Acid Rain is a term referring to a mixture of wet and dry decomposition from the atmosphere.[i] The rain contains more than normal amounts of sulfuric and nitric acid.1 Acid rain results from the transformation of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into dry or moist secondary pollutants.[ii] Typical rain water will have a pH of 6 to 8 and acid deposition has a pH of about 4. [iii] 2 “Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are produced especially when coal is burnt for fuel.”[iv] Every time you switch a light on or watch television when you don’t really need to you are contributing to the acid rain problem.4 Another way to think of it is when you have a chance to car pool and you don’t you are also contributing to acid deposition. 4 Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow.1 “If the acid chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the weather is wet, the acids can fall to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, or mist.”1 As the acidic rain, snow, fog, or mist fall it affects many plants and animals.1 Dry Deposition is in areas where the weather is dry, and the acid is incorporated into particles like dust and smoke. 1 When it falls to the ground it sticks to buildings, homes, cars, trees, and the ground itself.1 When it rains the gases and particles that are sticking to the ground and buildings are washed away and leads to increase runoff.1 The gases can be turned into acids when they come in contact with water.2
“Sulphur dioxide emissions are generally a by product of industrial processes and burning fossil fuels.”2 Main contributors are ore smelting, coal-fired power generators, and natural gas processing. 2 Sulphuric acid contributes to about 70% of all acidic deposition. 3 “Reaction mechanism: SO3 + H2O -> H2SO4 ” 3 In Canada, in the year 2000, 68% of sulphur dioxide emissions came from industrial sources.2 Canada’s sulphur dioxide measured to about 2.4 million tones.2 To help stop acid rain Canada cannot do it by itself.2 This is because the acid deposition that is falling in southeastern Canada is originating from the United States. 2 Areas in southeastern Ontario and Quebec receive about three quarters of their acid deposition from the United States. 2 Canada and the United States both need to reduce acidic emissions to stop acid rain.2
NOx emissions are the combustion of fuels in motor vehicles, residential and commercial furnaces, industrial and electrical- utility boilers and engines, and other equipment.2 Nitric acid contributes to about 30% of all acidic deposition. 3 “Reaction mechanism: NO2 + OH- -> HNO3” 3 In the year 2000, Canada’s largest contributor of nitrogen oxides was in the transportation section. 2 The transportation section accounted for 60% of all of Canada’s emissions. 2 “The influence of transboundary flows of air pollutants from the United States into Canada is significant. Overall about 24% of the regional-scale ozone episodes that are experienced in the United States also affect Ontario.” 2
(effects short and long)
Acid rain affects us and the environment around us in many different ways.
Acid rain is most clearly seen in lakes, rivers and streams. 6 [v] Lakes that have acid in them cannot support the same variety of life as a “healthy lake.” 6 As a lake becomes more acidic, crayfish and clam disappear first, and then many different types of fish.6 Many different types of plankton minute organisms are affected by acid rain and they are the basis of most aquatic food chains. [vi] If acid rain is killing the producers of food chains, the population of the animals in the food chains are going to begin to decline because there will be nothing for them to eat. The lakes don’t become totally dead. 6 Some life, benefit from increased acidity. 6 Plants, mosses, and blackfly larvae thrive in acid lakes.6 Not all lakes are affected by acid rain. This is because there is enough limestone rock to neutralize the acid. 6 More often, fish gradually disappear from their waterways slowly because they become intolerable.6 Some acid lakes only have older fish living in them.6 This is because sometimes the females aren’t able to spawn. 6 If the females are successful the eggs won’t be able to survive because of acidity. 6 Also if they eggs do survive the young fish won’t. 6 “Other effects of acidified lakes on fish include: decreased growth, inability to regulate their own body chemistry, reduced egg deposition, deformities in young fish and increased susceptibility to naturally occurring diseases.” 6
Acid rain also affects forests and trees. The impact of acid rain on trees can range of minimal to severe. Acid rain usually doesn’t kill trees directly.[vii] Acid rain weaken trees by damaging their leaves and needles, reduce a trees ability to withstand cold, limiting nutrients available to them, and exposes them to toxic substances slowly released from the soil. 5 7 Acid rain causes toxic substances to trees and plants to release, such as aluminum, into the soil. 7 Aluminum in the soil interferes with the uptake of nutrients by the trees. 5 The lack of nutrients causes trees to grow very slowly or stop growing all together. 7 Visible damage will show up later, such as defoliation. 7 Trees that are exposed to lots of acid rain will have more trouble withstanding cold weather, and other stresses such as drought, diseases, and insect pests. 7 “The ability of forests to withstand acidification depends on the soils to neutralize the acids.” 7 “Consequently, the threat to forests is largest in those areas where lakes are also seriously threatened - in central Ontario, southern Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.” 7 Areas like these gather about twice the acid rain that forests can allow without long-term damage. 7 Trees in forests can still be damaged even if the soil is very good.5 Forests in higher elevation or on mountains are exposed to more acidity because they are surrounded by acidic clouds, and fog that are more acidic then rain. 5
Our air quality is resulted from acid rain.[viii] Acid rain has connections to other air pollution problems. 8 Smog is one result. 8 “Sulphur dioxide can react with water vapour and other chemicals in the air to form very fine particles of sulphate.” 8 These particles form smog and are an important heath hazard. 8 These particles can get into our lungs and can cause inflammation and tissue damage. 8 This affects seniors and people with heart and respiratory diseases very much. 8 Recent studies have shown that there have been more hospitals admissions because of above ground sulphate particles.[ix] People are entering the hospital for heart and respiratory problems, increased asthma-symptom days, and there are also higher death rates from these illnesses. 9 Organisms that live near the surface of an acid lake are more exposed to increases UV levels that result from a thinner ozone layer. 8 This is happening because acidity decreases the amount of dissolved organic matter in the water, making it clearer and letting the UV to enter to larger depths of the water. 8 Acid rain affects different ecosystems, people, and many animals and it is time we do something drastic about it.
(canadas efforts)
In the past Canada has done several things to try to reduce acid rain. 10 In 1985 the governments of Canada and seven eastern provinces joined to try to reduce sulphur dioxide. 10 Although Canada was successful in past in reduce sulphur dioxide an assessment showed that there are still some remaining problems. 10 These problems are more action is needed to fully protect Canada’s ecosystems, only some acidified lakes show sign of recovery, and reducing nitrogen oxides are becoming more important. 10 “Back in 1985, when the original targets for reducing sulphur dioxide were set, the effects of acid rain on lakes and other ecosystems were not well understood.” 10 Since then, many ecosystems in eastern Canada have been found more sensitive to acid rain than scientists thought. 10 Sudbury has seen the greatest improvements. 10 Now there are fish populations recovering and fish-eating birds, such as loons, have increased. 10 If we reduce nitrogen oxide emissions we will be reducing smog and it will improve our ozone to improve air quality. 10
The year 1999 was the first year after the signing of the Acid Rain Strategy. 10 The federal, provincial, and territorial governments focused their attention on an examination of acid rain science and monitoring programs. 10 “After the review, Environment Canada announced an increase in funding for its acid rain science and monitoring program over a five year period.” 10 This increased funding has guaranteed the protection of air and lake monitoring activities and has improved deposition monitoring and research. 10 The Strategy is an assurance to establish new targets and schedules for sulphur dioxide emission declined in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia has been achieved. 10 The following is a chart was made in 2000 and 2001 and shows each province’s emission targets. 10
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| “Eastern Canada Acid Rain Program Cap” | “New target under The Canada-Wide Acid Rain Strategy” | “Timeline for new target” |
| “Ontario” | “885 kt” | “442.5 kt (50% reduction)” | “2015*” |
| “Quebec” | “500 kt” | “300 kt (40% reduction) | “2002 |
| “New Brunswick” | “175 kt” | “122.5 kt (30% reduction) | “2005 |
| “Nova Scotia” | “189 kt” | “142 kt (25% reduction) | “2005 |
[i] .“What is Acid Rain?”.U.S Environmental Protection Agency. June 8th, 2007:
November 24th, 2007.http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html
[ii] “Acid Rain and… the facts”. Environment Canada. March 29th, 2005:
November 27th, 2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html
3 “Acid Deposition”. Lenntech. 1983: December 25th, 2007. http://www.lenntech.com/acid-deposition.htm
[iv] “Acid Rain - - A Contemporary World Problem” May 2000: December 25th, 2007. http://www.geocities.com/narilily/acidrain.html
5 “Effects of Acid Rain”. U.S Environmental Protection Agency. June 8th, 2007:
November 26th, 2007. http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/index.html
6 “Acid Rain and … water”. Environment Canada. March 25th, 2005: December 25th,
2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidwater.html
7 “Acid Rain and … forests”. Environment Canada. May 19th, 2005: December 25th, 2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidforest.html
8 “Acid Rain and … air quality”. Environment Canada. March 29th, 2005: December 25th, 2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidair.html
9 “Acid Rain and … your health”. Environment Canada. February 19th, 2007: December 25th, 2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidhealth.html
10 “What’s being done? What is Canada doing?”. Environment Canada. July 16th, 2003: November 27th, 2007. http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/done-canada.html
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