Acid Rain Case Study

What is acid rain?

A mix of anthropogenically acidified precipitation and the dry deposition of acidifying gases

When was acid rain discovered?

1963

What is the normal pH of rain?

5.6

Which two pollutants react with water and oxygen to form acid rain?

SO2 and NOx

Where do SO2 and NOx usually come from?

Industrial gas and internal combustion engines

Ecological effects of acid rain

Soil depletion

Stress

Ecosystem shifts

Water system acidification

Biota impacts

Soil depletion

Loss of calcium and other base cations

Reduced buffering capacity of soil

Reduced primary productivity

Alter of carbon and other nutrient storage

Disruption of sulfur and nitrogen cycles

Acid rain is a _________ ________ that leads to gradual shifts in ecosystems

Long-term stressor

Water system acidificaiton

pH drop in lakes and streams that mobilizes toxic aluminum

Impact on biota

Fish and invert mortality

Damage to forests and plant life

The trend in acid rain has been ________ since its discovery.

Decreasing