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Acid Rain The damaging effects of acid rain on society is becoming
overwhelmed with great amounts of pollution from cars, factories and an large
amounts of garbage. The immense amounts of sulphur dioxide put into the air
causes high levels of acid in the atmosphere. When this sulphuric acid is
absorbed into moisture in the air, then rain can be harmful to the environment.
Acid rain is destroying lots of things in our environment. It is hurting lakes,
air and thew rest of our ecosystem. Acid rain is killing lakes and decreasing
the number of animals in these lakes. Acid rain greatly lowers the amounts of pH
in the water. Each decade the pH levels of lakes around Ontario have become ten
times more acidic. The high acid levels contained in lakes also causes a
decrease in the number of fish living in these lakes. Also the high amounts of
acid in the water can lead to fish being deformed. They have messed up and out
of shape backbones, flattened heads and strangely curved tails.
When there gets
to be a lot of acid in the water, then there is barely anything left besides
rock bass, pumpkinseed and lake herring. As with sulphur dioxide in rain,
mercury is also discharged into the water. There is a direct connection between
the mercury rich lakes as there is with those with high acidic levels. This
metal becomes concentrated in the blood and tissues of fish. Acid rain causes
traumatic effects in natural lakes and rivers. Acid rain causes air quality to
deteriorate. As in water, acid rain causes the pH levels in the air to decrease.
The sulphur dioxide, which diffuses into the air, mixes with moisture causing
the pH levels to drop from the normal level. Again, the normal level is
somewhere around seven, yet in some acidic air masses the levels can be as low
as three. These lowered pH levels form a photochemical smog in the atmosphere.
In the air Anitrogen oxides react with ozone and some hydrocarbons in the
presence of sunlight to form photochemical smog, the kind of yellow-grey haze
which it literally alive and growing in stagnant air masses@ (Howard & Perley,
1980, p. 44). This smog carries serious risk for respiratory disease and crop
damage. The photochemical smog is also causing the ozone layer to disintegrate.
The ozone layer is becoming a part of this smog, which is causing holes in it.
An inordinate amount of sulphur dioxide is let into the air, more than can be
neutralized by nutrients in the air. Decrease in pH levels, photochemical smog
and depletion of the ozone layer are some effects of acid rain in the air. The
ecosystem is slowly eroding due to the increased amounts of acid in the soil.
Acid in the soil in causing the carbon dioxide respiration process to
decelerate. In order for plants to go through photosynthesis, they need carbon
dioxide. When acid in the soil causing this soil respiration to slow down, in
turn it causes the photosynthesis process to slow down. The soil also erodes
when the pH levels drop. The acidic levels of the soil cause nutrients in the
soils such as aluminum to break apart and the soil to erode. Soil erosion also
causes a lower production of plants in the ecosystem. In the soil a process of
decay Acalled oligotrophication, means that fewer of the ions of acid are
neutralized by the depleted biological community so the acid can cause further
degeneration of natural processes, which in turn are less capable of combating
the acid, and so on, in an accelerating process@ (Howard & Perley, 1980, p. 32).
Disruption in the life span of trees and plants is also another effect of acid
rain. The acid rain corrodes the thin, waxy layer, which coats and protects the
leaves letting the acid suffocate the leaves. This can cause an interference in
the plants metabolism and photosynthesis may be altered meaning the leaves
cannot produce and efficient amount of food which may result in death of the
plant. Acid may obtrude fertilization , stunt or kill the growth of seeds and
make them sterile. A second generation would be in danger of not being produced
causing deforestation. Naturally the reduction of plants is causing the
biological food chain to weaken.
As smaller animals and insects feed on these
plants lose their food supply, they may also ensue death. In effect the animals
which feed off of these animals also ensue a decrease in their supply. In turn
humans may become starved if the acid rain effects increase. Acid rain causes
death of soil, plants and animals, effecting the ecosystem. Acid rain is
becoming a major problem in our environment today. It is killing our fresh water
lakes and it=s occupants. Also the quality of air is depleting, increasing the
amount of smog and pollution in our atmosphere. Once the acid is absorbed in the
soil, this puts the ecosystem in jeopardy of extinction. This is killing plants,
animal, and soil, which is the basis of our existence. If this acid rain problem
is not dealt with urgently, the natural world may in hazard of demise.
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