Summary: The Effects Of Acid Rain

2.3 Effects of Acid Rain on the Environment and Human Society. Acid deposition is a serious regional problem occurring near and in many areas downwind from coal burning power plants, smelters, factories, and large urban areas according to Miller (1998). SO2 is emitted primarily by stationary sources such as power plants that burn fossil fuels whereas NOx are emitted by both stationary and mobile sources such as automobiles. How serious vegetation and aquatic life in nearby lakes are affected by receiving acid deposition depends on the alkalinity or acidity of its soils. In some areas, soils contain enough calcium ions (Ca2+) and magnesium ions (Mg+2) that are attached to the negatively charged minerals in the soil to neutralise or buffer

Classical buildings on the Acropolis in Athens show extensive decay or chemical weathering that accelerated in the 20th century as a result of air pollution in the form of with SO2 and NOx emissions, and other acid producing substances in the atmosphere. This problem has escalated to such an extent that buildings require restorations, protective coatings on statues, and other monuments have to be replaced quite frequently at very expensive costs per year. Stone decays about twice as fast in cities than in rural areas. This damage is mainly as a result of acid rain, humidity in the atmosphere, as well as from corrosive groundwater. This means that measuring the rates of stone decay can tell us something about the changes in the pH of rain and groundwater in different regions and years. It is now possible, given the ages of stone buildings and other structures, to determine whether the acid rain problem has changed over

It affects the natural environment, ecosystems and our health and that of animals and plants. Hence the increased awareness and attention is paid to acid rain and concepts such as ocean acidification. It also has major political impacts. China, the world's largest user of coal, and India, the fourth largest user, are using their own coal reserves to rapidly increase their industrial growth. Reducing coal use, the major culprit in acid rain formation, is going to be economically and politically difficult. Developing counties such as China that rely heavily on coal are facing a serious acid rain problem.e formation of acid