Acid Deposition

Acid Rain
Acid Deposition

Formation of Acid Deposition

Mobility of Acid Deposition

Effects on Terrestrial and Aquatic Life

 Acid Deposition

 All rain is naturally somewhat acidic; the reaction between water and
atmospheric carbon dioxide lowers the pH of precipitation from neutral 7.0 to
5.6.

 Acid deposition refers to deposition with a pH lower than 5.6.

 Acid deposition is largely the result of human activity, although natural

processes, such as volcanoes, may also contribute.
Types of Acid Deposition

As a consequence, some trees were killed and some bodies of water became too acidic to sustain
fish.
These tall smokestacks kept the emissions away from local populations, but sent the chemicals into
the atmosphere where they were converted to sulfuric acid and nitric acid. These acids returned to
Earth hundreds of kilometers away as acid deposition.
Wet-acid deposition occurs in the form of rain and snow also known as acid precipitation or acid
rain.
Dry-acid deposition occurs as gases and particles that attach to the surfaces of plants, soil, and
water.
Acid deposition reduced the pH of water bodies from 5.5 or 6 to below 5, which can be lethal to
many aquatic organisms.
How Acid Deposition Forms
and Travels
 Acid Deposition Formation

o Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide are released into the atmosphere as a result
of numerous natural and anthropogenic combustion processes.
o In the presence of atmospheric oxygen and water, these primary pollutants are
transformed, through a series of reactions, into the secondary pollutants nitric
acid and sulfuric acid.
o The latter compounds break down further, producing nitrate, sulfate and
hydrogen ions (H+) that generate the acidity in acid deposition.
o These transformations occur over a number of days, and during this time, the
pollutants may travel a thousand kilometers (600 miles) or more.

o Eventually, these secondary acidifying pollutants are washed out of the air in
precipitation and in dry form and are deposited on vegetation, soil, or water.
 Mobility of Acid Deposition

 Studies have documented regional acid deposition in West Africa, South

America, Japan, China, and many areas in eastern and central Europe.

 Acid deposition crosses the border between the United States and Canada and
is carried from England, Germany, and the Netherlands to Scandinavia.

 One implication of this mobility is that the precursors to acid deposition emitted
in one region may have a significant impact on another region or another
country
For example, over the years, there have been legislative and legal attempts to
restrict emissions from coal-burning power plants in the mid western United States
that fall as acid deposition in Canada.
 Effects of Acid Deposition

 It had a variety of effects on materials, on agricultural lands, and on both

aquatic and terrestrial natural habitats.
 United States and Europe in the 1980s contained frequent reports about
adverse effects of acid deposition on forests, lakes, and streams.
 Effects of acid deposition may be direct, such as lowering of the pH of lake
water, or indirect.
 It is often difficult to determine whether an effect is direct or indirect, making
remediation challenging.
 Effects on Aquatic Life

 The greatest effects of acid deposition

have been on aquatic ecosystems.

 Lower pH of lakes and streams in areas

of northeastern North America,
Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom
has caused decreased species diversity
of aquatic organisms.
 Loss of Species

 Many amphibians, for instance, will survive when the pH of a lake is 6.5, but
when the lake acidifies to pH 6.0 or 5.5 the same organism will begin to have
developmental or reproductive problems.

 In water below pH 5.0, most salamander species won’t survive.

 Many species are able to survive and reproduce only within a narrow range of
environmental conditions.
 Mobilization of Metals

 Lower pH can also lead to mobilization of metals, an indirect effect.

 When this happens, metals bound in organic or inorganic compounds in soils

and sediments are released into surface water.

 Because metals such as aluminum and mercury can impair the physiological
functioning of aquatic organisms, exposure can lead to species loss.

 Decreased pH can also affect the food sources of aquatic organisms, creating
indirect effects at several trophic levels.
 Effects on Terrestrial Life

On land, at least one species of tree,

the red spruce (Picea rubens), at high
elevations of the northeastern United
States was shown to have been
harmed by acid deposition.
It is likely that these trees have been
harmed by both the acidity of the
deposition as well as the nitrate and
sulfate ions.
Effects on Humans

People are not harmed by direct contact with precipitation at the acidities
commonly experienced in the United States or elsewhere in the world, because
the human skin is a sufficiently robust barrier to this irritant.
Human health is more affected by the precursors to acid deposition such as sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
 Effect on Building Structures

 Acid deposition can, however, harm human-built structures.

 Statues, monuments, and buildings—even some of the buildings from ancient
Greece that have stood for around 2,000 years—have been seriously eroded
over the last half century by this form of air pollution.
 The damage happens because acid deposition reacts with building materials.
 When the hydrogen ion in acid deposition interacts with limestone or marble,
the calcium carbonate reacts with H+ and gives off Ca2+ .
 In the process, the calcium carbonate material is partially dissolved. The more acidic the
precipitation, the more hydrogen ions there are to interact with the calcium carbonate.

 In the case of the Acropolis and some other stone structures, gaseous sulfur dioxide
(SO2) or sulfuric acid vapor (other components of acidic deposition) have contributed to
the deterioration.

 Acid deposition also erodes many exposed painted surfaces, including automobile
finishes.
 Examples

Hadrian’s Arch. This monument, near the The Garden of Eaden

Acropolis in Athens, Greece,
Thank you