word for it and it is combustion. Combustion- When petrol is burnt and chemical reactions leave carbon dioxide and water except in the form of steam.

Nitrogen dioxide and Sulphur dioxide:

They are also the byproducts of industries and are not recycled but just left to be flown away through the tall chimneys.

Causes of acid rain

There are many causes of acid rain. Some of them are:

·         Industrial waste in form of gas- nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide

·         Car emissions- carbon monoxide

·         Bonfire, forest fires and other small burning objects- Carbon dioxide

·         Air pollution- E.g. coal burning

·         Volcanic eruptions

·         Lightning hitting trees

·         Bacterial decomposition

·         Burning of fossil fuels – carbon dioxide

Are these causes man made or natural?

Most of these causes are manmade but there still are some natural causes (volcanic eruptions, natural forest fires, etc.). The natural causes give out tiny amounts of sulphur and nitrogen compared to manmade causes. The blast in Mt. Helens gave out as much sulphur as a power plant emits a day. The list above shows that there are many manmade causes of acid rain. The economy and technology is growing rapidly and most of these new luxury items affect the environment because of its production which takes a lot of fossil fuels and sometimes the item itself (electric shavers use electricity from power plants that burn these fossil fuels). Most of the causes are manmade proving that the real cause of acid rain is manmade.

What is the Relationship between the causes and mankind- economic progress?

Developed countries are contributing more Chloro Flouro Carbon (CFC) and CO₂

It is obvious that the developed/Industrialized countries like America, England or Russia are affected by acid rain more than other countries. The developed/industrialized countries nowadays have the most industries and power plants to support its population better. The technologically advanced industries produce more of their products in a day than less technologically advanced industries do and to support all this they use lots of fossil fuels. The fossil fuels also have byproducts which are harmful gases that are released because of the burning of fossil fuels. These byproducts come out of the tall chimneys we see in photos and these chemicals dissolve in clouds. The harmful gases dissolve in clouds carbon monoxide emitted from millions of cars too. The acid rain is not only mostly created in developed countries but is also poured down in these countries in massive amounts.

Developing countries on the other hand also have a big ecofootprint.  Many industries in developing countries are small and not so knowledgeable and experienced. The labor force used in these industries is also unskilled or semi-skilled. Hence, they have much dirtier methods for the power generation that also creates a lot of pollution. Many of the developing countries do not have enough money and funds to buy tools that are made for using renewable sources of energy. Theses countries only use coal and oil for the generation of electricity thus polluting more.   

Affects of acid rain

The acid rain has devastating effects on environment.  Acid rain leads to natural deforestation by damaging the roots of the trees and plants with nitric and sulfuric acids which leads to the death of the trees and sometimes just decrease of growth in the trees. Many unicellular and micro organisms like Algae are killed because of the acid making the soil less fertile. This stops the trees and plants to grow. Acid rain also damages the immunity of the plant. If a plant will survive, it will be vulnerable to diseases, storms and dry periods. The damage of plants will also lead to decrease in the rate of plant reproduction, ultimately decreasing the number of natural vegetation.  

Acid rain also affects wild life like animals and birds. Many species of animals will die because of drinking acidic water from the lakes as the acid rain will flow in to the lake. Small animals like birds will also die as their main source of protection and homes are trees. Acid rain kills trees, destroying the home of these creatures ultimately leading to their deaths without any protection and place to live. Many herbivores will also die due to destruction of trees. Acid rain also leads to death of animals which are secondary or tertiary consumers, indirectly because the food chain is affected. Smaller animals at the bottom of food chains might die leading to the death of the animals (Secondary consumers) which depend on the smaller animal (primary consumers). Slowly there will be a decrease in the population of many species leading to an imbalance of the whole ecosystem.

Acid rain damages the aquatic life in a very bad way. The acid dissolved in the water is usually very shocking for the aquatic population. The acid dissolves in the water spreading everywhere in the water even if in small amounts. The fishes feed on the plants underwater which are affected by acidic water. The secondary consumers (carnivores) eat these fishes which are already infected and they also die. When the pH level reaches 5.5 the plankton and crustaceans die, as the level decreases the whole aquatic population dies. This also leads to nondecayed but dead organisms lying on the lake bed.    

 Like animals, human beings are also affected by acid rain. As part of the food chain we manage to get animals for our daily diet but many times these animals still have harmful chemicals inside them that we eat without realizing. The acid rain also creates lots of moisture and obviously the moisture is acidic. The moisture is breathed in by us and we ultimately get acid in our body. This may harm us if we have respiratory problems or if our immunity is not so strong. Many times it can weaken bonds that keep our building standing; this makes the building fall and takes away many lives.    

Some affects because of acid rain:

·         Once, Sweden’s drinking water had enough acid in it to make a person’s hair turn green.

·         Czech Republic’s trees (most of them) lost literally all their leaves.

·         Taj Mahal is constantly threatened by acid rain as a chemical reaction between acid and marble destroys marble.   

Frequency of acid rain

Acid rain is happening everyday and slowly killing every tree in the world. It is as bad as global warming but we do not notice that because it has a slow way of death. It kills every species slowly and without them realizing. Sometimes, the animals survive but they end up being too weak to go through the entire natural process. E.g. Storms, typhoon, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.  Acid rain is now melting the ice rapidly and increasing the speed with global warming.  

Some countries where acid rain is frequent:

·         North- Eastern parts of United States- many cars and factories

·         South- Eastern parts of Canada- Many factories in Toronto-Hamilton

·         Poland

·        

Southern Saxony in Germany

·         Northern Bohemia in Czech Republic

·         Sweden, Norway and Finland

·         India and china- High development without any forms of environment saving plans.

Will it get worse in the future?

Everyday and every hour, all the countries are trying to make rapid development in order to feed and provide means for livelihood for their ever expanding populations. This development involves setting up more industries, planning for future industries and improving older industries by diversifying it. Slowly but surely the population grows and more luxury items are invented. Many cars are being manufactured and bought everyday and many more polluting luxury items like fridges, yachts or even motorcycles are used too. These objects emit harmful chemicals that float up to join in the clouds. Many companies are now using as much coal and oil as they can because of which these cheap fossil fuels are going to finish quickly. The burning of these fossil fuels release harmful gases in the atmosphere. This further contributes to acid rain formation. The industries take no notice of this problem and do not take precautions to avoid harmful chemicals to be released in the air. Many people might think that there are now many alternative sources of energy and they do not need to worry much. They also think that, yes, people do know what is happening and are concentrating on improving but that is not true. Many people are unaware as they are not educated and do not know what acid rain means. Many factories are blinded by the greed of development to care about some responsibilities. Compared to the use of fossil fuels and renewable sources of energy, we use the renewable energy in a very ineffective way and we use it very little. So, yes it will become worse in the future if we do no take care, if proper and quick remedial action will not be taken soon...

   Relationship between acid rain and economy

The economy is now growing rapidly, it has developed a lot and the population has risen immensely till 2009. Many people get businesses and money to earn their own living and many people are rich in this world. The economy is getting richer everyday as many companies are tackling the poverty issue. As the economy grows, the industries grow and more money means more country development. More sophisticated pieces of technology means more production.

All this growth and production also has side effects like global warming, pollution, terrorism and acid rain. The economy grows and the amount of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide also grow too. The industries use up more fossil fuels and even more fossil fuel is dug out of the land to use. Using fossil fuels is a dirty method and it is when we burn the fossil fuels to get electricity and power to let the machines in the factory work. The chemical reaction creates sulphur which is then released in the air through the tall chimneys (tall chimneys make the gas go high quickly so people with respiratory problems do not get problems).

The economy also faces problems because of the acid rain. Places like Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and many other countries depend on vegetation and fish for their living. Acid rain makes the water harmful for the fishes in the lake leading to the death of these fishes. Micro-organisms die because of acid rain, these micro-organisms make the land fertile and when they are dead, the plants die. These countries are affected by acid rain badly and it kills their main sources of business detoriating the countries’ economy. 

Can you reduce acid rain with out harming economies?

Reducing emissions:

One big step the world has to take to decrease acid rain will have to be decreasing sulphur and nitrogen emissions. The acid level or the frequency of acid rain will decrease rapidly but it will also create some problems. Decreasing emissions means that we will have to do something with these emissions or we will have to stop using humongous amounts of fossil fuels.

If we have to do something with the emissions then many industries and power plants will be in trouble as they will not know what to do. Some industries might close as they might not be able to afford the price of the methods in decreasing the emissions. Many jobs will be lost this way and that will make the per capita income of countries lower. Using less fossil fuel will also lead to decreasing of electricity as there won’t be enough power. This will make electricity more expensive and people will have to use more money to get access to it. 

Economy in some area might also increase and go on better than other economies. When acid rain might be reduced, then farmers will be relieved and also fishermen. The soil will start becoming fertile in a slow but surely way. This will help farmers in growing their plants and the plants will be strong and healthy. Fishermen will not catch dead or diseased fishes but ones which are healthy and big. Both these people will be by reducing the impact of acid rain, the farmers and agriculturists will be able to increase their productivity which in turn will improve the economy of the countries.

How is Science connected to Acid Rain?

Science is connected to acid rain in many ways. It has helped us decrease is but also has created problems.

How science helped:  

Science developed a lot throughout history and without it; we would not notice that there is something like acid rain or global warming or any problem except poverty. Scientists discovered what bases were and acids making it obvious that they were the ones who found out that the rain was acidic and harming the environment. Scientists are trying to find out how to reduce the effects and to my hope, I wish they will. Without them we would not realize what harm was happening because of the acid rain.

How science was bad for us:

It was scientific research that taught us about these chemical reactions, chemicals that can be useful in specific different things and much more. This led us to use this information for our only our own use. We ultimately caused all the problems like acid rain and global warming which threaten all our lives and we do not have any solutions for them. 

Cultural influences that might help us:

I have known from past experiences about some countries that have cultures or preferences that help us avoid acid rain.

Holland- Many people in Holland prefer to use cycles for transport. This avoids the in buying cars and not wasting money. Riding cycles does not use petrol or let out harmful byproducts which are parts of acid rain.

India- Many places in India, people worship trees and believe that trees are holy. They not only protect these trees but also keep them healthy. These trees help in taking in all the carbon dioxide and give out oxygen too.

Many small indigenous tribes- There are many small tribes that stick to rules strictly that were made thousands of years ago. Many of the people in these tribes do not know what cars are or many of these luxury items. It makes it obvious that these people do not use technology; overall, increasing the population of people not harming the environment.

What can we do?

We kids are not the U.S. government that we can take global effect to decrease acid rain but small actions together make up big consequences.

What we can do:

·         Try to use cars as little as possible (do not make it a once in a month thing) but use cycles or buses as much as possible if it is a place close to your house.

·         Turn electronic devices when you do not need them (do not keep your phones/ other things charging for the whole night)

·           Raise awareness to other people so your actions make an effect which has good consequences.

What The world Need to do:

•       Restoring damage

•       Renewable sources of energy- dams, fan thingies

•       Cycling, sharing

•       Conserving sources

•       Reducing emissions- dependency on fossil fuels

Acid Rain in Sri Lanka:

Acid rain in Sri Lanka is not common. Sri Lanka is a small country and does not have many industries. Acid rains that take place are not very acidic, continues for a short period of time or there are very lees pours of acid rain. Sri Lanka is neither polluted much but that does not mean it is totally clean. There is very little population of trees in Sri Lanka that are affected by acid rain but they do not die or become helpless. Sri Lanka is overall tackling acid rain pretty good and is being successful in avoiding it without harming the economy.

Conclusion:

The project question asks if acid rain is just a big bad byproduct or something harmful that is damaging the environment. In my opinion acid rain is a global and immense problem. It is taking affect on everything and destroying everything slowly but surely. It is harmful for everyone and it is just increasing. Acid rain has been affecting the world for many years. This means that it has damaged numerous of trees throughout the time. It has created havoc and economic downturns for everyone since a long time. Many countries are suffering because of it and usually they are the same countries who do not care about decreasing gas emissions. It has become frequent around the world but no one notices it and there are a very little amount of people who try to decrease global warming. Acid rain is a real pain in the neck and the whole world is trying to decrease it to its minimum level but it is causing more problems.