The haunting effect of burning fossil fuels comes down in the form of acid rain.
The pleasing and sweet rainfall can become acidic to harm the planet. It is a serious environmental concern that needs immediate global attention. Believe it or not, acid rain is a ticking time bomb that is capable of damaging a lot soon. Go through this article to know more about acid rain.
What is acid rain?
Acid rain is any type of precipitation containing high concentrations of sulfuric and nitric acid. Apart from precipitation, it can occur in the form of fog and snow too. Usually, the pH of rainwater is around 5.6, which signifies slight acidity. The pH of acid rain becomes lesser ranging from 4.2 to 4.4.
What Causes acid rain?
The broad reason for acid rain is air pollution. Some natural phenomena like volcano eruptions can also promote acid rain formation. In simple terms, some pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) after coming in contact with air and water causes the formation of acidic substances such as nitric acid and sulfuric acid. These compounds come in contact with rain and come down to the earth in the form of acid rain. Therefore, this is due to human activities, factories, coal-burning plants, and automobiles.
Impacts of acid rain:
The global impact of acid rain is diverse. Acid rain can promote climate change at a rapid rate. Nitrogen oxides promote the formation of ground-level ozone gas, that is harmful to people. From natural resources to human health, everything can be affected badly due to acid rain. The prominent effects of acid rain became visible through changes in the texture of beautiful architecture. In India, it has impacted beautiful landmarks like Tajmahal, Victoria Memorial, and so on. Due to acidity in rainfall, the marble texture has deteriorated. It is harmful to human skin too. Let's imagine your skin is exposed to acidic water. It will eventually lead to skin rashes, infections, and other abnormalities. It can lead to asthma, cancer, or even heart diseases. As the rain is directly coming down to the waterbody, it causes havoc problems to marine ecosystems too. The wildlife and aquatic species are also facing serious issues. Due to exposure to acidic water, growth in several plant species is become downregulated. When there is excess acid deposition on the plant body, the photosynthesis ability decreases. As a result, the carbon dioxide content doesn't decrease sufficiently in the atmosphere. So, it is a cyclic process, the more is the pollution, the more is the harmful effects.
Can acid rain be neutralized?
The answer is yes. The neutralization of acid rain is possible according to scientists. But, the problem lies in the extent of acid rain. The solution depends on the reduction of air pollution. For this, everyone needs to take positive steps.
The threat on the planet Earth is coming from various directions. Thus, it is everyone's responsibility to take care of their surroundings.
