Acid Rain Essay

Nowadays, as a part of the human activities, CO2 is produced in large amounts due to the industrial activities. There are four main sources responsible for the production of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: combustion of fossil fuels, transportation and industry. The first source of emission of CO2 is burning of petroleum and fossil fuels. During the process of combustion of fossil fuels, Carbon reacts with the oxygen resulting in the production of Carbon Dioxide. For example, in order to generate electricity, fossil fuels are burned.

Introduction Pollution has been around since Ancient Rome and is described as the contamination of our natural environment that is caused by chemicals and gas (Stromberg). Because of pollution in the air, more damaging consequences such as the formation of acid rain are triggered. The largest contributors to pollution are humans through industrial factories that expel foreign chemicals into the atmosphere and cause the formation of acid rain. This topic was chosen to explore the effect of man-made acid rain as a result of pollution in the air on plants, human health, and much more. The effect of pH on oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production is worthy of investigation because human-caused acid rain is at large at many countries and may give clarity to other events that acid rain triggers.

In a study of sugar maple trees in the Northeast, it was found that sugar maple trees in acidic soils produced fewer seedlings that actually survive (“Acid rain” 1). A stable soil, with the proper composition, is very critical when it comes to plant health. For instance, a change in the chemical composition of the topmost soil layer, regardless of how small it might be, can be enough to harm plants and decrease their growth rate (Mello 60). Moreover, the soil is responsible for providing the plants with various nutrients and minerals that are necessary for plants to function. However, during acidic precipitation, the acid rain can interact with the soil and affect the nutrients in the soil, which can lead to destructive outcomes.

On the other hand, the prohibition of alcohol had a very negative affect on the economy. Distilleries were being shutdown due to the ban of production of alcohol. Railroads lost products to distribute, therefore, profit was lost. Stores where alcohol was sold had less product to sell, therefore, money was being lost. Since alcohol had a high tax, the tax revenue decreased tremendously, which caused more government spending.

However, by focusing on these single issues, people were missing the larger picture. Not only were pesticides killing the intended targets, but they also killed other forms of life as well. Similar to the main idea of “Thinking Like a Mountain,” people missed the larger consequences of their actions. By focusing on only human desires in regards to the environment, the needs of all other life on Earth is neglected. Even when humans are taken into account first, some of these decisions can actually cause more harm than good.

Effects such as these can have unpredictable effects on the environment. The effect of reduced forest size has already had a measurable impact on the composition of our atmosphere in the relatively short amount of time we have been cutting them down(6). Ironically however it is the conversion of forest land to urban and agriculture use that has a more permanent and detrimental impact. Logging and urbanization lead to forest succession. Forest succession happens when there are changes to an environment that causes the composition of plant and animal species to change.

The interaction of acid rain with soil is bad for any plants trying to grow there. Hydrogen ions from the acid deposits displace the calcium, magnesium and potassium, leaching them from the soil and making them unavailable to the plants that need them. Acid can also mobilize the aluminum ions that were previously a harmless part of aluminum hydroxide. These

The atmosphere becomes more dry and the climate starts to get warmer. With less trees, areas can now dry out and become barren. This could drastically change the species lives living in those areas. Species that live in places where deforestation occurs are victims of the negative effects it has on the environment (TS). According to The World Counts, “70% of our world’s plant and animal species live in forests,” and when deforestation happens, animals lose their habitats.

It has diminishing returns when used excessively. If the plant has too much fertilizer, the total growth will decrease because the soil will become too acidic. Fertilizer misuse is very common by uneducated farmers, which adds to the algae problem. Fertilizer’s benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages, however, to maintain a healthy environment, farmers should use the minimum amount that they can get away with. This experiment will show which ratio will be the best.

[4] Natural sources of air pollution • An example of natural air pollution can be found from the smoking hills found in the wilderness of the Canadian Arctic. The local environment around the smoking hills is virtually uninfluenced by humans. It occurs naturally due to low-grade coal deposits found in the area have spontaneously ignited from time to time, causing the release of clouds of sulphur dioxide over the nearby tundra. Those gasses are carried to the surface, soil and freshwater, and they become acified. • When a volcano erupts it releases gasses like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, and also releases solid material and all those are dangerous to the human health to an extent that mortality can occur and also plants and animals can be harmed by the substances and solid materials.