Acid rain, caused by air pollution, can harm the environment and human health. It can make waterways more acidic, killing aquatic life and reducing carbon storage. Acid rain can also damage forests, corrode buildings and statues, and affect human health by causing respiratory problems.
Acid rain is a term that encompasses several ways acids fall from the sky and cause environmental damage. These acids come from air pollution, mainly sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide gases. They can fall as acidic precipitation or fall directly as acidic particles and gases. The damage caused by acid rain can range from polluted waterways to corroded statues and buildings to direct effects on human health.
The worst effects of acid rain on ecology are seen in waterways, such as lakes, streams, and marshes. The most sensitive areas are those found in watersheds where the soil is not very effective at neutralizing acidic compounds. When this happens, the water becomes more acidic. This means it has a lower pH. Additionally, aluminum is released from soil into water and is highly toxic to many forms of aquatic life.
Some plants and animals can tolerate acidic waters, but others will die when the pH drops. While some lakes are naturally acidic, the pH of most streams and lakes is between six and eight. When the pH drops to five, most fish eggs will not hatch. Some adult fish will die at lower pH levels, causing some acidic lakes to be completely fish-free. Even if the fish survive, they may be physically stressed and unable to compete effectively for habitat and food.
More recent research has identified the effects of acid rain in the shallow waters of the coastal ocean. The ocean as a whole is not greatly affected, but the effects of acid rain are magnified in nearshore waters. They result in a lower pH and reduced carbon storage.
The reduced amount of carbon means that organisms such as corals, sea urchins and some types of plankton lose the ability to make their outer shells hard. These types of organisms are needed to provide food and living conditions for other oceanic creatures. Their death could have serious effects on ocean ecosystems. For example, corals form coral reefs that provide habitat for a considerable number of marine organisms.
Deposition of nitrogen from the atmosphere affects both freshwater and ocean ecology. It can cause a massive algae overgrowth. Some of these can be toxic and directly affect humans by contaminating shellfish. A common effect of algae growth is to use up all the oxygen in the water. This can cause dead zones to form.
Forests are another ecosystem that experiences the effects of acid rain. This is a combination of the direct effect on tree leaves and needles and changes in soil chemistry and microbiology. This can happen especially in high mountain regions, where the trees are surrounded by fog and clouds that are more acidic than the local precipitation. This can cause the leaves to lose essential nutrients.
Additionally, acid rain causes nutrients in the soil to be washed away, so they are unavailable to plants. The subsequent release of aluminum is toxic to trees and plants. A lowered pH can also kill beneficial soil microorganisms.
It is thought that acid rain alone does not cause the death of trees in forests. Scientists think it predisposes them to other stresses, such as insect damage, drought, disease or cold. Acting in concert with these other factors, some forests in areas with high amounts of acid rain have completely died.
The effects of acid rain on human materials, such as statues, have been substantial. In addition to the damage caused by acid rain, dry deposition of acid particles has been a significant factor in the degradation of these elements. Particularly vulnerable buildings and statues are those made of limestone and marble. In many areas, structures have been severely corroded and headstone markings have flaked off. Metal objects, such as bronze and copper, can also be corroded by acid rain.
Human health can be directly affected by acid particles. The particulate matter can lodge in the lungs. Exposure to airborne particulate matter has been correlated with increased mortality from heart and lung disease. Furthermore, such compounds increase the tendency to bronchitis and asthma in exposed individuals.
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