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Acid Rain
Acid Rain
When rain becomes unusually acidic, it is known as Acid Rain. The acidic nature of rain is
because of atmospheric pollution which results from excessive amounts of sulfur and nitrogen
released by cars and industrial processes. The acid can also take the form of snow, mists and dry
dusts.
Acid rain is also called acid deposition because this term includes other forms of acidic
precipitation such as snow. Acidic deposition occurs in two ways: wet and dry. Wet deposition is
any form of precipitation (rain, snowfall, and hailstorm) that removes acids from the atmosphere
and deposits them on the Earths surface. Dry deposition polluting particles and gases stick to the
ground via dust and smoke in the absence of precipitation. This form of deposition is dangerous
because precipitation can eventually wash pollutants into streams, lakes, and rivers.
What is Acidity?
Acidity is measured using a scale called the pH scale. This scale goes from 0 to 14. 0 is the
most acidic and 14 is the most alkaline (opposite of acidic). Something with a pH value of 7,
we call neutral, this means that it is neither acidic nor alkaline. Very strong acids will burn if
they touch your skin and can even destroy metals. Vinegar has a pH value of 2.2 and lemon
juice has a value of pH2.3.
Acid rain is much, much weaker than this, never acidic enough to burn your skin. Rain is
always slightly acidic because it mixes with naturally occurring oxides in the air. Unpolluted
rain would have a pH value of between 5 and 6. When the air becomes more polluted with
nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide the acidity can increase to a pH value of 4. Some rain has
even been recorded as being pH2.
d) Impact on Architecture: Finally, acid deposition also has an impact on architecture and art
because of its ability to corrode certain materials. As acid lands on buildings especially those
constructed with limestone, it reacts with minerals in the stones sometimes causing it to
disintegrate and wash away. Acid deposition can also corrode modern buildings, cars, railroad
tracks, airplanes, steel bridges, and pipes above and below ground.