Acid Rain Essay, Research Paper

Acid Rain

Essay written by Unknown

When thought of acid rain, some people may think of green, burning

acid falling from the sky, destroying everything in sight. This may be a

bit ridiculous and hard to believe, but as absurd as it sound, it is not

far from the truth. Acid deposition has long been a subject of debate

because of the widespread environ-mental damage it is responsible

for. As one of the major results of air pollution, acid rain can corrode

metal and limestone structures, leach important minerals, decreased

fertility of soils, and lower pH in lakes and ponds. For those who fear

“the end of the world,” acid rain may pose a threat as it creates a bad

environment for both animal and human. And for those who care

about our planet, maybe it is about time we stop destroying it and

give something back to Mother Earth.

There are numerous causes of acid precipitation, several of these are

insignificant and accumulate into severe cases. However, there are

also some sources that are menacing by itself, sources such as

industrial emissions. In some cases, acid rain is caused when industrial

fumes mix with moisture in the atmosphere. Acids are then carried in

clouds for long distances before they are deposited through rain,

which indicates that forests and lakes far away from factories may be

damaged by acid rain. Another significant cause of acid rain is

automobile exhaust. Research has shown that although industrial

emission makes up for most causes, sulfur dioxide from oil and coal

combustion

and nitrogen oxides produced from automobile engines have greatly

intensified the problem. Electric power plants are also to blame for this

issue. Recent study has shown that power plants are accountable for

the release of more than 20 million tons of sulfur Per. 3 dioxide each

year. Meaning that 10 years from now, there would be around 30

million tons of acid rain components in our atmosphere. What’s even

worst than acid rain and its causes are the results. Acid deposition

can cause a number of disasters, some of the serious effects includes

structure eradication.

The marble frieze panels on the Parthenon of Athens for example, has

been transformed by acid rain into gypsum. Loosing much of its

details, the exterior of the Parthenon is also beginning to crack and

flake off. The effects of acid rain can also be seen in lakes, rivers,

and streams and plant growth. Acidity in water kills practically all life

forms. By the early ’90s, tens of thousands of lakes had been

destroyed by acid rain. The problem has been most severe in Norway,

Sweden, and Canada. Trees and plants had also been victims of acid

deposition. In 1984, for example, environmental reports proved that

almost fifty-percent of the trees in Germany’s Black Forest had been

damaged by acid rain. The forests of northeastern United States and

eastern Canada have also been especially affected by this form of

pollution. There are many solutions to the acid rain issue: smokestack

scrubbers, use of unleaded gas, General Motor’s EV1, etc. However,

these changes do cost money. And along with that, the governments

have tended to stress the need for further studies considering the

cost of pollution reductions. Consequently, if the money is the main

issue, maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is, “How much

money is our planet worth?”