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Why does acid precipitation form, and why is it such a serious problem? Why does acid precipitation form, and why is it such a serious problem?

Why does acid precipitation form, and why is it such a serious problem? - PowerPoint Presentation

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Uploaded On 2022-06-18

Why does acid precipitation form, and why is it such a serious problem? - PPT Presentation

Acid Precipitation Acid Precipitation Acid precipitation includes all forms of precipitation rain sleet snow with a high concentration of acids present Acid precipitation forms when water vapor and droplets in the atmosphere combine with sulfuric and nitric oxides This forms sulfur ID: 920721

precipitation acid fact rain acid precipitation rain fact presentation sheet aquatic project forms pollution damage students organisms aluminum protons

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Slide1

Why does acid precipitation form, and why is it such a serious problem?

Acid Precipitation

Slide2

Acid Precipitation

Acid precipitation

includes all forms of precipitation

(rain, sleet, snow

)

with a high concentration of acids present.

Acid precipitation forms when water vapor and droplets in the atmosphere combine with sulfuric and nitric oxides. This forms sulfuric and nitric acids, which have a lower pH than typical rainfall.

Where do most sulfuric and nitric oxides come from?

Slide3

Acid Precipitation

pH

is a measurement of the protons present in any given compounds. The lower, the pH, the greater the concentration of protons present.

Typical rainfall has a pH of around 6. However, acid rain typically has a pH from 4 to 5, and can have a pH as low as 3.5!

Compare these pH measurements to other compounds in the pH scale to the left.

Slide4

Acid Precipitation

Acid precipitation can affect soils and plants through

acidification

– the process of adding protons to the soil, waters, or to living organisms.

Acidification removes nutrients from the soil, corrodes metal surfaces (causing runoff!) and damages trees and other plants.

Acidification also destroys aquatic ecosystems, killing organisms that cannot adapt to the new acidic pH of the habitat.

Slide5

Acid Precipitation

As stated earlier, acid precipitation causes runoff pollution from corroded metals, especially aluminum. Aluminum can build up in aquatic habitats and in living organisms, causing death.

Acidic precipitation has its worst effects in the spring, due to the double whammy of acid rain and melting acid snow flowing into waterways. This results in

acid shock

– a sudden reduction of the pH level of the water.

Acid shock affects fish

and amphibians through death and reduced fertility.

Slide6

Acid Precipitation

Acid precipitation affects people in numerous ways:

Causes health problems through ingesting food and water contaminated with aluminum and mercury.

Causes possible respiratory illness through exposure to acid precipitation over time.

Causes economic damage through the disruption of forests and aquatic ecosystems.

Causes economic damages through erosion and corrosion, especially to concrete, marble and limestone (all of these are rich in calcium carbonate!).

Slide7

Acid Precipitation

Why is acid precipitation an international problem?

Slide8

Acid Precipitation

Because acid precipitation often forms from pollutants hundreds of miles away, the damage done from acid precipitation often happens to areas far from the primary sources of pollution!

For instance, south-east Canada is and has been affected from acid precipitation – much of which originated from pollution generated from the northeast U.S.

Eventually, both countries signed the Canada-US Air Quality Agreement (1991), which has significantly reduced both local air pollution and the damage from acid precipitation.

Slide9

Acid Precipitation

Slide10

Acid Precipitation

Acid Rain Project

Your table group has been asked to hold a presentation on acid precipitation awareness for a class of middle-school students. You have also been asked to create a fact sheet that can be made available to these students after the presentation.

Your objective is to create a presentation for acid precipitation awareness, and a supplemental fact sheet that goes with your presentation.

Make

sure

it’s

appropriate for middle-school students!

Slide11

Acid Precipitation

Acid Rain Project

What information must you include?

What is acid precipitation?

How does it form?

Why is it dangerous? How does it affect forests and aquatic ecosystems?

What can we do to prevent acid precipitation?

Slide12

Acid Precipitation

Acid Rain Project

Fact sheet is due Friday Jan. 31, 2014

Presentations will be held in class Monday Feb. 3 and Tuesday Feb. 4. Make sure it is no longer than 8 minutes!

Please refer to the rubric when designing both your fact sheet and presentation.

Sample fact sheet

:

http://

www.ncsu.edu/project/bio183de/Black/chemreview/chemreview_reading/acid_rain.html