What is acid rain Chemical Reaction Natural Artificial

• • What is acid rain? Chemical Reaction Natural & Artificial sources Effects of acid rain

What is acid rain? • Mixture of wet and dry deposition of acidic materials • Contains higher amounts of nitric acid and sulphuric acid than natural water • Caused by both natural and artificial sources, such as volcanoes and burning fossil fuels • The acidity naturally comes from Carbon Dioxide (CO 2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO 2) and Nitric Oxide (NO)

Chemical Reaction • CO 2, SO 2 and NO rise very high into the atmosphere, reacts with oxygen and other elements and forms very acidic compounds • The results of this chemical reaction are sulphuric acid and nitric acid

Natural & Artificial Sources • Eruptions of volcanoes and biological processes are the natural sources. • Human activities are the principal cause of acid rain, i. e. motorised vehicles, electricity generator and factories • The gases from these sources travel 100’s of km into the atmosphere to be converted into acid

The Effects • Destroys the soils biology and chemistry • Causes damage to aquatic life • Indirectly contributes to heart and lung problems if in contact with the gases to form acid rain • It can also effect building made up of rocks such as marbles and limestone until they’re disfigured

Conclusion • Acid rain is terrible for the environment and is dangerous to all living organisms • It can endanger the aqua life which is an essential part of the food chain • It can destroy historic monuments and statues and we don’t want that

Bibilography • http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Acid_rain#Chemi cal_processes • http: //www. epa. gov/acidrain/effects/surface _water. html