Acid rain has many impacts, including damage to plants and acidification of lakes. The acidic content of water determines its ph value, with the simple rule of the thumb being. The epa exceeded its long term sulfur dioxide goal in 2010 and so2 emissions. Acid rain simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Acid rain is formed by elevated levels of sulfur and nitric acids in the atmospheres that accumulate as a result of nitrogen oxides nox and sulfur dioxides so2 emissions.
I like to reread my favorite books every few years, so i brought robert glass seminal facts and fallacies of software engineering with me on my most recent trip. What is interesting about acid rain is that acid rain can have varying degrees of strength or intensity, due to the fact that acid rain that is acidic but has a higher ph level would not be as strong and damaging to the environment as acid rain that has an extremely low ph level, and is therefore more strongly acidic and can cause a great deal. In this article, several important facts and stats regarding acid rain are listed. Carbon dioxide and various oxides of nitrogen also make acid in the atmosphere. Coal pollution mitigation, often called clean coal, is a series of systems and technologies that. There is no doubt about the damage which acid rain has caused, but what remains unclear are the precise causes of acid rain and the most efficacious means of reducing its environmental, economic and political impacts. It may be defined as rain water having ph less than 5. Air pollution combines with water in the atmosphere and falls to the earth as acidic rain or snow. Acid rain results from the aggregation of emissions from hundreds of major sources. It is generally formed because the large amounts of such substances present in the atmosphere a little due to natural sources. Usgs acid rain, atmospheric deposition and precipitation. The chemist robert angus smith, was the first to report about the dangers of acid rain in 1872 in his book air and rain. Acid rain was considered a major problem in the 1980s and while steps to reduce sulphur emissions have been successful we are still feeling the effects today, and there. Acid rain is a byproduct of our industrialized society.
Question sheet on acid rain students can use a text book or the internet to get the answers to the questions, or it could be based on a powerpoint for them to fill in as you go along. Acid rain pollution facts in environmental science, acid rain is a phenomenon wherein rainwater gets contaminated by various pollutants in the atmosphere, and becomes acidic to such an extent that it can cause harm to several lifeforms on the planet. Acid rain is a growing problem, and if we do not employ and enforce corrective solutions immediately, the damage could be irreversible. Acid rain, precipitation possessing a ph of about 5. People burn fossil fuels such as coal and oil to make electricity. Scientist think that acid rain forms when carbonates of sulfur and nitrogen mix with rainwater. It can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry material that settle to earth. Geological survey usgs is the lead federal agency for the monitoring of wet atmospheric deposition chemical constituents deposited from the atmosphere via rain, sleet, and snow in the united states. Understanding the causes, effects, and solutions of acid rain is essential for everybody.
Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, animals and humans. Those facts and fallacies are what this book is about. Plants deprived of nutrients because of acid rain do not grow at a normal rate. Sources and environmental impacts of acid rain and acid. Scenarios of rainfall and temperature sensitivities to global warming. Also included is the answer sheet for students to check their answers against. Present technology affords no basis for tracing acid rain to particular pollution sources. Test your knowledge of acid rain by taking the quiz below. It can also occur in the form of snow, fog, and tiny bits of dry. National acid precipitation assessment program report to congress 2011. Facts and fallacies of software engineering by robert l. In this latest report, numbers tell the story of the acid rain programs success. The rain from these clouds then falls as very weak acid which is why it is known as acid rain. You are a reporter sent to varna to investigate about rumors behind an earthquake and a nuclear fallout creating mutations on locals.
If the acid rain drops on the rivers, lakes and streams, it can affect the fish and. If the soil is not fertile, the plants cannot grow. Many of these fundamentally important facts are learned by a software engineer, but over the. The acidic deposition phenomena, when implicated as a factor potentially responsible for crop and forest yield losses and destruction. Acid rain is ten times more acidic than normal rain. It is rain with high levels of hydrogen ions low ph. Acid deposition penetrates deeply into the fabric of an ecosystem, changing the chemistry of the soil and streams and narrowingsometimes to nothing. In the northeast there has been a steady decrease in the sulfate content of the air and rain. The rate of acidifying lakes has also slowed as well. Nov 19, 2010 acid rain pollution facts in environmental science, acid rain is a phenomenon wherein rainwater gets contaminated by various pollutants in the atmosphere, and becomes acidic to such an extent that it can cause harm to several lifeforms on the planet.
Science and solutions of acid rain made with swagger. After a ten year study, national acidic precipitation assessment program reported that there wasnt much of a problem with acid rain. The term acid rain can refer to any form of wet or dry precipitation that contains unusually high and thus dangerous amounts of acids such as sulfuric and nitric acids. Theres a problem with those facts and, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Acid rain melts important mineral nutrients that are found in soil. Facts and fallacies of software engineering, the latest book from prolific author and software practitioner robert glass, is divided into two sections. Acid rain became a household term in the 1980s when unchecked emissions from industry and motor vehicles were blamed for causing environmental. Implications of climate change for the construction sector. The media has faithfully reported all of these facts and has. Acid rain is caused by the omission of harmful particles into the atmosphere, including sulfur dioxide so 2 and nitrogen oxide no 2. The first report was rejected and congress went ahead and amended the clean air act to mandate so2 and nox. The release of sulphur dioxide can also occur naturally when a volcano erupts. Acid rain is a global environmental phenomenon that has had a serious impact on the ecobiological environment. The adverse affects of acid rain have damaged lakes, streams, and living creatures in.
The adverse affects of acid rain have damaged lakes, streams, and living creatures in these ecosystems. The acid rain program has been hailed as a great success for the epa. Acid rain became an issue in 1980 when congress passed the acid deposition act. Dissolved carbon dioxide dissociates to form weak carbonic acid giving a ph of approximately 5. Electricity heats and lights buildings and runs appliances such as televisions and video. Acid rain uses mercurial technology to keep files, this makes possible to use it independently on a single computer to keep the history of different versions of your documents or. The rain is as a result of extreme pollution in the environment. The start of widespread soil recovery is a key step to remedy the long legacy of acid rain impacts on. Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, i. Several cases of acid rain causing health issues in humans have also been reported.
The structure is always the same, first the fact in one or two sentences, then one or two pages discussing the fact, then a page of the controversy criticisms, or opponents of the fact, then some sources. Air pollutants are deposited on earth by one of two processes. Scrubbers an examination of a solution that will reduce the toxins that cause acid rain. The waters ph balance drops and it becomes more acidic. To actually reverse the trend, the amount of acid rain will have to be reduced much further.
The effect of acid rain on cemetery stones is clear enough that it has been used as an indicator of how much acid rain falls in a region. Acid rain is a computer game based on investigation. Acid deposition can reduce the ph of surface waters, lower biodiversity, and increase the susceptibility of. May 30, 2018 acid rain is rain with an unusually low ph level, meaning it is extremely acidic. Oct 01, 2002 55 facts and 10 fallacies on the practice of software engineering. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet deposition. The game starts with a car accident while one of the earthquakes was taking place. In theory, a reduction in the emission rate of acid forming gases is all that is required to slow down and eventually stop the damage. The acid rain program was created under title iv of the 1990 clean air act amendments. Constant acid rainfall is the major reason why some areas are considered barren. Mechanisms and effects of acid rain on environment. Statues made of limestone and glass weather rapidly due to acid rain.
Acid rain emissions trading programme dudeck et al, 1997 is. Although the cause and effect relationship between emissions of so2 and nox and acid rain damage is not universally accepted, most of the solutions proposed for the problem involve the disruption of that relationship. To achieve this goal at the lowest cost to the public, the program employs both traditional. Acid rain describes any form of precipitation that contains high levels of nitric and sulfuric acids. The geological society of america asked citizen scientists to record the width of limestone and.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are primary causes of acid rain. Many costs are hidden with synergistic effects of the stresses that acid puts on organisms. Acid deposition can reduce the ph of surface waters, lower biodiversity, and increase the susceptibility of plants to disease and other stressors. Acid rain is one of the major environmental threats since 19th century. The effects of acid rain on cemetery stones sciencing. Simple solutions for acid rain you wont believe exist. Bmw 5i vw golf r engine straightsix displacement 2979 cc performance 225 kw 306 hp max. Other sources suggest that the installation of scrubbers at exisitng electric power plants would raise electric bills by about 7%.
I thought it was a decent, but imperfect read when i originally bought it in 2004. Mar 25, 2008 revisiting the facts and fallacies of software engineering. Theres a problem with those factsand, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Discussions and reports about acid rain often use the terms acid deposition or atmospheric deposition to describe this return of airborne pollutants to earth.
Solutions to the problem of acid rain environmental issues. There are various natural causes, such as gases from volcanoes. Acid rain program benefiting environment, human health. Which is not an acid typically formed in the atmosphere as part of acid deposition. One of the causes of this type of rain is burning of coal in an area. Caused when rain droplets absorb air pollution like sulfur and nitrogen oxides, acid rain weakens trees by dissolving nutrients in the soil before.
Demonstration of integrated optimization software at the baldwin energy. The ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in the aquatic, or water, environments, such as streams, lakes, and marshes. These emissions are chemically altered in the atmosphere and transported hundreds of miles before precipitating as acid rain. Acid rain can damage plants, animals, soil, water, building materials, and people. Studies have identified acid rain as a contributing factor in decreased fish and wildlife population. In the short history of the software field, a lot of facts have been identified, and a lot of fallacies promulgated. Both say the key is to push industry to burn coal cleaner by using high technology. If the acid rain drops on the rivers, lakes and streams, it can affect the fish and other fresh water animals there. There is no doubt about the damage which acid rain has caused, but what remains unclear are the precise causes of acid rain and the most efficacious means of reducing its environmental, economic and political. Acid rain is a complex environmental problem that is hard to define in terms of sources and effects. Acid rain was first identified in the 1800s in sweden. Addison wesley facts and fallacies of software engineering. Acid rain runs off into lakes, rivers, stream, etc. In the presidential campaign, both president bush and sen.
Acid rain is an application that lets you synchronize files between co. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet. Reduced acid rain levels resulting from american and canadian airpollution control measures have begun to reverse soil acidification across this broad region, said gregory lawrence, a usgs soil and water chemist and lead study author. These pollutants also contribute to the formation of.
Lets talk about a natural phenomenon in facts about acid rain. Acid rain is rain with an unusually low ph level, meaning it is extremely acidic. Acid rain facts and information national geographic. Since its formation in 1995, the acid rain program has worked to protect americans from these harmful effects by gradually reducing so 2 and no x emissions from power plants. It must be made mandatory for vehicles to comply with efficient emission standards. The solution to the problem of acid rain is perhaps one of the main environmental and political issues facing the peoples of the industrialized nations, and their neighbours today. Sulphur dioxide so 2, for example, is emitted and oxidised to sulphuric acid h 2 so 4. The condition of the soil will be decreased if acid rain affects by the soil. Scientists have discovered that burning fossil fuels creates acid rain through air pollution.
Wet deposition occurs when pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere and oxidised to form an acid. That mediafueled alarm about acid rain provided a great basis for new allowance trading legislation to create markets for buying and selling excess sulfur dioxide so 2 credits. Acid rain is rain that is unusually acidic and highly corrosive in nature. Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, marine animals, humans, infrastructure and more. Major sources are thought to be atmospheric emissions, mostly from urban sources, although exact locations and the means by which emissions are transformed to acid rain are not entirely clear. Acid rain is an application that lets you synchronize files between computers and keep a history of changes in them. Acid rain is a mix of atmospheric water molecules and dry depositions of sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides emitted from industries and vehicles. Acid rain has also been blamed for contamination of lakes and rivers. National acid precipitation assessment program report to. Revisiting the facts and fallacies of software engineering. Decades of science has shown that acid rain can damage lakes, streams, and forests.
Its overall goal is to achieve significant environmental and public health benefits through reductions in emissions of so 2 and no x, the primary causes of acid rain. However, it is thought that air pollution by people now causes most acid rain. Read this article to learn about the causes, effects and control measures of acid rain. Acid rain causes the most problems in countries that are not. Acid rain is defined as any type of precipitation with a ph that is unusually low. Feb 23, 2010 the acid rain scam acid rain became an issue in 1980 when congress passed the acid deposition act. Oct 20, 2004 in the presidential campaign, both president bush and sen.
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