Section 7.8: Acid Precipitation

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, causes, chemical processes, environmental impacts, buffering mechanisms, and remediation strategies of acid precipitation.

Acid precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet, or other precipitation with a pH below $5.6$.

Normal rain

Rain that has a pH of about $5.6$ because carbon dioxide dissolves in water.

Wet deposition

Acidic rain, snow, sleet, or fog.

Dry deposition

The settling of acidic gases and particles directly onto surfaces.

Sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$)

A primary pollutant released by industries, metal smelting, and burning coal that reacts with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$).

Nitrogen oxides ($NO_x$)

Pollutants released by vehicle engines and combustion processes that react with oxygen and water to form nitric acid ($HNO_3$).

Sulfuric acid formation

The sequence where sulfur reacts with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide, which reacts with oxygen to form sulfur trioxide, which then reacts with water to yield sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$).

Nitric acid formation

The sequence where nitrogen and oxygen react to form nitric oxide, which reacts with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide, which then reacts with water to yield nitric acid ($HNO_3$).

Aluminum (environmental impact)

A substance released into the soil and washed into lakes by acid precipitation that damages fish gills and harms aquatic life.

Buffering capacity

The ability of an environment to resist changes in pH.

Limestone

A mineral rock containing calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) that can neutralize acids, providing areas with a higher buffering capacity.

Granite

A rock type found in areas that generally have a lower buffering capacity against acid precipitation.

Scrubbers

Equipment installed to remove pollutants from industrial emissions.

Lime (lake treatment)

A substance added to acidic lakes to temporarily raise their pH.