Acid Deoposition

Acid rain is a disease slowly breaking down the bodies of eastern Canada and northeastern United States (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1997). On both sides of the border, cars and trucks are the main sources for nitric acid (about 40% of the total), while power generating plants, industrial commercial and residential fuel combustion together contribute to the majority of the rest (“What are Acid…” 2002). In Canada, the main sulfuric acid sources are non-ferrous (iron) smelters and power generation (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1997). In the air, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can be transformed into sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The air current can send these gases thousands of kilometers from the source. When the acids fall to the earth in any form it

There is evidence that this rain is destroying the productivity of the once rich soils, like an overdose of chemical fertilizer or a gigantic drenching of vinegar. The damage of such overdosing may not be repairable or reversible. On some croplands, tomatoes grow to only half their full weight (“Acid Rain Lesson Plan”, 2002). Naturally it rains on cities too, eating away stone monuments and concrete structures, and corroding the pipes that channel the water away to the lakes. Paint jobs are frequent due to the acid in the rain, speeding up the corrosion process. In some communities the drinking water is laced with toxic metals freed from metal pipes by the acidity (“Acid Rain Lesson Plan”, 2002). As if urban skies were not already gray enough, typical visibility has declined from ten to four miles, along the eastern seaboard, as acid rain turns into smog (Reuss & Johnson, 1986). Also, there are indicators that the components of acid rain are a health risk, linked to human respiratory disease.

will have large impact on the growth or the preservation of certain wildlife (“What are Acid…” 2002). Canada does not have as many people, power plants or automobiles as the United States, and yet acid rain there has become so severe that Canadian government officials called it the most pressing environmental issue facing the nation (Brown, 1981). It is important to bear in mind that acid rain is only one segment, of the widespread pollution of the atmosphere facing the world (Reuss & Johnson, 1986).

As you have read in the previous paragraphs, acid rain is a very real and very dangerous problem. Like many environmental problems, acid deposition is caused by the cumulative actions of millions of individual people. Therefore, each individual can also reduce their contribution to the problem and become part of the solution. One of the first steps is to understand the problem and its solutions. More laws enforcing reduction in the contaminators contributing to acid rain should be considered, or laws cracking down on fact

Some topics in this essay:
Reuss Johnson, Columbia Encyclopedia, Casualties Lakes, Acid Deposition”, Presently United, Lesson Plan”, Canada Ontario, Hennen Mangun, , acid rain, Atlantic Ocean, columbia encyclopedia 1997, reuss johnson 1986, “what acid…” 2002, columbia encyclopedia, encyclopedia 1997, acid…” 2002, reuss johnson, lovrich et, “what acid…”, lovrich et al, acid deposition, et al, johnson 1986, et al 1992,