Europe acid rain

Excessive use of phosphate and artificial nitrogen fertilizer, again part of the quest to increase yields, is another cause of water-quality decline. It may result in cultural eutrophication, notably a substantial increase in the nutrient content of fresh and salt water, which encourages algal growth and an eventual overall decline in biodiversity (see Section 6.3.1). The problem is widespread in coimtries where intensive industrialized crop production is prevalent and is a major problem in enclosed seas such as the Mediterranean. Industry and domestic uses of water also exact a toll. For example, in parts of the USA, Canada and Europe acid rain , caused by the burning of sulphur-rich fossil fuels, has acidified catchments and reduced water pH below the levels tolerated by most fish species algal and microbial populations have also altered. Acidification is likely to spread substantially as industrialization continues in China, India etc. The issue is discussed in Sections 5.5 and 7.7. 

Municipal incinerators are often targeted as a primary cause of acid rain. In fact, power plants burning fossil fuels, which produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, are actually the leading cause of acid rain, along with automotive exhaust (176,177). In Europe and Japan, studies show that only about 0.02% of all acid rain can be traced to incineration of PVC (178). 

Even rain is not pure water. Reports from the U.S. Geological Survey show that it contains 2.3—4.6 ppm of soflds, or a yearly precipitation of 2.5—5 t/km. Recently (ca 1997), work conducted ia the United States and Europe has underscored the rather dangerous results of iacreased use of fossil fuels, where the SO and NO emissions that end up ia the rain lower its pH from 5.6 (slightly acidic) for uncontaminated rain, to acid rains. Such acid rain has serious effects on surface waters (1). About 40 x 10 t of SO and 25 x 10 t of NO were emitted ia the United States ia 1980. There are, however, encouragiag trends the 1970 Clean Air Act has led to a gradual reduction ia these emissions, bringing the SO emissions down from the previous levels cited by 10% by 1990, and the NO emissions down by 6%, with a consequent slight decrease ia rain acidity. A part of the Clean Air Act is also iatended to cap SO emissions from major poiat sources at 13.5 x 10 t (2). Between 1994 and 1995, total SO emissions ia the U.S. decreased remarkably by 13% and total NO emissions by 8%. 

The usage pattern in Europe and Japan is more dependent upon the automotive industry. However, with the recent concern about acid rain, the European and U.S. markets should show increased interest in fluorocarbon elastomers for pollution control appHcations. On the other hand, the Japanese market has a sizable outlet in electrical and general machinery manufacturing (eg, copiers). Petroleum appHcations are of Htfle interest outside the United States. 

In a relatively small continental area such as Europe, there is not much difference between what would be considered the regional scale and the continental scale. However, on most other continents there would be a difference between what is considered regional and what continental. Perhaps of greatest concern on the continental scale is that the air pollution policies of a nation are likely to create impacts on neighboring nations. Acid rain in Scandanavia has been considered to have had impacts from Great Britain and Western Europe. Japan has considered that part of their air pollution problem, especially in the western part of the country, has origins in China and Korea. Cooperation in the examination of the North American acid rain problem has existed for a long time between Canada and the United States. 

A special case Suppose that your country has occasions of acid rain due to sulfuric acid. The main source of SOx, which leads to sulfuric acid formation, is combustion installations. However, there are not large combustion installations in your land. Can you find the source of ah pollution and the possible position of your country in Europe, using Table 1.6 ... 

The two photographs in (a) show the same obelisk before and after the effects of acid rain, (b) Many forests downwind from heavily industrialized areas, such as in the northeastern United States and in Europe, have been noticeably hard-hit by acid rain. 

The toxicity of aluminum has been recognized most clearly by the development of bone disease caused by deposition of A1 in bones of patients on hemodialysis and in infants on intravenous therapy/ 6 Excessive A1 in the water used for dialysis may also cause brain damage. Dietary aluminum may be one cause of Alzheimer s disease/ h but this is controversial as is a possible role of aluminum in vaccines in causing inflammation in muscle.1) Solubilization of soil aluminum by acid rain has been blamed for the decline of forests in Europe and North America,) for the death of fish in acid waters,k and for very large reductions in yield for many crops/ An aluminum-resistant strain of buckwheat makes and secretes from its roots large amounts of oxalate which binds and detoxifies the Al3+ ions. ... 

Among the many dramatic effects of acid rain are the extinction of fish from acidic lakes throughout parts of the northeastern United States, Canada, and Scandinavia, the damage to forests throughout much of central and eastern Europe, and the deterioration everywhere of marble buildings and statuary. Marble is a form of calcium carbonate, CaC03, and, like all metal carbonates, reacts with acid to produce C02. The result is a slow eating away of the stone. 

Many processes in nature require such a fine pH balance that they are dramatically upset by the shift that has occurred in the pH of rain. Thousands of lakes in the Adirondack region of upper New York State and in southeastern Canada have become so acidic that all fish life has disappeared. Massive tree die-offs have occurred throughout central and eastern Europe as acid rain has lowered the pH of the soil and leached nutrients from leaves. Countless marble statues have been slowly dissolved away as their calcium carbonate has been attacked by acid rain. 

Acid Rain A Review of the Phenomenon in the EEC and Europe, Environmental Resources Limited, UNIPUB, 1983, New York, NY 10157. 

The influence of acids on living things has assumed special importance in the United States, Canada, and Europe in recent years as a result of the phenomenon of acid rain. This problem is complex, and s diplomatic and economic overtones make it all the more difficult to so ... 

In common with many colleagues elsewhere, I regard the rise of CO2 concentration as a central environmental question of our day. It transcends in importance the acid rain issue now so predominant in Europe and North America. It is a truly global issue on two grounds first, that the atmosphere carries added CO2 to every part of the globe within a year or two and second, because CO2 concentration touches on life itself, and on the central life-support systems. 

An exhaustive field study by Moulton et al. (2000) (see also Moulton and Berner, 1998) quantified plant effects on weathering in western Iceland. The study area includes several adjacent basaltic areas one of which was barren (covered only by sporadic moss and hchens) and the others populated by birches and conifers. All of the areas have similar slopes and microclimate and do not have either acid rain (a problem in the northeastern USA, Europe, and elsewhere) or hydro-thermal activity. Also, calcium carbonate is absent which, because it weathers rapidly, could confuse the results. 

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