The Regions of North America Most Affected by Acid Rain

The Regions of North America Most Affected by Acid Rain 

To a large extent the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada are the regions in North America most affected by acid rain. There are two principal reasons for this. 

The effects of acid rain in the United States are most pronounced in the northeastern states, especially the Adirondack Mountains of New York and the mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

The other reason the Northeast is affected by acid rain is geological. When acid rain falls to Earth, it is possible for thick topsoil containing sedimentary materials—principally limestone (CaCOj)—to neutralize the sulfuric and nitric acid. Chemists would say that limestone has the ability to buffer acid runoff In that case, the water flowing into aquatic ecosystems would have a pH closer to 7 and would do much less harm. 

Acid rain has deleterious effects on both synthetic materials and natural ecosystems. The first can result in destruction of property, with an accompanying high price tag. The second can make aquatic habitats unsuitable for fish, amphibians, and invertebrates that normally would be present. Severely acidic lakes can become so devoid of any animal species that biologists refer to them as barren lakes. 

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