Acid Rain Literature Review

Literature Review

When we burn fossil fuels such as coal or gas, certain air pollutants are released, they mix with the moisture in the air to form an acid which results in the production of acid precipitation. The wind transports these pollutants, resulting in acid rain over a widespread area. Industries such as power plants, modes of transportation such as cars, busses and trucks and industrial and chemical boilers are all responsible for a portion of the air pollutants being released (US EPA). Acid rain which falls into streams, lakes and mashes, causes the pH of the water to decrease, acidifying the water (US EPA). This results in a decrease of aquatic life and the quality of the water. It has been found that acid rain not only causes slower

The recent study, conducted by a number of great scholars, elucidates the fact that PAH’s can be found naturally in the environment, but can also be created as a result of human actions (US EPA). The sources for these pollutants include coal production, incomplete combustion of organic matter, fuel exhaust and some industrial processes (Paskova et al). PAH’s are used in various pesticides (US EPA), and an accumulation of these harmful pollutants in plants can cause a significant increase in phytotoxicity (Paskova et al). Phytotoxicity is serious injury to plants caused by fertilizers and other chemicals used on plants (PennState). It is the cause of poor germination, death of seedling and even stunted or delayed plant growth. The increase in the number of PAH chemicals in pesticides and other chemicals used to fertilise plants, results in a subsequent increase in crop failures (XU, Weng, Chen, HE, SU, Ll, Ll 2013). This soil pollutant is extremely dangerous and poses a great threat to the livelihood of plans with which it is used on, as well as humans who eat from them. This information was collected from various recent and accurate academic journals, as well as official environmental protection agency and university websites. These sources are valid as they have been recently updated and have been reviewed by experts in their respective

This increases the global phenomenon known as global warming (NRDC). The National Resources Defence Council describes average global temperature rising at a faster rate in the past 50 years than it has ever been recorded in history before. This increase in temperature is extremely detrimental to the environment and plant life. A recent experiment was done to assess the effects of increased temperature on polluted plants during the early stages of growth (Trubina 2013). Plants take up a greater amount of toxicants when they are exposed to higher temperatures. Therefore, an increase in temperatures from global warming decreases the rate of plant growth. In addition, unfavourable environmental factors such as soil pollution, have a greater effect on plants during the early stages of growth (Trubina 2013). Traubina’s experiment found that the survival of seedlings was significantly lower when exposed to pollutants at high temperatures. The continual rise in temperature is dangerous as it could act as a stimulant against plant