Why is it caused?
Causes of Acid Rain
Acid rain, also known as acid deposition, is a general phrase that refers to any type of precipitation that contains acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid, and falls to the ground in wet or dry form from the atmosphere. This can include acidic rain, snow, fog, hail, or even dust.
When sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are released into the atmosphere and carried by wind and air currents, acid rain occurs. Sulfuric and nitric acids are formed when SO2 and NO2 combine with water, oxygen, and other molecules. After mixing with water and other things, they fall to the earth.
While some of the SO2 and NOX that create acid rain come from natural sources like volcanoes, the majority of it comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. The following are the principal sources of SO2 and NOX in the atmosphere:
To generate power, fossil fuels are burned. Electric power generators are responsible for two-thirds of SO2 and one-fourth of NOX in the environment.
Vehicles and heavy machinery
Manufacturing, oil refineries, and other industries are just a few examples.
Acid rain is an issue for everyone, not just those who live near these sources, because wind may carry SO2 and NOX across great distances and across borders.
– Written By Shivani Thakkar
Causes
After a space rock evidently cleared out the dinosaurs 65.5 million years ago, sulfur trioxide was released into the air. At the point when it hit the air, it transformed into sulfuric acid, creating a storm of acid rain, as indicated by a paper published in 2014 in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Indeed, even before that, more than 4 billion years ago, it is thought that the air may have had 10,000 times the amount of carbon dioxide as today. Geologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison supported this hypothesis by examining rocks and publishing the results in a 2008 issue of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. “At those levels of carbon dioxide, you would have had horrible acid rain and extreme nursery effects. That is a condition that will break down rocks,” said study colleague John Valley.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are delivered into the air by petroleum derivative force plants, vehicles, and petroleum treatment facilities are the greatest reason for acid rain today, as per the EPA. 66% of sulfur dioxide and one-fourth of nitrogen oxides found in the air come from electric power generators.
Impacts
Acid rain influences almost everything. Plants, soil, trees, structures, and even sculptures can be changed by precipitation. Acid rain has been discovered to be extremely hard on trees. It debilitates them by washing away the defensive film on leaves, and it stunts development. A paper delivered in the online adaptation of the journal Environmental Science and Technology in 2005 showed proof of acid rain hindering tree development.
Acid rain can likewise change the structure of soil and waterways, making them dreadful for nearby creatures and plants. For example, sound lakes have a pH value of 6.5 or higher. As acid rain raises the degree of acidity, fish will generally cease to exist. Most fish species can’t endure a water pH value of under 5. At the point when the pH value turns into 4, the lake is viewed as dead.
– Written By Nehal Rathi
