Diagram acid rain causes. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that contains acidic components such as sulfuric or nitric acid. Likewise acid rain that falls on soil and on plant leaves causes drying of the waxy leaf cuticle. The main causes of acid rain are gases called sulfur dioxide so2 and nitrogen oxides nox. When these gases are discharged into the atmosphere they react with the water oxygen and other gases already present there to form sulfuric acid ammonium nitrate and nitric acid.
This diagram shows how the process of acid rain works. Human activities are the main cause of acid rain. The sulfuric and nitric acids formed in the atmosphere fall to the ground mixed with rain snow fog or hail. The sulfuric and nitric acids formed in the atmosphere fall to the ground mixed with rain snow fog or hail.
What causes acid rain. Which ultimately causes rapid water loss from the plant to the outside atmosphere and results in death of the plant. The biggest sources are coal burning power plants factories and automobiles. Acid rain affects nearly everything.
Causes of acid rain rotting vegetation and erupting volcanoes release some chemicals that can cause acid rain but most acid rain is a product of human activities. So2 and nox become acids when they enter the atmosphere and react with water vapor. Acid rain also known as acid deposition is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide so2 and nitrogen oxides nox from power plants cars and factories. Study the causes effects along with a few examples and understand the prevention measures.
Acid rain causes effects and control strategies. Over the past few decades humans have released so many different chemicals into the air that they have changed the mix of gases in the atmosphere. Article pdf available april 2015 with 98165 reads how we measure reads a read is counted each time someone views a publication summary. In addition the exhaust from cars trucks and.
Natural sources like volcanoes forest fires and lightning strikes also add to the man made pollution. Plants soil trees buildings and even statues. Power plants release the majority of sulfur dioxide and much of the nitrogen oxides when they burn fossil fuels such as coal to produce electricity. First the acidic gases are released into the atmosphere.
Acid deposition can be caused by natural sources such as volcanoes but it is mainly caused by the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide during fossil fuel combustion. Wet deposition is what we most commonly think of as acid rain. Finally the acid rain kills plantlife pollutes rivers and streams and erodes stonework.