Chemical Content Of Acid Rain example essay topic

Acid rain is a very big pollution problem in the world. It has killed fish and other aquatic life in many lakes and streams. It harms human health, disfigures monuments and erodes buildings, and, along with other pollutants, threatens forests. The story of acid rain can be compared to the plot of a science fiction movie. In the 1950's an invisible force begins to destroy lakes and rivers, killing trout and salmon. By the 1960's it is harming the waters of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.

High-altitude forests are beginning to fade away. City statues are gradually eaten away. The appearance from the damage of the aliens is starting to appear all over. Just as in science fiction movies, the authorities refuse to warn the alarmed citizens. Also, at the last moment the scientists figure away to destroy the aliens.

Unfortunately, fiction and fact falls apart at this point. There is no quick remedy that will wipe out acid rain completely. (Pringle 1-2) Coal was the main fuel of many industries in the early nineteenth century. Coal contains sulfur and when burning it, it will produce sulfur dioxide.

When in the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide may be converted to sulfuric acid (Pringle 8). Acid rain is dispensed across the world by air currents. When attempting to fix local air pollution problems, the solutions actually added to acid rain problems on other parts of the world. High smoke stakes were developed to distribute pollutant acid-laden smoke higher in the atmosphere and spread it elsewhere (Merki 598).

This was a quick remedy to a local problem, but harmed other parts of the world. Acid rain is a global problem because it more often than not, spreads over national borders instead of staying in a local spot. There are several causes of acidification, and various mechanisms by which it may occur. Acid rain falling on water bodies has a direct affect. In areas where soils are acidic, runoff from the soil transports acidic water, which may also contain aluminum, into lakes and rivers. Soil acidification may be caused by acid rain, but other factors may also be involved.

For example, if pasture reverts to coniferous acidic runoff even though the rain itself is not acidic. Salty rain leaches acid components out of the soil and transports them to the rivers. (Rivers 1) The chemical content of acid rain is in itself dangerous to fish and other freshwater organisms. The damage caused by acidification in rivers and lakes is mainly a Scandinavian phenomenon.

Further south in Europe, the rocks are richer in calcium and weather more easily, so that the water contains higher concentrations of substances that can neutralize acid inputs. Acidification of rivers is therefore unusual outside Scandinavia, although inputs of acid rain are higher in many other parts of Europe. However, in eastern North America, northern Scotland and parts of the Alps, the geology is more like that of Scandinavia, and there are more acid rivers. (Rivers 1) Acid rain can be depleted my reduced amounts of air pollution.

Air pollution can be reduced in many ways. The best approach is to reduce the amounts of NOx and SO 2 being released into the atmosphere. Fitting a catalytic converter to a car can reduce the emissions of NOx by up to ninety percent, but they are very expensive, and cause more carbon dioxide to be released, which contributes to the greenhouse effect, which is another serious environmental issue. SO 2 emissions from power stations can be reduced before, during, or after combustion.

If fuel with a low sulfur content is burned, not much sulfur dioxide will be found. However, low sulfur fuels are more expensive because they are in greater demand, and although high-sulfur fuels can be treated to reduce their sulfur content, this is very expensive. The SO 2 created during combustion can be absorbed if an appropriate chemical, such as limestone, is present as the fuel burns. Once the fuel has been burned, the SO 2 can be removed from the exhaust gases. Most systems spray a mixture of limestone and water onto the gases. This mixture reacts with the SO 2 to form qypsum, a useful building material.

Another option is not to burn fossil fuels, but to use alternative energy sources. (What 1) All of these methods for reducing acid gases are expensive, and have drawbacks, so laws have been passed to force businesses to use them (What 1). The best way to reduce them is not to use as much energy in the first place. There are many things that common citizens can do. Such as; turn off lights when you leave a room, don't use cars for short journeys, insulate houses properly, and basically anything at all that uses less energy.

There are some temporary relieves for the effects of acid rain. "The most promising strategy for helping lakes with low pH problems is to use lime or limestone to reduce the acidity and raise the pH" (Pringle 80). Lake liming has gone on for decades, and scientists know a lot about its effectiveness. Before exploring this chemical treatment in detail, however, an obvious truth should be stated: Adding lime is hardly a promising strategy for helping lakes harmed by acid deposition. As a remedy it is like applying a Band-Aid to the symptoms of a disease.

Real solutions attack the disease itself, as its source (Pringle 80). The real solution is the stoppage of burning fossil fuels, and using energy in wasteful manners. "Death from the Sky" was the headline in the science section of the October 22, 1979, issue of Newsweek (Pringle 95). Acid rain is a major environmental issue and it needs to be addressed globally.

If we do not take care of our environment now, the consequences will be tremendous.

Bibliography

Merki, Mary Bronson, Ph. D. and Merki, Don, Ph. D. 1996.
Health: A guide to Wellness. Glencoe, New York. Pringle, Lauren. 1988.
Rain of Troubles: The science and Politics of Acid Rain. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. Acid from the clouds. web and lakes are dying. web and measures. web can we do? web Pollution Creates Acid Rain. web gifs / ar. file McCormick, John. 1991.