Acidification acid rain

Acid Rain A National Sensitivity Assessment, Inland Waters Directorate, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Fact Sheet and maps, 1988. Berden, M. Nilsson, S.I. Rosen, K. Tyler, G. Soil Acidification Extent, Causes, and Consequences, National Swedish Environmental Protection Board, Rept. 3292, 1987, pp 164. 

In the soil under this woods he found a low pH and N in the form of N03. From this he concluded that the NH3 after nitrification is contributing to the acidification caused by the acid rain. He estimates the nitrogen inputs from throughfall and stemflow in the locations under observation to be 64 and 63 kg per ha per year. 

The detrimental effects of acid rain are a major reason why legislation such as the Clean Air Act places strict limitations on sulfur and nitrogen emissions. It is also a reason why low sulfur coal is preferred over high sulfur coal. To reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, industry also uses a technique call scrubbing. Industrial scrubbers employ a variety of physical and chemical processes to remove sulfur dioxide from emissions. Another technique used to combat acidification of lakes is to treat these systems with lime. The lime acts to neutralize the acid, but such techniques are usually costly and are only a temporary remedy for combating the problem. 

SO Bronchoconstriction. cough. Cellular injury, chlorosis, withering of leaves and abscission. Precursor to acid rain acidification of surface waters with community shifts and mortality of some aquatic organisms. Possible effect on uptake of Al and other toxic metals by plant roots. Weathering and corrosion. Defacing of monuments... 

L. M. Goss, A Demonstration of Acid Rain and Lake Acidification Wet Deposition of Sulfur Dioxide, J. Chem. Ed. 2003,80, 39. 

Acid rain primarily affects sensitive bodies of water, that is, those that rest atop soil with a limited ability to neutralize acidic compounds (called buffering capacity ). Many lakes and streams examined in a National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) suffer from chronic acidity, a condition m which water lias a constant low (acidic) pH level. The survey investigated tlie effects of acidic deposition in over 1,000 lakes larger than 10 acres and in thousands of miles of streams believed to be sensitive to acidification. Of the lakes and streams surveyed in the NSWS, arid rain has been determined to cause acidity in 75 percent of the acidic lakes and about 50 percent of tlie acidic streams. Several regions in the U.S. were identified as containing many of the surface waters sensitive to acidification. They include, but are not limited to, the Adirondacks. the mid-Appalachian highlands, the upper Midwest, and the high elevation West. 

Acid rain control will produce significant benefits in terms of lowered surface water acidity. If acidic deposition levels were to remain constant over the next 50 years (tlie time frame used for projection models), the acidification rate of lakes in the Adirondacks that are larger than 10 acres would rise by 50 percent or more. Scientists predict, however, that the decrease in SO emissions required by the Acid Rain Program will significantly reduce acidification due to atmospheric sulfui Without the reductions in SO2 emissions, the proportions of aquatic systems in sensitive ecosystems that are acidic would remain high or dramatically worsen. 

Once MNT-enabled solar energy becomes the exclusive energy source, problems such as acid rain and smog should not exist. In addition, future vehicles that are constructed from nano-materials, driven by nano-electromechanical systems and powered by hydrogen fuel cells (see Fig. 7) or solar cells (see Fig. 8) should totally eliminate transportation-related S02 and NOx emission. Therefore, the anthropogenic release of S02 and NOx that has assaulted the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution should be ceased further acidification of the environment and the threat to human health will be relieved [31-33]. 

Plate 19. Heavy injury on leaves of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) maple showing marginal necroses which are not due to fluoride pollution because of low fluoride contents in leaves. Lack of magnesium as a rc.sult of soil acidification by acid rain may be the reason. Haard Forest, North to Recklinghausen, W. Germany, 1982. 

An effect of acid rain in streams is to increase the amount of filamentous algae. It is doubtful, however, that it is a case of direct action resulting from the composition of the water, rather than being due to a decrease in herbivorous animals. As acidification increases, the number of animal species in the water decreases. There is a sharp reduction in herbivorous insects, while in the case of carnivorous insects no such dramatic result can be seen. 

In the atmosphere, sulfur oxides can combine with water and oxygen to form sulfurous and sulfuric acids. The deposition of these acids causes corrosion or decomposition of materials such as limestone, marble, iron, and steel. The deterioration of building facades and monuments is one result of this worldwide problem. Flushing of the sulfur oxides from the air by precipitation (acid rain) can lead to acidification of lakes and sods, weakening or killing plants and animals. 

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