ACID RAIN - PowerPoint

							ACID RAIN
What is Acid Rain?
   Rain that has been made acidic by certain
    pollutants in the air
    ◦ Forms when nitrogen oxides and sulfur
      oxides combine with water in the air to
      form nitric acid and sulfuric acid
Sources of Acid Rain
 Human activities (power plants, vehicles
  and burning fossil fuels)
 Reactions in the environment
  ◦ Chemicals react with normal
    precipitation and form acid rain
      Why is Acid Rain harmful?
 Causes health problems
  ◦ Respiratory diseases
 Harms forests
  ◦ Acid strips nutrients from leaves and needles on
    trees
  ◦ Aluminum in soil makes it hard for trees to take up
    water
 Damages Lakes and streams
  ◦ Can be deadly to aquatic life
 Damages Building and objects
  ◦ Strip off paint, wear down on materials
Effects of Acid Rain
Statue of Liberty- result of
oxidation, NOT acid rain
What is being done to control it?
   Government regulations and new
    technologies
    ◦ Clean Air Act of 1990
 Reducing pollution (scrubbers)
 Other sources of energy (solar and wind)
 Cleaner cars (catalytic converter)
What can you do?
   Conserve energy
    ◦ Turn off electrical equipment when not in use
    ◦ Encourage parents to buy energy saving
      equipment
    ◦ Limit air conditioning
    ◦ Adjust your thermostat
    ◦ Recycle
    ◦ Walk
    ◦ Carpool
pH scale
 Measures how acidic an object is
 Acids are from 0 - 6.9
 Bases are from 7.1 – 14
 Neutral substances (pure water) are 7
 Normal rain is slightly acidic = 5.0 - 5.5
 Acid rain is typically around 4.0 (ten times
  greater than normal rain)
pH scale
 A logarithmic scale, based on powers of
  10.
 A pH change of 1 equals a 10 fold change
  in Hydrogen ion concentration
    ◦ A pH of 6 is 10x more acidic than a pH of 7
   The pH increases as the number of
    Hydrogen ions (H+) decreases