Acid Rain

• What is Acid Rain?

• Where does it
come from?
• Why is it important?
• What can be done
about it?
 What is Acid Rain ?
• Acid Rain is rain which is more acid than
would normally be produced by natural
processes
Where Does
Acid Rain
Come From?
• From Natural Sources
• From Man Made
Sources
Where Does
Acid Rain
Come From?
What happens next?
Why is it important?
Critical loads for acidity
in Europe.
The map shows the
deposition of hydrogen
ions that sensitive
ecosystems (e.g. forest
soils and surface waters)
can tolerate without being
acidified. At each load
level 95 per cent of the
ecosystems in the
relevant square are
protected.
 What Can Be Done About It?
• Emergency Measures (Liming Water)
Liming as a countermeasure
 What Can Be Done About It?
• Emergency Measures (Liming Water)
• Reduced Emissions
Acidification by sulphur deposition
in the UK, 1987 to 2003
Excess depositions of SO2 in Europe (in tons per square kilometer). No colour=no data.

Source: EMEP
 What Can Be Done About It?
• Emergency Measures (Liming Water)
• Reduced Emissions
• Other Measures (Catalytic Converters)
 Acid Rain
• Increases caused by POLLUTION
• Damages / Kills Wildlife
• Possible Health Issues
• Acid Rain Acid rain has a pH that is lower than normal.
• It is formed when fossil fuels are burned, releasing sulphur dioxide
(SO2) that is absorbed by rain to form sulphuric acid.
• Acid rain is also caused by nitrogen oxides (NOx) that combine with
rain and fall as nitric acid. Although some nitrogen oxides come
from power stations, around half come from road traffic (49% in
1994).
• Acid rain eats into any surface it comes into contact with.
• It can pollute lakes, reduce fish stocks and damage plant life.
• Since the UK signed up to protocols on sulphur dioxide reduction,
levels are now substantially lower than they were a decade ago.
• Although catalytic converters, which are fitted to new cars, have
reduced the amount of nitrogen oxides per car, the volume of traffic
in the UK has increased.
• Consequently, levels in the atmosphere have not fallen significantly.