VIDEO
EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN
Holopedium collected from a lake in Ontario.
- Acid rain has primarily negative effects on the environment and especially on bodies of water. It contaminates water, making it acidic and absorbing aluminum that comes from the soil. The water then spreads to forests and plant bodies, slowly destroying the natural forests.
- Another concern regarding acid rain is the production of a jelly-covered plankton that is multiplying in Canadian lakes (due to a lack of calcium that is due to acid rain).
- The plankton is called Holopedium and is the cause of clogged water filtration pipes. It also throws the ecosystem in the lake out of balance since it doesn't rely on calcium to grow and many other organisms do.
"Acid Rain | Chemistry For All |The Fuse School"
PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
- Scientists predict that change in Canada's affected bodies of water will be a slow and expensive process. Some areas in Europe have treated acid-damaged soil with lime since it is cost-efficient and easily distributed. However, doing the same in Canada would be a risky procedure since so much of the wildlife has to be taken into account as well.
- Limestone raises the pH of water from low numbers (very acidic) to higher numbers (basic).
Acid rain occurs in Canada due to mainly human activities. Things such as the logging industry and exhaust from cars/trucks/buses release nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the air. These pollutants rise high into the atmosphere where they mix with water, oxygen, etc and form acidic pollutants that come down and cause harm to lakes/bodies of water/etc.
ACID RAIN IN CANADA
Acid rain tends to cause a "slow death" in trees and forests. It doesn't kill them straight away, but begins to destroy nutrients in roots and leaves. This inevitably weakens the trees and exposes them to toxins from the soil.