Acid Rain Essay Research Paper My first — страница 3

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things that acid rain affects. Acid rain affects all that eat seafood or any other water dwelling life form. Another things impacted by acid rain are forests and soil. When acid rain falls onto the earth’s surface it causes a lot of damage. The soil is robbed of some vital things. Aluminum that is always present in the soil is freed, and the toxic element is absorbed by the roots of trees. The trees in turn are starved and deprived of vital nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. Sulfuric acid returns to earth. When the sulfuric acid returns, it clogs up the stomata in the leaves, stopping photosynthesis. In addition, severe frosts may also further aggravate this situation. With sulfur dioxide, ammonia and ozone present in the air, the frost-hardiness of trees are reduced.

Ammonia mixes with sulfur dioxide and forms ammonium sulfate. This product forms on the surface of the trees. When ammonium sulfate reaches the soils, it reacts to form both sulfuric and nitric acid. Such conditions also stimulate the growth of fungi and pests like the ambrosia beetle. When trees are under such stress, they release chemicals such as terpenes which attract the ambrosia beetle. Acid rain also affects the atmosphere. The affects on the atmosphere are mostly due to dry deposition that was mentioned earlier. The floating particles can contribute to haze, which affects visibility. This makes navigation especially hard for air pilots. The acid haze also inhibits the flow of sunlight from the sun to the earth and back. Acid rain also affects architecture. Architecture is

affected by both dry precipitation and wet precipitation. When these particles land on building they eat into the concrete eventually destroying them. This is a potential danger because the infrastructure of the buildings can be destroyed, thus hurting people occupying the building Acid Rain also has a direct affect on you and I. The SO2 and NO2 emissions give rise to respiratory problems such as asthma, dry coughs, headaches, eye, nose and throat irritations. The indirect affect of acid rain are on the food that we eat. Acid rain is absorbed in fruits, and in the tissues of animals. Although these toxic metals do not directly affect the animals, they have serious affects on humans when they are being consumed. Acid rain is a huge problem which affects every person living in the

world in some sort of way. Acid rain is a problem that can be reduced but not stopped completely due to the needs of our modern society. Some ways that we could help to reduce acid rain is by recycling, carpooling, and reducing. Acid rain is a problem that can be controlled but it is up to the people of earth to control the problem. Bibliography 1. Heij, G.J. and J.W. Erisman (Editors). Acid Rain Research: Do we have enough answers? New York: Elsevier, 1995. 2.Comptons New Media Encyclopedia 1996 3. White, James C. (Editor). Acid Rain: The Relationship between Sources and Receptors. New York: Elsevier, 1988. 4.FAQ on Acid Rain(http://ns.doe.ca/aeb/ssd/acid/acidFAQ.html)