WEATHERING (PT.2)

Acid Rain

Formed when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are released into the atmosphere from cars and factories

The gases combine

With the water vapour in the atmosphere and fall as acid rain

Acid rain can form in one region but

Can be blown by the wind to another

Effects of acid rain (4)

Forests – Soils – Freshwater – Buildings

Forests

Nutrients in the soil can be affected by acid rain

Soils

With the soil more acidic, it is harder to grow crops

Freshwater

Rivers and lakes can become so acidic that fish and plants die

Buildings

Buildings, statues and gravestones can become damaged e.g. the Colosseum in Rome

Solutions to Acid Rain (3)

Modern cars – Renewable energy – Burn less energy

Modern cars

More energy efficient – electric cars – cleaner for the atmosphere

Renewable energy

Sources like these are being developed worldwide leading to the reduction of the burning of fossil fuels

People are encouraged to

Burn less energy in their homes to ease pressure on the environment

How is limestone affected by the process of carbonation?

Rainwater absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, forming a weak carbonic acid

The weak carbonic acid

Seeps into the cracks of the permeable limestone rock

A chemical reaction occurs between

The acid and the calcium carbonate in the limestone, slowly dissolving the rock

The dissolved material is then

Carried away by rainwater, gradually wearing down the limestone