Events Of Acid Rain In China

In China, acid rain has become a large problem. It cannot be denied –the effect of toxic rain is visible even on The Leshan Buddha. The giant statue that has drawn Buddhist pilgrims, tourists, and scholars for 1200 years is now discolored, its face appearing “sooty.” This is thanks to acid rain. Because of the statues importance in the culture, acid rain is no longer considered just an environmental problem, but also a threat to heritage. China’s highly industrialized society has resulted in this man-made pollutant, the highest concentrations of the problem being in southeast China where the most people, power-plants, and factories are located. The rain has received little international attention due to China’s many other environmental problems, but is a very serious problem. It not only erodes monuments, but also eats away at the outside of buildings, destroys paint finishes, poisons land (a problem for farming), and turns bodies of water into lifeless puddles. Acid rain also results in serious health effects including lung disease, heart attacks, and asthma. 

In 2001, Beijing implemented a national target for reducing SO2 levels in the 10th Five Year Plan (2001-2005). Beijing aimed to cut sulfur dioxide emissions 10 percent below that of 2001 by 2005, but instead emissions increased 28 percent. There is hope however. Between 2006 and 2009, China’s SO2 levels decreased by more than 13 percent. The government has begun to shut down hundreds of inefficient coal-run plants. Larger plants that have the money to install a more environmentally friendly method of production have done so. These plants are required to meet certain standards, as well as install SO2 monitoring systems. There are also monitoring systems to ensure the equipment is used appropriately. This is a key part of the plan to better the factories as using the inefficient equipment will increase production. Thanks to the monitoring systems, people know they cannot get away with using the old equipment. This national step of monitoring emissions, and making an effort to change, ultimately shows that China has adopted an ideology of being environmentally aware. Though there is still room for improvement. The systems implemented by the government are not perfect, and the country has a long way to go. Still, China’s recent change in thinking and acting is a reason for hope globally.

The article was presented from all sides. Acid rain and SO2 emissions (which are among the causes of acid rain) affect many different parts of China –from the basic wear and tear of buildings, to the poisoning of farmland and destruction of national monuments. This is a social problem because it is affecting China as a whole. It affects production, and industrialization, the well-being of the population (health and livelihood), the effort to preserve culture, etc.

The Effects of Acid Rain on Forest Nutrient Status

The effects of acidic atmospheric inputs on forest nutrient status must be assessed within the context of natural, internal acid production by carbonic and organic acids as well as the nutrient inputs and drains by management practices such as harvesting, fire, and fertilization. In all cases the anion associated with acid inputs must be mobile in the soil if leaching is to occur; immobilization of anions can effectively prevent from leaching. Soil acidification will occur only if the often substantial buffering capacity of the soil in question is exceeded by acid inputs and weathering from primary minerals is insufficient to offset losses by leaching. Such circumstances are rare but certainly could occur in theory, at least, given sufficiently large acid inputs on poorly buffered soils. Soils most sensitive to change are thought to be those of moderately acid pH and low cation exchange capacity. Neither very acid soils nor neutral, highly buffered soils are sensitive to acidification by acid rain.

Leaching of Nutrients

Hydrogen ions from the acid in acid rain replace the nutrient elements in the soil. For every unit of acid added to the soil, an equivalent amount of nutrient elements is removed. As a result, more nutrients get leached from the soil than arrive from weathering of rocks or precipitation

Extremely high acid inputs, acid rain can cause temporary increases in nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in soils. While temporary increases in N availability can cause increased forest growth in N-deficient forests, increased Al availability can cause toxic reactions in tree roots. Little is known about tree aluminum toxicity levels as yet, however. It must be emphasized that assessment of acid rain effects is a problem of quantification. Given sufficiently high inputs on sensitive sites, negative effects of acid rain must occur, as is true of inputs of any substance, including H2O. Acid rain inputs of sufficient magnitude to cause acute effects, such as growth increase due to N mobilization or growth decrease due to Al mobilization, are apparently very rare under ambient field conditions. Long-term effects on forest nutrient status can be either beneficial or adverse, depending on site nutrient status and amount of atmospheric inputs.

Neutralization

The effect of acid rain on the environment depends greatly on the ability of soils to neutralize the acid. Limestone and other rocks and soils containing calcium carbonate are most effective. Acids react with calcium carbonate to produce neutral compounds and carbon dioxide. Mature forest soils are also able to neutralize the acids in rain. Such soils are acidic. Krug (1983) reports that mature soils in New England or Norwegian forests have a pH of 3.8, and they may contain as much acid as would fall in 1000 years of rain at 1m/year with a pH of 4.3. These soils are highly resistant to acid rain.

In contrast, thin alpine soils lacking carbonates and  acid and overlying granite rocks are not able to neutralize acid rain. The same is true for disturbed forests where forest fires and logging have reduced the organic material in the soil, which also make the soil more susceptible to damage by acid rain.

Influence of Acid Rain on Tropical Rainforests

Tropical rainforests are the biggest forest area in the world. They constitute 6% of the whole area of the Earth and they have great significance in water and heat balance on our planet. What is more, these forests are home for the half of the species of plants and animals we are familiar with. They are a treasure trove of nature which acid rain threatens.

The main danger to rainforests is human's wasteful economy. The forest are cut own and burnt. The processes are mainly connected with industrialization and accordingly they carry acid rain threat which is local (burning - carbon dioxide, industry - sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides). Furthermore, omnipresent and very mobile cloud and air pollution also do not omit the tropics. Even rain acidified to a very small degree whose whole total yearly fall is from 1000 to 2000 mm, destroys ever-green tress whose vegetation period lasts a whole year.

Effect of Acid Rain on Sculptures and Buildings

Acid rain is caused by pollution in the atmosphere bonding with water droplets. The pollution itself is normally sulphur or nitrogen dioxide. These compounds combine with water in the atmosphere, fall as acid rain and enter the general water supply. Initially it is more harmful to plants and animals, but this rain can have devastating effects on older buildings and statues made from certain types of stone.

Statues and sculptures

Older statues, especially those made of marble and limestone, are especially vulnerable to acid rain. This is because the rock contains large amounts of calcium carbonate, which reacts with the acids in the rain. This can cause the stone to turn to gypsum and flake off, ruining the detailing. This effect is cleaned off many statues, but can be regularly seen in graveyards where the headstones show the same erosion effect. Bronze statues are also at risk as the acid oxidizes in the metal causing corrosion.

Buildings

Due to what they are made of, buildings are less affected by acid rain. Older buildings with limestone or marble modeling on the outside can suffer from the same problem as statues. In addition, metalwork within the structure, such as copper pipes and wiring, can oxidize if exposed to acid rain.

The more obvious impacts of acid rain can be seen on particular types of stone, such as limestone and marble buildings, monuments, statues and headstones.  The weathering pits and canyons can obliterate the lettering and features of such structures to a brutal degree, depending on the type of stone and other environmental conditions.  Acid rain can also corrode bronze and other metals, such as nickel, zinc, copper, and carbon-steel as evidenced by streaks and discoloration on bridges and other metal structures, such as many commercial buildings. 

Not all buildings or structures suffer the effects of acid rain.  How big of a threat it is can be determined by the chemical makeup and  interactions of a building's materials.  Limestone and marble, which, historically, were used widely because of their availability and workability by artisans, are especially susceptible because they are composed of calcite, or calcium carbonate, which acidic chemicals can dissolve easily.  To observe this first-hand, drop a piece of blackboard chalk into a glass of vinegar.  Drop another piece of chalk into a glass of water.  The next morning, you’ll see the alarming difference.

Modern buildings tend to use granite, which is composed of silicate minerals, such as quartz and feldspar.  Silicate minerals resist acidic attacks from the atmosphere.  Sandstone, another silica material, is also resistant.  Stainless steel and aluminum tend to hold up better.  But all minerals, including those found in paint and road overlay, are affected, to some degree.
Because of the switchover in the use of certain building materials in the post-Industrial Era, historic buildings, more so than modern ones, tend to show the destructive outcome of acid rain since we first began burning fossil fuels for energy.  London’s Westminster Abbey, the Colosseum in Rome, and India’s Taj Mahal all show signs of degradation brought on by atmospheric nitric and sulfuric acids.

Prevention from deterioration

 One way to reduce damage to monuments and statues by acid rain is to use materials that are known to be acid-resistant. Granite is known for its durability and has been traditionally used for flooring and surfaces that are regularly exposed to acidic substances, including kitchen counter tops. It now is increasingly replacing marble and limestone in the manufacturing of monuments and sculptures. The metal manufacturing industry has developed several new materials that prove to be more acid and corrosion resistant than the traditional products. Other protective measures are acid-resistant coatings and resins that protect stones and metals from the penetration of acid rain. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed an Acid Rain Program that aims to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions that cause much of the damage to the monuments and sculptures. The program imposes annual emissions limits on industrial plants that produce most of the harmful substances.

Effect of Acid Rain on Lakes and Rivers

It is in aquatic habitats that the effects of acid rain are most obvious. Acid rain runs off the land and ends up in streams, lakes and marshes - the rain also falls directly on these areas.As the acidity of a lake increases, the water becomes clearer and the numbers of fish and other water animals decline. Some species of plant and animal are better able to survive in acidic water than others. Freshwater shrimps, snails, mussels are the most quickly affected by acidification followed by fish such as minnows, salmon and roach. 

Lakes, rivers and marshes each have their own fragile ecosystem with many different species of plants and animals all depending on each other to survive. If a species of fish disappears, the animals which feed on it will gradually disappear too. If the extinct fish used to feed on a particular species of large insect, that insect population will start to grow, which in turn will affect the smaller insects or plankton on which the larger insect feeds.

Life of Aquatic Organisms:
 
Some types of plants and animals are able to tolerate acidic waters. Others, however, are acid-sensitive and will be lost as the pH declines. Generally, the young of most species are more sensitive to environmental conditions than adults. At pH 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch. At lower pH levels, some adult fish die. Some acid lakes have no fish.

The roe and fry (eggs and young) of the fish are the worst affected as the acidity of the water can prevent eggs from hatching properly, can cause deformity in young fish which also struggle to take in oxygen.The acidity of the water does not just affect species directly, it also causes toxic substances such as aluminum to be released into the water from the soil, harming fish and other aquatic animals.
 
Makes Drinking water unsafe:

Water that is slightly acidic should not be dangerous, as there are many foods that have low pH
value; for example, lemon juice has a pH of 2.4. However, a low pH can indicate that there may
be other contaminants in the water, because if pollutants have been added to a water source,
the pH typically will change.

Water treatment facilities monitor the pH level of the water while they are treating it for
municipal use. Acidic or basic water is harder to disinfect than water with a pH that is closer to
7.0. As well, if acidic water was sent through pipes and into homes, there would be a greater
danger of pipe corrosion, which could allow metals to dissolve into the drinking water as it flow
through the pipes. According to the World Health Organization, a pH less than 8.0 is necessary
for effective chlorination. If the pH is too high, water treatment facilities can decrease the acidity
in a number of ways. One common method that is used to increase the pH is to send the water
through a calcium carbonate filter, which neutralizes the acid and increases the pH of the water. Another common method is to inject a sodium carbonate solution into the water.

Effect of Acid rain on vegetation

Many scientists now believe that the direct and indirect impacts of acid deposition on vegetation are substantive, whether these effects are measured in a biological or an economic context.The growth rate of spruce trees in the Green Mountains of Vermont declined by 50% between 1963 and 1973.Tree ring analysis suggests similar reductions in forest growth in Europe. Acid precipitation has been implicated in these declines, but unambiguous cause effect relationships are lacking. 

Factors

In addition to the extent of acid deposition (concentration or total deposition), the response of plants to acid deposition will depend on a number of factors including:

• Plant species, ecotype or cultivar.
• Plant age or stage of development.
• Characteristics of exposure (frequency, duration, period, form of acidity, time between exposures, and others).
• Other environmental factors that affect plant vigour.
• Buffering capacity/sensitivity.
• To address these challenges, many scientists have resorted to research in controlled environments such as greenhouses or growth chambers, using simulated acid precipitation.

Direct effects of acid precipitation on plants:

The acid rain affects the crops as well as the vegetation. The effect of acid rain on plants is grave. It not only damages the root, but also stops its growth and brings an end to the life of a plant. The nutritive value of the soil is reduced to a great extent as an effect of acid rain. Acid rain effects can be seen on the useful micro organisms which convert the decayed organic matter into essential nutrients for the soil. The consequence is that the micro organisms are killed resulting in reducing the availability of nutrients for the soil and plants. Also, the waxy layer of the leaves is damaged which make the plant more and more susceptible to diseases.

The havoc done by acid rain is not localised in the place where it is caused. The atmospheric emissions may travel for several days and over long distances depending upon wind and climatic conditions, before coming down as acid rain. The problem caused in an industrialised area may therefore result in acid rain in the surrounding forests or lakes, or even further away. It is believed that around 50% of the acid rain that occurs in Canada is due to pollution caused in the United States of America, and the effect of polluting industries in England can be felt in Norway

Sulphuric Acid Rain

The technology and industries are so much developing that there is least botheration about the atmosphere. Acid rain is one such thing caused by result of air pollution. Acid rain in general, brings down all the sulphur and nitrogen compounds present in the atmosphere. It is a problem present all over the world.A pH scale could be used to measure acid rain. Acidity increases with decrease in pH value.

FORMATION OF SULPHURIC ACID RAIN

The industries that generally emits smoke and fumes have high sulphur content in it. This reacts with the oxygen in the air and produces sulphur dioxide (SO2). The clouds already have O2  and H2O in it. When all the substance react chemically, sulphuric acid is formed.

The simple formula is

SO2 + O2 + H2 O = H2SO4


EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN
 

The above said reactions may take a long time to complete. Hence it is not necessary for the acid rain to occur only from the source of pollution area. The wind may carry away the clouds and so the acid rain may occur even hundred kilometers from polluted area.

Acid rain just doesn’t affect the life of a human being. It even destroys forests and buildings and rivers. Below is the list of effects caused due to acid rain.

• The acid rain reduces the productivity of agricultural crops by releasing aluminum after reacting with the soil, which is a very harmful substance.
• It damages and destroys the leaves that make the trees unable to perform photosynthesize.
• It also pollutes the water thus making the aquatic animals difficult to survive.
• Every building erodes by times. But acid rain is so bad that it makes the erosion process happen faster.
• They also release harmful ions into the water.
• They degrade many rich contents like magnesium and calcium from the soil.
• If the acidity level is high, then they can harm humans by creating a burning sensation in the body.

STEPS TO PREVENT

Nothing is too late when started by now. The following steps could be adhered to minimize the formation of acid rain.

• It is better to cycle or walk to reach nearby place rather than driving a car. Public transports could also be used for the same.
• The various steps to control pollution should be identified and the same should be implemented.
• Switching to use of renewable energy like wind and water is also an excellent step to be taken.
• People should stop burning rubbish things as it might lead to harmful substances in air.
• The resource used should be less and only when needed.
• It is also good to plant trees as they might absorb some polluted air and give out fresh oxygen.
• In order to restore the damage done by acid rain, limestone can be mixed in water to neutralize it.

On the final note, apart from following the above points, one should also make it necessary to educate other people so that we can live a healthy life.

ACID RAIN FORMATION

Acid rain is formed mainly because of burning of fossil fuel. When fossil fuel is burned large amount of air pollution is being formed that in turn create air pollution. The air pollution contains sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxides (NOx).In other words acid rain is caused mainly due to the chemical reaction that take place when sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide released in to the atmosphere. The acid rain formation is primarily called as acid deposition.

The component of acid deposition is sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Sulphuric acid is formed by the reaction that takes place between sulphur dioxides and water, oxygen and other chemicals in the air. Nitric acid is formed by the reaction that takes place between nitrous oxides (NOx) and water, oxygen and other chemicals in the air.

Burning of coal, oil, natural gas, wood is generally called fossil fuel which is the main reason behind formation of acid rain. The reason does not only stop with the list of chemical it includes human activities too. Humans are also one of the main reasons behind the formation of acid rain. They release so many pollution knowingly and unknowingly.In simple terms acid rain is formed because of pollution.

Out of hundred percentage of the acid rain formation, 70% is caused mainly because of sulphur dioxide. The electrical utility plant is the main source of sulphur dioxide. Rest thirty percentage is because of the exhaust that comes out of cars, buses, trucks etc. 

The reaction that takes place in air takes time, it can be for hours, it can be for days, and during the reaction the polluted air will be covering miles and kilometers. The acid rain when it falls it not only destroys the environment but also the life of a human being, plants, animals and also destroys the organisms in lakes and ponds. If acid rain destroys forest it ultimately affects the humans. If forest is being affected, humans may not get fresh air in the long run, water and even the atmosphere gets damaged as well.

 The emission that comes out of automobile causes 30% of the acid rain formation. This emission can be controlled by humans. Instead of taking cars, two wheeler, to drive to a particular place, one can take up a cycle or else can go walking. Which is healthy for oneself and as well as for the environment.

The main reason for the sulphuric acid formation is due to the in proper usage of electricity.
The other way to reduce is to use electricity properly. Seventy percentage of acid rain formation is due to sulphur dioxide formation. The electricity usage if properly used the formation of acid rain can be prevented to a certain extend. Switching off light, turning off  TV when not in use, putting computer in off mode instead of sleep mode, reducing air conditioning and heat usage are some of the prevention technique from the formation of acid rain.