Acid Rain: Formation, Effects, and Prevention

• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) releases into the atmosphere when fossil fuels combust.
• Sulfur dioxide gas mixes with rainwater, creating sulfuric acid.
• Burning fossil fuels in factories, power stations, and vehicles releases nitrogen oxides (NO₂) into the atmosphere.
• Nitrogen oxides can dissolve into rainwater, forming nitric and nitrous acids.
• Sulfuric, nitric, and nitrous acids lower the pH levels of rain, creating acid rain.
• Acid rain damages buildings, harms plants by reducing their growth, and washes away nutrients from the soil.
• Acid rain acidifies lakes and rivers, threatening aquatic organisms and ecosystems.
• Substances like aluminum salts, typically found in lake mud, dissolve more readily in acidic solutions, harming aquatic life.
• Burning fossil fuels releases microscopic liquid or solid particles, like dust, into the atmosphere.
• Suspended pollutant particles in the atmosphere may cause respiratory diseases.
• Carbon monoxide is released when carbon-containing compounds burn with insufficient oxygen.
• When inhaled, carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells.
• Carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from binding to hemoglobin and deprives the body's cells of oxygen.
• High concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause fatal poisoning, posing a risk to those with heart disease or anemia.

Photochemical Smog

• Smog is a form of air pollution combining fog and smoke.
• Photochemical smog is a brownish mist formed when gases like unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides react with sunlight.
• Photochemical smog is common in densely populated cities with many vehicles.
• High levels of photochemical smog can cause eye and throat irritation and breathing difficulties.
• Photochemical smog can lead to increased risk of birth defects and premature death.

The Greenhouse Effect

• Gases in Earth's atmosphere help keep the planet warm enough for life.
• The atmosphere allows most shortwave radiation from the sun to pass through.
• Some radiation from the sun reflects off Earth's surface back into space.
• The remaining radiation is absorbed by Earth's surface and emitted as longwave radiation (infrared radiation).
• Atmospheric gases block long wavelengths.
• Some re-emitted longwave radiation passes into space, but the rest is absorbed.
• Trapping heat near Earth's surface is the greenhouse effect.
• Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) trap radiation.
• Greenhouse gases permit visible light energy to pass through but trap longwave radiation.
• Trapped long-wavelength radiation keeps the planet warm.

Explore the causes and consequences of acid rain, including sulfur and nitrogen oxides released from burning fossil fuels. Learn about its harmful effects on buildings, plants, soil, and aquatic ecosystems due to acidification. Discover the impact of pollutants, such as aluminum salts and particulate matter, on environmental and human health.