Acid Rain

April 27th 2018

Origin
• Working in London in 1852 he first coined the phrase
"acid rain" when he made the connection between the
industrial pollution so rampant in the city at the time,
and the acidity of the city's rainfall.
• He went on to publish, in 1872, his analysis of the
acidity of rainwater throughout the UK,Air and Rain: the
Beginnings of a Chemical Climatology.
• This revealed that the most acidic rain he had found
was in Glasgow. He also described three different types
Robert Angus Smith lived of acid rain found in countryside, suburbs and towns.
from February 15th 1817 to
May 12th 1884.
He was a chemist and an
early environmentalist who
invented the term "acid rain".
Definition
Acid rain has a slightly acid pH, usually approximately around 4.2 to 4.4, while
normal rain has 5.55 to 5.65.
However, it is beginning to be considered rain acid rainfall with a lower PH 5. This
type of rain can reach a pH of 3, this happens when the air presents two or more of
the gases that we will mention later.
What causes acid rain?
• Human activities are the main cause of acid rain. Over the past few decades,
humans have released so many different chemicals into the air that they have
changed the mix of gases in the atmosphere.
• Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compounds like
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. These substances can
rise very high into the atmosphere, where they mix and react with water, oxygen,
and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants, known as acid rain.
• Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve very easily in water and can be
carried very far by the wind. As a result, the two compounds can travel long
distances where they become part of the rain, sleet, snow, and fog that we
experience on certain days.
Acid rain pathway
• 1) Emissions of SO2 and NO2
released into the air
• 2)Pollutants are transformed into
acid particles
• 3) The particles fall to the earth as
dust, rain or snow.
• 4) Acid particles are absorbed by soil,
forests, streams and lakes.
The major sources of SO2 and NOX in the atmosphere are:
• Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Two thirds of SO2 and one fourth of
NOX in the atmosphere come from electric power generators.
• Vehicles and heavy equipment.
• Manufacturing, oil refineries and other industries.
Effects of acid rain in plants
Scientists believe that acidic water dissolves nutrients and minerals in the soil and
then washes them before trees and other plants can use them to grow. At the same
time, acid rain causes the release of toxic substances in soils, such as aluminum.
These are very damaging to trees and plants, even if the contact is limited. Toxic
substances are also transported through streams, rivers and lakes.
When the leaves of the plants frequently receive this acid mist, their protective wax
layer can wear away. The loss of it creates brown spots.

By photosynthesis, the leaves convert the energy of sunlight into food for its
growth. When the leaves are damaged, they cannot produce enough energy to feed
and stay healthy. Thus, they become weak, susceptible to diseases and to be
attacked by insects, being very likely to die.
Effects of acid rain in animals
Acidity in this phenomena causes the water to become less habitable for animal and
plant life, arthropods are unable to live in acidic environments, also some
amphibian’s eggs are harmed and deformities in fish and other lifeforms occur due
to the high amount of carbon dioxide present in water sources.
Other animals that suffer due to acid rain are some birds, since they need calcium-
rich foods to lay eggs, since these foods are mainly snails, acid rain leads to the
disappearance of snail populations, causing deformities in bird eggs, leading to the
loss of biodiversity in some regions of the world.
Effects in buildings
• Acid rain can damage buildings and statues
by stripping away the material and corroding
metal that makes up these structures, it
dissolves the stone or corrodes the metal that
is exposed to the weather, this happens
because some of these materials contain
calcium carbonate or calcium-based
compounds which can be easily dissolved by
the components of acid rain.
• Nowadays, architects chose limestone,
marble, steel and brass as durable materials
intended to resist the elements. But in the
past, old statues were made of limestone, so
many of them have lost the face or details
through the years.
Bibliography
• US EPA. (2018). What is Acid Rain? | US EPA. [online] Available at:
https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain [Accessed 27 Apr. 2018].
• Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. (2018). Robert Angus Smith: Biography on Undiscovered
Scotland. [online] Available at:
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/s/robertangussmith.html
[Accessed 27 Apr. 2018].
• Jardinus. (n.d.). Lluvia ácida: cómo afecta a las plantas - Jardinus. [online] Available at:
https://www.jardinus.com/lluvia-acida-como-afecta-a-las-plantas [Accessed 27 Apr.
2018].
• Cumbre Pueblos. (n.d.). Lluvia ácida: Qué es, explicación, causas y consecuencias. [online]
Available at: https://cumbrepuebloscop20.org/medio-ambiente/lluvia-acida/
[Accessed 27 Apr. 2018].
• Sciencing. (2018). How Does Acid Rain Affect Buildings & Statues?. [online] Available at:
https://sciencing.com/acid-rain-affect-buildings-statues-22062.html [Accessed 27 Apr.
2018].