Acid Rain
Acid rain or acid precipitation is the rain, snow, fog hail which has pH levels below 5.6, the average acidity of rain. The pH scale is used to measure the level of acidity by measuring the hydrogen ion concentration, were pH 1 is the strongest acid and pH 14 is the strongest base. Acids and bases of the same amount and strength can neutralise each other. Acid rain is caused by the release of oxides of sulphur (SO2) and nitrogen (NOx) which when combined with the moisture in the air, may fall as rain with acidity of sulphuric or nitric acids. In Europe, the main cause of the acid rain is caused by the release of sulphur oxides. These are released when burning fossil fuels. Cars, power-plants, industries and burning coal and oil are the main contributories to the release of sulphur oxides. Nitrogen oxide is a result of any combustion or burning processes. The main source of emissions of nitrogen oxides are vehicles, residential and commercial furnaces and engines. Some acid rain is caused naturally by volcanoes, forest fires and rotting vegetation. An aspect of acid rain that has made it an issue of great political controversy is that it can be transported by prevailing winds. Neighbouring or close-by countries may be polluting, bu
We definitely should fix acid rain. If the crisis persists, entire forests and wildlife will be wiped out. Ideally, all countries should work together and co-operate to eliminate this threat but it will be hard as third world countries can do very little without international aid or donations. They will continue to pollute since they have no other alternative to compete with other countries, unless they are aided sufficiently so they are well established and able to maintain a low-level of pollution. Countries that are economically more developed can resolve this problem with much greater ease. Applying international laws suitable for the countries, enforcing great taxes on people who abuse the limit of energy use will be a viable and long-term solution. Cleaning up the damage that has already occurred is far more difficult, expensive and more of a short-term solution. We must first think about neutralizing the problem, and then cleaning up the damage. If this issue is not resolved, diplomacy between polluting and suffering countries will aggravate. No country can win the fight against acid rain on itself. Acid rain can alter the eco-system. The acid corrodes buildings, kills and weakens trees and damages crops. When it falls close to water sources, it may release aluminium or cadmium ions from the soil or eroded rocks. This causes all fish eggs to die out, and it will cause the fishes' gills to clog up with mucus, suffocating most the fish and making life in the waters extinct. Acid precipitation also kills amphibians and insects, completely altering the food chain and the eco-system and therefore killing off many other animals
Some topics in this essay:
USA Canada,
,
FGS Nitrogen,
acid rain,
sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides,
acid rain caused,
rain caused,
oxides released,
moisture air,
sulphur oxides,
nitrogen oxides released,
rain caused release,
release sulphur,
countries polluting,
caused release,
release sulphur oxides,
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Approximate Word count = 1106
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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