Acid rain, a great problem in our world

Essay by HUSSAIN MOMINHigh School, 12th gradeB+, March 1997

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INTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fish

and plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race as

well, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. It

is a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. However

acid rain on it's own is not the biggest problem. It cause many other

problems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly.





It is caused by today's industry. When products are manufactured many


of properly disposing of these products they are often emitted into the

atmosphere with little or no treatment.


scientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may be

causing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by the

time that the scientist found the problem it was already very large.

Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not become

acid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some times

decades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early.

At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the river

Tovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 local inspectors

were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to show signs of death.

Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. As the winters ice

began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundreds more dead fish

(trout in particular) were being found. It was at this time that scientist

began to search for the reason. As the scientists continued to work they

found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile, further up the

river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of the rivers. What they

found were many more dead fish. Many live and dead specimens were taken

back to labs across Norway. When the live specimens were examined they were

found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical

symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had entered the gills of the fish and

poisoned them so that they were unable to extract salt from the water to

maintain their bodies sodium levels.

Many scientist said that this acid poising was due to the fact that it

was just after the winter and that all the snow and ice was running down

into the streams and lakes. They believed that the snow had been exposed to

many natural phenomena that gave the snow it's high acid content. Other

scientists were not sure that this theory was correct because at the time

that the snow was added to the lakes and streams the Ph levels would change

from around 5.2 to 4.6. They believed that such a high jump could not be

attributed to natural causes. They believed that it was due to air

pollution. They were right. Since the beginning of the Industrial

revolution in England pollution had been affecting all the trees,soil and

rivers in Europe and North America.

However until recently the loses of fish was contained to the southern

parts of Europe. Because of the constant onslaught of acid rain lakes and

rivers began to lose their ability to counter act their affects. Much of

the alkaline elements; such as calcium and limestone; in the soil had been

washed away. It is these lakes that we must be worried about for they will

soon become extinct.

A fact that may please fishermen is that in lakes/rivers they tend to

catch older and larger fish. This may please them in the short run however

they will soon have to change lakes for the fish supply will die quickly in

these lakes. The problem is that acid causes difficulties the fish's

reproductive system. Often fish born in acid lakes do not survive for they

are born with birth defects such as twisted and deformed spinal columns.

This is a sign that they are unable to extract enough calcium from the

water to fully develop their bone. These young soon die. With no

competition the older,stronger can grow easily. However there food is

contaminated as well by the acid in the water. Soon they have not enough

food for themselves and turn to cannibalism. With only an older population

left there is no one left to regenerate themselves. Soon the lake dies.

By the late 1970s many Norwegian scientists began to suspect that it

was not only the acid in the water that was causing the deaths. They had

proved that most fish could survive in a stream that had up to a 1 unit

difference in PH. After many experiments and research they found that their

missing link was aluminum.

Aluminum is one of the most common metals on earth. It is stored in a

combined form with other elements in the earth. When it is combined it

cannot dissolve into the water and harm the fish and plants. However the

acid from acid rain can easily dissolve the bond between these elements.

The Aluminum is then dissolved into a more soluble state by the acid. Other

metals such as Copper (Cu), iron (Fe) etc can cause such effects upon the

fish as well however it is the aluminum that is the most common. For

example: CuO + H2SO4 ----------> CuSO4 + H2O

In this form it is easily absorbed into the water. When it comes in

contact with fish it causes irritation to the gills. In response the fish

creates a film of mucus in the gills to stop this irritation until the

irritant is gone. However the aluminum does not go always and the fish

continues to build up more and more mucus to counteract it. Eventually

there is so much mucus that it clogs the gills. When this happens the fish

can no longer breath. It dies and then sinks to the bottom of the lake.

Scientists now see acid, aluminum and shortages of calcium as the three

determining factors in the extinction of fish.

As well there is the problem of chlorine. In many parts of the world

it is commonly found in the soil. If it enters the fish's environment it

can be deadly. It affects many of the fish's organisms and causes it to

die. As well it interferes in the photosynthesis process in plants.

NaOH + HCl ----> NaCl + H2O

The carbon in the water can become very dangerous for fish and plants

in the water if the following reaction happens:

CaCO3 + 2HCl ---> CaCl2 + H2CO3 then

H2CO3 ---> H2O + CO2

The salt created by this reaction can kill. It interferes directly with

the fish's nervous system.

Acid lakes are deceivingly beautiful. The are crystal clear and have a

luscious carpet of green algae on the bottom. The reason that these lakes

are so clear is because many of the decomposers are dead. They cannot break

down that material such as leaves and dead animals. These materials

eventually sink to the bottom instead of going through the natural process

of decomposition. In acid lakes decomposition is very slow. 'The whole

metabolism of the lake is slowed down.'

During this same period of time the Canadian department of fisheries

spent eight years dumping sulfuric acid (H2SO4) into an Ontario lake to see

the effects of the decrease in the PH over a number of years. At the PH of

5.9 the first organisms began to disappear. They were shrimps. They started

out at a population of about seven million, but at the pH of 5.9 they were

totally wiped out. Within a year the minnow died because it could no longer

reproduce it's self.

At this time the pH was of 5.8. New trout were failing to be produced

because many smaller organisms that served as food to it had been wiped out

earlier. With not enough food the older fish did not have the energy to

reproduce. Upon reaching the pH of 5.1 it was noted that the trout became

cannibals. It is believed this is due to the fact that the minnow was

nearly extinct.

At a pH of 5.6 the external skeletons of crayfish softened and they

were soon infected with parasites, and there eggs were destroyed by fungi.

When the pH went down to 5.1 they were almost gone. By the end of the

experiment none of the major species had survived the trials of the acid.

The next experiment conducted by the scientists was to try and bring the

lake back to life. They cut in half the amount of acid that they dumped to

simulate a large scale cleanup. Soon again the cuckers and minnows began to

reproduce again. The lake eventually did come back; to a certain extent;

back to life. THE NEW THEORY:

A scientist in Norway had a problem believing that it was the acid

rain on it's own that was affecting the lakes in such a deadly way. This

scientist was Dr Rosenqvist.

'Why is it that during heavy rain, the swollen rivers can be up to

fifteen times more acid than the rain? It cannot be the rain alone that is

doing it, can it?' Many scientist shunned him for this however they could

not come up with a better answer. Soon the scientists were forced to accept

this theory.

Sulfuric acid is composed of two parts, know as ions. The hydrogen ion

is what make a substance acid. The other ion is sulphate. When there are

more hydrogen ions then a substance is acid. It is this sulphate ion that

we are interested in. When the rain causes rivers to overboard onto the

banks the river water passes through the soil. Since the industrial

revolution in britain there has been an increasing amount of sulphur in the

soil. In the river there is not enough sulphur for the acid to react in

great quantities. However in the soil there is a great collection of

sulphur to aid the reaction. When it joins the water the pH becomes much

lower. This is the most deadly effect of acid rain on our water!!! The

water itself does not contain enough sulphur to kill off it's population of

fish and plants. But with the sulphur in the soil it does.


Acid rain is a big problem. It causes the death of our lakes, our rivers,

our wild life and most importantly us. As well it causes other problems

that are very serious as well such as the release of aluminium and lead

into our water supplies. We are suffering because of it. In Scotland there

are many birth defects being attributed to it. We must cut down the

releases of chemicals that cause it. But it will take time, even if we were

to stop today we would have the problem for years to come because of the

build up in the soil. Let's hope we can do something.


Penguin Publishing House, 1987 , Pearce Fred Acid Rain. What is it and

what is it doing to us?

New York Publishers, 1989, William Stone Acid Rain. Fiend or Foe?

Lucent books, Inc. 1990, Steward Gail Acid Rain.