Acid Rain Fy

8/11/2019 Acid Rain Fy

1/16

Acid rain is basically rain that has a higher than normal

acid level (low pH).


2/16

Burning coal,Oil and natural gas in power stations

makes electricity, giving off sulphur dioxide gas.

These gases mix with water vapour and rainwaterin the atmosphere producing weak solutions of

sulphuric and nitric acids which fall as acid rain.


3/16

Burning petrol and oil in vehicle engines

gives off nitrogen oxides as gases.


4/16

People probably couldn't live withoutelectricity! Therefore coal will continueto be burnt.

Also, electricity and energy are constantlybeing overused.

Think of it this way: every time you turn

on light switch or the television setwithout really needing it , you'reindirectly contributing to the acid rainproblem.


5/16

Acid rain can travel long distances.

Often it doesnt fall where the gas isproduced.

High chimneys disperse (spread) thegases and winds blow them greatdistances before they dissolve and fallto Earth as rain.

Eg ; gases produced in England andWestern Europe can result in acid rainin Scotland and Scandinavia.


6/16

Acid rain is an extremelydestructive form of pollution, andthe environment suffers from itseffects.

Forests, trees, lakes, animals, andplants suffer from acid rain.

Trees The needles and leaves of the trees

turn brown and fall off.

Trees can also suffer from stuntedgrowth; and have damaged bark andleaves, which makes themvulnerable to weather, disease, and

insects.


7/16

All of this happens partly because of direct contactbetween trees and acid rain, but it also happenswhen trees absorb soil that has come into contactwith acid rain.

The soil poisons the tree with toxic substances thatthe rain has deposited into it.


8/16

Lakesare also damaged by acid rain.Fish die off, and that removes the mainsource of food for birds.

Acid rain can even kill fish before theyare born when the eggs are laid and

come into contact with the acid.


9/16

Fish usually die only when the acid level of a

lake is high;

when the acid level is lower, they can

become sick, suffer stunted growth, or losetheir ability to reproduce.

Also, birds can die from eating "toxic" fish

and insects.


10/16

Acid rain dissolves the stonework and mortar of

buildings (especially those made out of

sandstone or limestone).

It reacts with the minerals in the stone to form a

powdery substance that can be washed away by

rain.
http://www.stonecarver.com/jpeg/oak-grot.jpg


11/16

Humans can become seriously ill,and can even die from the effectsof acid rain.

One of the major problems thatacid rain can cause in a human

being is respiratory problems.

Many can find it difficult tobreathe, especially people who

have asthma.


12/16

Acid rain can be absorbed by both plants(through soil and/or direct contact) andanimals (from things they eat and/or directcontact).

When humans eat these plants or animals,

the toxins inside of their meals can affect

them.


13/16

Research carried out in North Americain 1982, revealed that sulphur pollutionkilled 51,000 people and about 200,000

people become ill as a result of thepollution.

Brain damage, kidney problems, andAlzheimer's disease has been linked to peopleeating "toxic" animals/plants.


14/16

What are

thesolutions

to acid

rain?


15/16

1. Sulphur dioxide can be removed from power

stations chimneys but this process is expensive.

2. Reduce the amount of electricity we use- turn tvs off at the mains, dont leave on

standby.- turn off lights when a room is not in use.

3. Use renewable energy like wind power, solarpanels, tidal power, HEP schemes andgeothermal energy.


16/16

4. Fit catalytic converters to vehicleexhausts which remove the nitrogenoxides.

5. Limit the number of vehicles onthe roads and increase publictransport

Documents

Acid Rain Fy