Acid Rain, Ozone Depletion, Global Warming

Introduction

The standard practices of running the economy of the industrialized nations all over the world has caused catastrophic results to our environment such as Acid Rain, Ozone depletion, and Global Warming. These three main topics has raised an international debate on what to do about it and are we blowing things way out of concern when it comes to its impacts to the natural world and the future generations.

What is Acid Rain?

Acid Rain is the result of the emissions of sulfate and nitrates into the atmosphere from the burning coal to produce electricity and deposited to the earths surfaces as an acid. The debate goes on today if acid rain is the major cause of the fish to disappear in the lakes and streams in the Adirondack region.

Studies have proven that acid rain does come from the coal burning plants from the mid-west region and deposited in the mid-atlantic, eastern states, and Canada. The studies also show that the amount of acid rain formed and deposited is not enough to cause the streams and lakes in these regions to be devoid of fish. They believe it is a combination of both man made and natural causes. An ecosystem can get a good dose of acid from its own environment from surface run-off coming into contact with peat moss under the pine forest canopy, alkaline base rocks, and cracks in the bedrock. Natural means is not the total blame for aquatic systems to become acidic. If this was the case then fish would have disappeared long ago. We believe that the fish can build up a certain tolerance that mother nature has to offer. But with the onset of acid rain, it was too much for them to handle and died off.

What is Ozone Depletion?

The Ozone layer is a thin layer in the atmosphere made up of oxygen atoms (03) that absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) from reaching the earths surface. The ozone is being depleted by chemicals released into the atmosphere likechlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon tetraflouride, methyl chloroforms, chlorofluoromethanes (aerosol repellents and as refrigerants). The problem is when CFC's reach the ozone layer, it is broken down by the UV -B rays and it is these free chlorine atoms that do the damage to the ozone. One free chlorine atom will destroy 100,000 ozone molecules before it dies off.

There are some natural means that effect ozone like volcano eruptions, and drastic changes in weather problems (El Nina and La Nina). What would happen if a hole was breached and UV-B rays were able to pass through. This has already happen. Scientists have discovered a hole over the Antarctic and some mid-altitude regions over Chile in South America. The Mapuche Nation lives under one of these holes in the ozone and they have seen an increased number of skin cancer and blindness among their people. They see a huge impact to the plants and animals in their surrounding environment.

Scientists believe that species on earth will have to adjust their UV-B composition in order to survive. At least humans can put on sunscreen to protect them from the UV-B rays. Animals don't have this luxury. Plants will have a hard time surviving, unless there is drought conditions, then they won't be able to survive at all. Plus the addition of UV-B rays will heat the earths surface which adds to global warming which leads us to our next topic.

What is Global Warming?

Global warming is the result of the troposphere trapping heat causing a greenhouse effect. Studies have shown that the rise in CO2 has a direct relationship with temperatures rising on earth. CO2 and other greenhouse gas is produced by, burning of fossil fuels (coal,oil), transportation,

deforestation practices, agricultural practices (cattle and rice farming). The United States is the biggest contributor to green house gas. The results from global warming could prove to be catastrophic to our environment. The World will experience a decrease in biodiversity. coastal lands underwater due to the glaciers melting in the polar regions, see severe droughts and floods due to the disruption of the water cycle. Entire ecosystems could be altered as the range of distribution of plants and animal species change. Economically, the costs to society is enormous. Diseases will increase in diseases like malaria, yellow fever, and cholera. These types of diseases flourish during warm weather There is one benefit we could see from global warming. Crop yield will increase in some regions by 30 to 40%. But this will be negligible because crop yield will decrease in other regions by the same amount. S

In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio, 18 developed countries agreed to cap industrial emissions of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gas. Some even went further to cut their emissions to 1990 levels. No country today has done this yet. The US being the biggest emitter of Greenhouse gas didn't agree to anything from the earth summit because they did not want to tie the hands of industry and fossil fuel burning plants in fear of hurting the economy of this country. They have an the attitude that they should be able to pollute as much as they want for the free world and everybody else should cut back.

What Can You and I do About It?

As consumers, we have to curve our appetite for destruction. Parents. educators, political, and spiritual leaders have to come together and work together for the good of the environment and make sure there is an environment for the future generations. The children of the world have to make the adults live up to this goal. From attending meetings. we know we can't leave it up to the governments to do something. Look what happened to the Earth Summit and look at the prosperity the US economy experienced under the Clinton Administration and still did nothing to decrease the CO2 levels in the states fearing it will hurt the economy. Now that the US is in a recession, The Bush Administration is looking at slashing every environmental regulation there is

on the books to spur the economy. The faster the rate of climate change, the harder it will be for nature and humans to adopt to those changes. If the rate of change is slow, then we can surely adapt. Our mission for the next decade should be to slow the rate of change and this needs to happen now. We must begin to consider how important our wetlands. our forests, species of fish, plants and animals. We must take the energy away from fossil burning plants and put it towards alternative energy technologies (Solar, Wind, bio-mass). In mid 70s to the mid 80s, US experienced an oil crisis and pushed energy conservation. As a result, the US was able to save 150 billion dollars per year, displaced the need for 14 million barrels of oil per day and reduced CO2 levels by 40%. We know it can be done if we all work together.

Energy Conservation - For the Home, For the Environment

How to save energy in the home!

Lighting

• Shut the lights off when you leave the room. We can't stress this enough. Replace all candescent light bulbs with compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing a 75 watt bulb with an 18 watt CFL bulb will prevent the generation of 1 tonne of CO2 and 25. Lbs. Of 804 and last three times longer and will save you over $45.00 per year on energy costs.
• Utilize the sunlight as much as possible because it is free.
• Paint surfaces in light colors, they reflect the light to other areas ofthe room.
• Use motion detector lights for the outside lighting.

Windows & Doors

Windows and doors are considered the weakest link to your home. They account for 10 to 25% of the heat loss to your home.

• Build an awning or walkway entrance around your door to keep the cold air out and sunlight from warming your house in the summer time.
• Caulk around all windows and doors.
•  Put up insulated curtains for the winter time. Keep them open during the day, close them at night.
• Put up light colored shades or blinds.
• Put your hand on the inside of the window, if it is cold, then the heat from the room will be transferred to the outside. You might need additional protection around your windows like putting plastic around the outside.
• When building a new home, or replacing new windows, check for the highest r-value you can find for your home. It may cost you more, but save you money in the long run. A single pane window will lose up to 12 times as much heat than a single pane. This adds up to 1 gallon of oil per day that is lost per window.

Refrigerator & Freezers

One of the biggest energy consumers in the household.

• If you have an old refrigerator, it is time to replace it because the old refrigerators are not energy efficient.
• When selecting a new refrigerator, look for the most energy efficient model out their on the market. Look for an energy saver label, higher the number, more energy you save.
• If you have a second refrigerator, unplug it and get rid of it, because you don’t need it.
• Locate away from sunlight, and away from any appliance that creates heat, like ovens, dishwasher or dryer.
• Keep the top uncluttered.
• Clean the conditioner coils in the back.
• Check the temperature on a regular basis. The temperature inside should be kept around 35-40 degreesfahrenheit.

• Think of what you want before you open the door, then reach in and grab it as fast as you can.
• Cover liquids and foods. Label food containers.
• Check the gaskets around the door - place a paper in the door opening, close the door with the paper half in and half out. If you can slide the paper out with no resistance, its time to adjust the door latch of replace the seal and gasket around the door.
• If you have to purchase a freezer, select the chest top with manual defrost. It consumes less energy  up to 35%. If we go back to the old ways of preserving our foods like canning, drying, etc. we could eliminate the use of freezers.
• Install an energy saving green plug. This device reduces the voltage of electricity feeding into your appliance.

Hot Water Heater

The second largest consumer in the household.

• Add water efficiency fixtures to all faucets and showerheads, Saves on the use of hot water and will save on the life span of your hot water heater.
• Fix a leaky faucet right away. One drop per second for a month will waste enough water for 16 baths.
• Take seven minute showers instead of baths.
• If you have to mix cold water when you turn on the hot water, your temperature is set to high. Most Hot water heaters are set at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You could set it to 115 to 120 degrees to suit most household needs.
• Never leave the plug out when running hot water.
• Insulate your tank and all hot water pipes.
• Add rigid board insulation to the bottom of your tank.
• Add anti- convection valves to the inlet and outlet pipes to the hot water heater. It will save you 8 to $28 per year.
• Turn off your hot water heater when you go on vacation.
• Add a shut off switch to your unit so it shuts off why you sleep.
• If your hot water heater or boiler is more than 10 years old, replace it.
• Try to select your own hot water unit for your own home. Most new homes, they select for you and saving energy is not in their best interest.
• Selecting the cheap conventional electric tank hot water heater will add $5,500 to your energy bill.
• A solar hot water system is the best way to go.
• Washing dishes manually is more energy efficient than any dishwashers.

Washers and Dryers

• Wash in full loads
• Wash with cold water instead of hot. Clothes will get as clean in cold water as in hot water.
• Soak clothes with tough stains in cold water first before washing.
• Locate washer closer to your hot water heater.

• It is more energy efficient to wash your clothes at the laundromat than using the conventional washing machine in the home. They use a third of the less water, can wash more clothes at one time, use less the detergent, and use 60% less the energy.
• Ring clothes out before putting them in the dryer.
• Electric clothes dryers are more efficient than gas dryers, but burn more fossil fuels to run an electric dryer to a gas dryer.
• The most energy efficient clothes dryer is the clothes line.

Cooking

• Look for the most energy efficient stove on the market. Gas stoves are more efficient than electric stoves.
• Cover pots when cooking or heating foods up.
• Size up the appropriate pan for the right job.
• Boil the right amount of water you need to cook with. You don’t want to heat up what you don’t need.
• Cook in bulk. It is cheaper to re-heat than cook from scratch.
• Use microwaves to heat up foods. Use 1/3 less electricity than ovens.
• The most energy efficient way to thaw out food is take it out the night before, instead of using the microwave or oven.. Plan your meals ahead of time.
• Convection ovens with self cleaning are more energy efficient when it comes to electric ovens.
• Cook with glass or ceramic when cooking in the oven. Make sure it is full. Less space to heat up.
• Get an oven with a light, so you don’t have to open the door to see if your food is done.
• Consider using the broiler instead of the oven, no warming process involved. Cooks in less time.
• Crock pots are very energy efficient in cooking stews and soups.
• Use pressure cookers when appropriate. Cook foods at higher temperatures in such a short time.
• Electric kettles are by far the most energy efficient way to boil water for your hot tea.
• Use toaster ovens to cook small meals.

Heating and Cooling

• Because heat rises, insulating your ceiling and attic should be your first priority. It can save you up to 30% on your heating bill. Make sure you have the proper vapor barrier underneath your insulation. If the insulation absorbs moisture, it can no longer perform its duty.
• Select the right furnace for your home. Keep it maintained on a regular basis.
• Keep air ducts clean. Dust and dirt can impede the flow of hot air to your rooms.
• Seal all leaky ducts and pipes.
• Heat pumps can reduce your heating bill by 30%, by moving hot air from one room to another.
• Add insulated foam gaskets behind switch and plug outlets located on exterior walls.

• Remove screens in the wintertime, reduces the solar increase gain to your home by 40%
• Apply window films to your windows and doors, help keep heat inside in the wintertime, and help reflects sun rays in the summertime.
• If you use an air conditioner, make sure it is shaded on the outside.
• Fans is the most energy efficient way to cool a room.
• Don’t keep fans or air conditioners on overnight.
• Apply light colored surfaces to the exterior of your home. Dark colors absorb heat from the sun.
• Build your home on a slab. Keeps the house cool in the summertime, saves on heating costs in the winter.

Landscaping

• Orientate your home to the proper surroundings.
• Plant coniferous trees on the north side to keep the north wind out. Plant deciduous trees on the south, east, and west side of the house, to keep the sunlight  out. Properly planted trees can reduce your cooling bill by 35%.

Automobile

Your car emits the same amount of CO2 of your body weight every 300 km you drive.

• Plan your trips. Make several stops, instead of going out, coming home, then going out again.
• Driving a 4 cylinder instead of a six cylinder will save you $ 500 a year.
• Driving at 55 mph instead of 65 mph will save you 10% in your fuel costs.
• Car pool every chance and every where you go.
• Tune up your vehicle twice a year.
• Make sure your exhaust system is functioning properly. This helps your vehicle run in an efficient manner and not polluting the environment.
• Keep your speed steady on the highways. Use your cruise control. Speeding up and slowing down increases fuel consumption.
• Remove car racks when not needed.
• Never leave your car running when you leave your vehicle. Your car emits more CO2 when idling and waste gas needlessly.
• You only need to warm up your vehicle for 60 seconds before driving in the wintertime.
• Use a scrapper to clean the ice off the windows instead of the heater.
• The most energy efficient transportation known to man is the bicycle, besides his two left feet.

Things You Can Do to Help The Environment – Why Recycle?

Energy matters begin in the home.

• Every tonne of newsprint recycled about 2000 daily newspapers will save the equivalent of 19 trees.
• Plant trees whenever and wherever you can.
• Every tonne of steel recycled, saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore to be excavated out of mother earth.
• It takes 70% less energy to produce aluminum from recycled products than from raw materials.
• Recharge batteries, they may not last as long, but saves energy and materials in producing a new one.
• You can save more than 400 Kilo-watt hours of electricity in  one year by recycling all the glass, steel, paper aluminum, plastic, bottles, and cans in your household.
• Compost all your organic waste in your household. This will reduce your garbage volume by 40%
• Never burn your leaves. Always compost them.
• Protect Wetlands. They absorb carbon out of the air, and filter chemicals out of the water.
• Buy things that are re-usable, use over and over again.
• Don’t buy merchandise that are over packaged.
• Bring your bags to the grocery store.
• Buy stuff in bulk, break it down into smaller portions when you get home.
• Wash your plastic bags and tin foil after use. You can keep using your plastic bags until they don’t re-seal anymore or it gets a hole in it.
• Use rags instead of paper towels to clean up spills.
• Avoid fast food restaurants, and if you can’t avoid fast food restaurants, then avoid the drive thru. Eat at a place that has real utensils for you to eat with.
• Keep an electricity log in your home. 

Biomes and Ecosystems

Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions. Explore the links below to learn more about different biomes.

Earth's biomes are areas with similar climate, geography, and other conditions as well as similar plants, animals, and other living things.

A biome is made of many similar ecosystems. An ecosystem is often much smaller than a biome, although the size varies.

Ecosystems are the interactions between the living things and the nonliving things in a place. In an ecosystem, the plants, animals, and other organisms rely on each other and on the physical environment – the soil, water, and nutrients, for example.

Even though they are living in the same place, each species in an ecosystem has its own role to play.  This role is called a niche. The niche for one species might be to climb trees and eat their fruit, while the niche for another species might be to hunt for small rodents.  For a tree, a niche might be to grow tall and make food with the Sun’s energy through the process of photosynthesis. If the niche of two species is very similar, they might compete for food or other resources.

Sometimes ecosystems get out of balance. If, for example, it rains a lot and a type of bird that thrives with extra water increases in numbers, other species in the ecosystem might be crowded out. The birds might take food or space or other resources from other species.  They might eat all the food. Sometimes an ecosystem naturally gets back into balance. Other times an ecosystem will become more and more out of balance.  Today, human actions are having an impact on ecosystems all over the world. Making buildings and roads, fishing and farming all have an impact on ecosystems.  Pollution on land, air pollution, and water pollution is sending many ecosystems out of balance too.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is a general term used to describe different kinds of acidic air pollution. Although some acidic air pollutants return directly back to Earth, a lot of it returns in rain, snow, sleet, hail, mist or fog, which is why we call it acid rain.

When power plants, factories, houses and cars release pollution into the atmosphere, it contains chemicals known as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Sometimes, these chemicals fall directly back to the ground. This is called dry deposition. The rest of the time, they mix with water (moisture) in the air to form acids. Once these acids have formed, they can be transported long distances by the wind before being deposited in rain, snow or hail. This is what we commonly call acid rain.

During the 1970s, scientists in Sweden and Norway began noticing that acid rain was damaging their trees and fresh water. Much of the acid rain was caused by pollution that was transported through the air from other countries, primarily the United Kingdom. After that, acid rain was understood to be an international problem.

Acid rain can have harmful impacts on the ecosystems in the environment. It acidifies the soil and water where it falls, damaging or killing plants and animals. Surface water acidification can lead to a decline in, and loss of, fish populations and other aquatic species including frogs, snails and crayfish. Acid rain affects trees, usually by weakening them through damage to their leaves. Certain types of building stone, such as limestone and marble, can be slowly dissolved in acid rain.

The Effects of Air Pollution: Acid Rain

Acid rain describes sulfuric and nitric acids deposited from the atmosphere. Often associated with precipitation, the term also applies to dry acidic materials. These acids commonly result from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides reacting with moisture and other substances in the atmosphere. Although there are natural sources for these chemicals, much attention has been given to man-made sources, such as coal power plants. Acid rain is problematic due to acidification of soil, rivers, and lakes beyond the tolerance range of plants and animals. Acid rain can also erode man-made structures. 

Acidifying Waters

Water resists rapid changes to pH --- a measure of the acidity of a substance with lower numbers indicating stronger acidity. However, even this resistance is overcome by prolonged and persistent exposure to acid rain. Ecosystems within lakes and rivers may be vulnerable to acidification of the water in surprising ways. For example, mayflies die off at a pH of 5.5, while trout and perch can survive in much more acidic water. However, with the decline of mayflies and other insects, trout may have insufficient food to support their population. At pH 5 many fish eggs fail to hatch and juvenile fish tend to be more susceptible to acidity, impairing the fish population's continued health. 

Forests

Direct contact with acid rain can weaken trees and destroy their leaves. This is especially true in high altitude forests where the trees are frequently immersed in an acid cloud. Acid rain can also harm trees in a more subtle fashion by reducing nutrient levels and increasing the level of toxic substances in the soil. The buffering capacity of soil varies greatly between different soil types, resulting in greater damage to forests in some areas than others, even though the acid rain exposure may be similar. 

Cars

Many people take great pride in maintaining the appearance of their vehicle, but acid rain can literally erode the vehicle's protective coating. To counter these effects, automobile manufacturer's have begun coating new vehicles with acid-resistant paints. 

Buildings

Limestone and marble construction materials are especially damaged by acid rain. This is due to the calcite mineral content in these materials that is easily dissolved away. This damage is readily seen in older stone buildings and monuments where carvings placed in the stone have eroded. Not all stone is susceptible. Granite and sandstone have a chemical composition that does not react with acid rain, though some types of sandstone contain carbonate, which will react.

Human Health

Physical contact with acid rain, either as droplets falling from the sky or from swimming in an acidic lake, has little direct impact on the health of humans. However, the pollutants responsible for the formation of acid rain are associated with an increase in respiratory disease and other illnesses. These pollutants may even infiltrate indoor spaces causing problems ranging from asthma to premature death. Laws such as the Clean Air Act strive to reduce the amount of pollution in the air. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that between 1980 and 2009, the national average for sulfur dioxide in the air decreased by 76 percent, and nitrogen dioxide decreased by 48 percent.

Why is Acid Rain Harmful?

Acid Rain Can Cause Health Problems in People

Air pollution like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory diseases, or can make these diseases worse. Respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic bronchitis make it hard for people to breathe. The pollution that causes acid rain can also create tiny particles. When these particles get into people’s lungs, they can cause health problems, or can make existing health problems worse. Also, nitrogen oxides cause ground-level ozone. This ground-level ozone causes respiratory problems, like pneumonia and bronchitis, and can even cause permanent lung damage. The health effects that people have to worry about are not caused by the acid rain, but are caused when people breathe in these tiny particles or ozone. Swimming in an acidic lake or walking in an acidic puddle is no more harmful to people than swimming or walking in clean water.

Acid Rain Harms Forests

Acid rain can be extremely harmful to forests. Acid rain that seeps into the ground can dissolve nutrients, such as magnesium and calcium, that trees need to be healthy. Acid rain also causes aluminum to be released into the soil, which makes it difficult for trees to take up water. Trees that are located in mountainous regions at higher elevations, such as spruce or fir trees, are at greater risk because they are exposed to acidic clouds and fog, which contain greater amounts of acid than rain or snow. The acidic clouds and fog strip important nutrients from their leaves and needles. This loss of nutrients makes it easier for infections, insects, and cold weather to damage trees and forests.

Acid Rain Damages Lakes and Streams

Without pollution or acid rain, most lakes and streams would have a pH level near 6.5. Acid rain, however, has caused many lakes and streams in the northeast United States and certain other places to have much lower pH levels. In addition, aluminum that is released into the soil eventually ends up in lakes and streams. Unfortunately, this increase in acidity and aluminum levels can be deadly to aquatic wildlife, including phytoplankton, mayflies, rainbow trout, small mouth bass, frogs, spotted salamanders, crayfish, and other creatures that are part of the food web. 

This problem can become much worse during heavy downpours of rain or when the snow begins to melt in the spring. These types of events are known as episodic acidification.

Acid Rain Damages Buildings and Objects

Acid rain can also have a damaging effect on many objects, including buildings, statues, monuments, and cars. The chemicals found in acid rain can cause paint to peel and stone statues to begin to appear old and worn down, which reduces their value and beauty.

History on the effect of the Acid Rain

1. In Sweden, over 18,000 lakes have become so acidic due to acid rain that all the fish have died. Some success has been achieved by dumping vast quantities of rocks like limestone into the lakes, because these rocks destroy the acid, but for most of the lakes it will be many years after we stop producing acid rain before the water returns to normal.
2. In what used to be called West Germany the government discovered that more than 70,000 square kilometers of forests had died because of acid rain. In the old East Germany, the damage was even worse due to factories creating much more pollution. It is not always the country that produces the pollution that suffers from the acid rain. For example, industrial pollution from the United Kingdom is blown across the sea and falls as acid rain over Norway and Sweden.
3. Acid rain is not just a European problem; it occurs around the world. In North America thousands of lakes along the eastern coast are so acidic that fish cannot survive any longer, and at least 10 percent of the lakes in the Adirondack region have a pH value of five or less. ( A pH of 7 is neutral, pure water. Lower values are acidic, higher values are alkaline. )
4. In the Appalachian Mountains a World Resources Institute report in the late 1980's stated that the acidity of clouds on the mountains was 100 times greater than it would be if it wasn't polluted. In consequence, trees were dying.

     With all this damage, why do we still produce so much pollution and continue tolerating acid rain? Well, it's basically because governments don't consider it important enough. They believe that other things are more important, such as making sure that industry continues to grow and that the prices of goods are kept as low as possible. Making factories cleaner costs money, and unless everyone does it, the clean factories wont be able to make goods as cheaply as the dirty ones,and will make less money.

Developed countries also make huge profits from the exploitation and sale of the fuels that produce the pollution. The technology exists to run all our cars and lorries on other 'cleaner' fuels, but the oil companies wouldn't want that to happen, and neither would the governments that tax the oil companies! 

What is the relationship between Sulphuric Acid and Acid Rain?

 Acid rain takes place as a direct result of the natural cleaning process of the atmosphere. The tiny droplets of water which form clouds confine within them the suspended solid particles and gases in the atmosphere. Among these gases are sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides which are them chemically converted into sulfuric and nitric acids. Other than this some sulfuric acid may also be formed directly in the droplets of water from the reaction of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide.

Some of the effects caused by acid rain and the sulfuric acid present in it are:

• The acid may react with buildings and marble made structure by reacting with the Calcium carbonate and this reaction forms Calcium bicarbonate which is soluble and hence causes the structures, buildings etc to deteriorate.  

• Acid rain can filter aluminum from the soil and make it get mixed with ground water, lakes or rivers. This can poison fish and many plant roots. 

•Acid rain disrupts the process of photosynthesis, hence causing damage to plant life 

•If the acid rain is highly concentrated, it slows down the production of chlorophyll and at high concentration it may kill plants.

The relationship between Acid Rain and Corrosion?

Acid rain is the mixing of different harmful gases such as sulfur and nitrogen and when they mix with rain they form acid rain.The main causes of these harmful gases are cars,various factories and powerplants.Due to the harmful emissions acid rain is formed.As population increases so do all these harmful emissions.One of the main contributors that lead to acid rain are coal powerplants.As to why the corrosion,well when sulfuric acid and the calcium compounds in various buildings and monuments mix together they lead to the creation of gypsum which eventually flakes off leading to corrosion.Acid rain also has many diverse effects on the environment.

When  petroleum burns, it  produces oxides of nitrogen and  that rise up into the atmosphere.  There they get mixed by wind and undergo chemical reactions with sunlight and moisture. After some days,  the sulfuric acid and nitric acid particles fall as acid rain. So not only sulphuric acid is involved but nitric acid also plays an important role. Due to acidic features acid rain eats into the stone surfaces at once. These particles settle into crevices and molding, and
the damage they create comes later. When rain comes in contact with the deposits  corrosion is there.

What can the Acid Rain do to the soil and water?

Soils

Soil biology and chemistry can be seriously damaged by acid rain. Some microbes are unable to tolerate changes to low pHs and are killed.The enzymes of these microbes are denatured (changed in shape so they no longer function) by the acid. The hydronium ions of acid rain also mobilize toxins, e.g. aluminium, and leach away essential nutrients and minerals.

2H⁺ (aq)+ Mg²⁺ (clay)⇌ 2H⁺ (clay)+ Mg²⁺(aq)

Soil chemistry can be dramatically changed when base cations, such as calcium and magnesium, are leached by acid rain thereby affecting sensitive species, such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum).

Acid rain has many adverse effects on plant life. It may be direct or indirect. It stunts the growth of plants. The worst adverse effect is that acid rain seriously damages the soil biology.Only a few microbes consume acids. The enzymes of there microbes change shape by the acid. To retain the pH of the soil lime stone can be used.

Surface waters and aquatic animals

Both the lower pH and higher aluminum concentrations in surface water that occur as a result of acid rain can cause damage to fish and other aquatic animals. At pHs lower than 5 most fish eggs will not hatch and lower pHs can kill adult fish. As lakes and rivers become more acidic biodiversity is reduced. Acid rain has eliminated insect life and some fish species, including the brook trout in some lakes, streams, and creeks in geographically sensitive areas, such as the Adirondack Mountains of the United States.However, the extent to which acid rain contributes directly or indirectly via runoff from the catchment to lake and river acidity (i.e., depending on characteristics of the surrounding watershed) is variable.