Even though the name could suggest so, acid rain doesn’t seem so scary – at least at first glance. It can resemble a usual downpour since it doesn’t have a distinctive smell or color. The difference becomes visible only after a while in the surrounding environment. The consequences of acid rain on the whole ecosystem can be devastating, damaging plant life, eroding the soil, and reducing animal populations.
The main problem of acid rain lies in its subtle nature. Unlike other catastrophic events brought on by climate change and air pollution, its effects often go unnoticed. The damage it causes progresses relatively slowly, and thus, its origins can sometimes be misinterpreted. Just like air pollution (from which it originates), acid rain can also affect human health, but in most cases, these effects can take years to become noticeable. As a result, many health problems never get linked to this anthropogenic problem. Read on to find out more about the causes and effects of acid rain, as well as how to prevent it.
Table of Contents
- What Is Acid Rain?
- What Causes Acid Rain?
- How to Prevent Acid Rain?
- What Are the Consequences of Acid Rain?
- Acid Rain – Still a Major Threat? Future Outlook
- The Takeaway
What Is Acid Rain?
In simple terms, acid rain forms when air pollutants trapped in the atmosphere mix with water vapor and eventually become part of rain clouds. The accumulated toxic gases and particulate matter fall back down to the Earth’s surface in the form of rain, causing all sorts of damage.
However, though acid rain is in large part attributable to human activity, in this case, it’s not just our fault. Several different natural phenomena can also exacerbate the problem by contributing to the process of acid rain formation. These include:
- Volcanic Eruptions: Volcanoes emit substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide and other acidic gases, including PM10 and PM2.5. Because of how significant these events are, they can disrupt atmospheric conditions on a regional and sometimes even a global scale.
- Wildfires: Burning biomass releases nitrogen oxides and other compounds that can contribute to acid rain formation.
- Naturally Occurring Decomposition: As organic matter decays, it releases sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Some bacteria present in soils and bodies of water can, therefore, contribute to acid rain, though compared to the previous two entries or anthropogenic acid rains, their impact is rather small.
From a chemical standpoint, it’s also worth noting that we can consider rain to be acidic when its pH value drops below 5.6, even slightly. However, the pH scale extends way beyond that, and the lower it gets, the more damage the acid rain can cause.
What Causes Acid Rain?
As we’ve mentioned, acid rain can have both a natural and an anthropogenic background. Focusing now on the latter, let’s zoom in to understand the impact of human activity on this growing problem.
The anthropogenic causes of acid rain include:
- Industrial emissions
- Heating systems
- Energy production
- Exhaust fumes
Both nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide – substances produced and ejected into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels – can cause acid rain. The gas released in the burning process ties with the water molecules in the atmosphere, lowering the pH of those water molecules and acidifying future precipitation. The main pollutants responsible for this process are sulfur and nitric acid, though water can also react with the much more prevalent carbon oxides as well.
Sulfur is the main byproduct of burning fossil fuels – carbon, petroleum, heating oil, etc. The more polluted the product is, the more sulfur dioxide gets released into the air. Nitrogen oxide emissions are mainly a result of fuel burning in cars, tied to the release of exhaust fumes. Industrial activity – such as ironworks and petrochemicals – is also to blame.
How to Prevent Acid Rain?
As you can see, acid deposition is a direct result of various types of human activity and a side product of air pollution. Since the problem has received widespread attention in recent years, the local, governmental, and community regulations (for example, within the European Union) have introduced directives that are supposed to combat its effects.
The industrial entities were obliged to limit their emissions by retrofitting their installations with appropriate filters. Similarly, car owners, especially those with diesel vehicles, were similarly mandated to reduce their environmental impact.
The ways to avoid acid deposition in rain overlap with those to combat different types of air pollution. So, how do we prevent acid rain? Here are some of the most effective methods:
- Choosing public transport over cars
- Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources
- Using filtration systems engines to lower the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emitted into the atmosphere
Solutions for acid rain require local authorities to actively facilitate environmental changes. By investing in an extensive network of affordable public transportation, making cities more walkable, and co-financing solar installations, these initiatives can help break the vicious circle of pollution.
What Are the Consequences of Acid Rain?
Acid rain negatively influences virtually all life on Earth. It pollutes both soil and freshwater aquatic systems. It can cause direct damage to plant structures and disrupt photosynthesis. Moreover, acidification influences the plant’s resistance to fungal infections and pests. In turn, that can affect crop volume and quality, ultimately putting a strain on global food security. The soil itself also isn’t spared. The lower pH makes it impossible for many plants to grow healthy.
Furthermore, this phenomenon affects more than just organic matter. With prolonged exposure, acid rain can also damage man-made architecture since it makes the limestone and concrete slowly dissolve, potentially decreasing structural stability and creating safety hazards in commercial and residential buildings.
Acid Rain – Still a Major Threat? Future Outlook
In developed nations, acid rain remained a severe issue in the late 20th century. Fortunately, thanks to environmental regulations and cleaner technologies, its impact in many regions has been drastically reduced.
However, as our society is more globalized now than ever before, and as acid rain continues to pose problems in developing countries, there’s still a long way to go. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and increasing the rate of clean energy adoption will remain crucial to prevent the problem from resurging
The Takeaway
The consequences of acid rain are clear, and while most European and Western nations have been able to get rid of the problem, the fight against the effects of acid rain continues in other regions. We’ve already proven that air pollution regulations and other initiatives can help tremendously – let’s keep pushing those efforts and deal with the problem once and for all.
Read also: The Economic Impact of Air Pollution on Communities