Short Essay On Acid Rain

Acid rain is any atmospheric precipitation that is more acidic than usual. Generally, acid rain is from natural or industrial sources. Water, H20, has a pH of 7.0. Normal, unpolluted rain has a pH of 5.6. Normal rain water is slightly acidic, because carbon dioxide dissolves into the water, forming a weak carbonic acid. Acid rain typically has much lower pH than normal, unpolluted rain water. Acid rain is normally caused by either Carbon Dioxide, nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide. These oxides are emitted into the air. The oxides are then transported throughout the atmosphere. When the oxides make contact with the water, a chemical reaction happens. For the examples, when combined with water the oxides form carbonic acids, nitric acid and sulfuric acid. This means that the pH of rain is lower and the acidity is higher. Acid rainfall is harmful to forests, lakes, streams, buildings and other objects and can cause certain health problems.

Example:

Acidity results from dissolution of carbon dioxide in the water producing carbonic acid:

CO2(g)+H2O(l) H2CO3(aq)H(aq)+HCO3(aq)

This chemical reaction shows that, when carbon dioxide is mixed with water, it forms acid rain (H2CO3). The acidic solution forms an H2CO3. H2CO3 is an Arrhenius acid because the solution contains an excess of H+ ions. Normally rain is already slightly acidic because there is

In addition, a recent EPA survey showed that La Nina contributes to the acidity of the rainwater in Taiwan. La Nina is the cold phase of ENSO. ENSO is the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. During La Nina winter temperature are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest. This affects the weather pattern, which could lead to the pollutants on Yangmingshan and