Acid deposition, also know as acid rain is a form of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail) containing high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids (pH below 5.5-5.6). This is a serious problem with disastrous effects (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1997). As each day passes, this problem gets worse. Most people know very little about this issue. In the following paragraphs you will be informed about the negative impact acid rain has on our environment.
What causes acid rain?.
Acid rain is a disease slowly breaking down the bodies of eastern Canada and northeastern United States (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1997). On both sides of the border, cars and trucks are the main sources for nitric acid (about 40% of the total), while power generating plants, industrial commercial and residential fuel combustion together contribute to the majority of the rest ("What are Acid- 2002). In Canada, the main sulfuric acid sources are non-ferrous (iron) smelters and power generation (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1997). In the air, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can be transformed into sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The air current can send these gases thousands of kilometers from the source. When the acids fall to the earth in any form it will have large impact on the growth or the preservation of certain wildlife ("What are Acid- 2002). Canada does not have as many people, power plants or automobiles as the United States, and yet acid rain there has become so severe that Canadian government officials called it the most pressing environmental issue facing the nation (Brown, 1981). It is important to bear in mind that acid rain is only one segment, of the widespread pollution of the atmosphere facing the world (Reuss & Johnson, 1986).
Its raining vinegar.
The average pH of the rainfall in Ontario's Muskoka-Haliburton lake ranges from about 3.95 to 4.38 (Reuss & Johnson, 1986). This is about forty times more acidic than normal rainfall, while storms in Pennsylvania have rainfall pH at 2.