Acid Rain: Its Causes and Prevention

I chose to do my research on acid rain. Acid rain has become a common problem across the United States over the past few years. The increased number of pollutants admitted into the air has caused this problem.

Acid rain occurs when nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide are emitted into the earth's atmosphere; they undergo chemical transformations and are absorbed by water droplets in the clouds which then eventually will release precipitation. This rain can increase the acidity of the soil, which can lead to altercations with plants. This precipitation can also affect the chemical balance in lakes, streams, and rivers. ("Acid Rain")

This can lead to some problems. It is believed that acid rain can stun plant growth or the kill the plant entirely. We need these plants for timber (trees) and oxygen. The plants also keep most insect life alive. Acid rain can also be a problem to our rivers, streams, and lakes. Scientists believe that the acid rain can poison the fish, which eventually will lead to death for these fish. Scientists are now trying to find out if acid rain has a strong negative effect on the Eco System. If they find this to be true that could be a serious problem. ("Acid Rain")

There are many things that contribute to the making of acid rain in our earth's atmosphere. The most obvious reason for this problem is the pollutants that we release into the air. What are these pollutants? The answer to that question can be found in the average American's everyday life. This problem usually comes from driving your car and the number of factories across America. When these fossil fuels are burned (power plant or factory) to produce energy to make the energy we need, the sulfur that is in the fuel combines with oxygen to make sulfur dioxide. Then, some of the nitrogen in the air becomes nitrogen oxide. When these combine, this creates acid. Coal is a very high pollutant to the earth's atmosphere and is burned regularly for energy as more and more people need energy in America. ("Acid Rain")

How can we prevent these problems? We can first try not to release as much pollutants into the air. We as a country can start to resolve this problem by creating alternative fuels that do not pollute the air. We have started the process of this in our country but it will be awhile till we can produce one. So what do we do now? We can't stop burning fossil fuels because people couldn't go on with everyday life now that we live in a century where everything revolves around technology. We can also stop this problem by filtering out our factories so they don't release as much pollution into the earth's atmosphere. All of these solutions will help our earth if we can accomplish them!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain