Environment Pollution and Climate Change
Open Access

Acid rain; Air pollution

Introduction

It has been demonstrated that acid rain has negative effects on forests, freshwaters, soil, microbes, insects, and aquatic life. Consistent acid rain weakens the durability of tree bark in ecosystems, making plants more vulnerable to drought, heat/cold, and pest infestation. Corrosive downpour is likewise fit for detrimenting soil sythesis by stripping it of supplements, for example, calcium and magnesium which assume a part in plant development and keeping up with sound soil. In addition to having an effect on human health, acid rain also causes paint to peel, steel structures like bridges to corrode, and stone buildings and statues to weather.

A few legislatures, remembering those for Europe and North America, have put forth attempts since the 1970s to decrease the arrival of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the environment through air contamination guidelines. These endeavors have had positive outcomes because of the far and wide exploration on corrosive downpour beginning during the 1960s and the plugged data on its hurtful impacts. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lightning, and volcanic eruptions are the primary sources of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that cause acid rain. Although acid rain has a much smaller global impact on oceans, it has a greater impact in the shallower waters of coastal waters. Acid rain can cause the pH of the ocean to decrease, a process known as ocean acidification, making it more difficult for various coastal species to construct the exoskeletons they require to survive. Coral’s limestone skeleton is particularly sensitive to pH decreases because calcium carbonate, a core component of the limestone skeleton, dissolves in acidic (low pH) solutions. These coastal species link together as part of the ocean’s food chain; without them, more marine life will die [1-4].

Discussion

Excess atmospheric nitrogen contributes to both acidification and phytoplankton and other marine plant growth, which may increase the frequency of harmful algal blooms and eutrophication (the formation of oxygen-depleted “dead zones” in some parts of the ocean).

Fish and other aquatic animals may suffer harm as a result of the acid rain’s lower pH and higher aluminum concentrations in surface water. The majority of fish eggs will not hatch at a pH below 5, and lower pH can kill adult fish. The diversity of lakes and rivers decreases as they become more acidic. In some lakes, streams, and creeks in geographically sensitive areas, such as the Adirondack Mountains in the United States, acid rain has eliminated insect life and some fish species, including brook trout. However, the extent to which acid rain directly or indirectly contributes to lake and river acidity (i.e., depending on characteristics of the surrounding watershed) is variable. On the website of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States, it reads: Lakes hosted by silicate basement rocks are more acidic than lakes hosted by limestone or other basement rocks with a carbonate composition (such as marble) due to the buffering effects of carbonate minerals, even with the same amount of acid rain.” Acid rain caused acidity in about 50% of the acidic streams and 75% of the acidic lakes of the lakes surveyed [5-8].

Both acidic water and soil acidification can have a significant or minor effect on plants. The majority of minor cases in which plant life does not die can be attributed to the plants’ reduced susceptibility to acidic conditions or the reduced potency of acid rain. However, even in minor instances, the plant will ultimately perish as a result of the acidic water’s ability to lower the plant’s natural pH. Acidic water enters the plant and causes important plant minerals to dissolve and be carried away; which, in the end, causes the plant to die because it doesn’t have enough minerals to eat. Similarly, acid rain that falls on soil and on plant leaves causes drying of the waxy leaf cuticle, which ultimately causes rapid water loss from the plant to the outside atmosphere and ultimately results in the death of the plant. One can closely observe the plant leaves to determine whether a plant is being affected by soil acidification. Major cases, which are more severe, go through the same process of damage as minor cases, which are the removal of essential minerals, but at a much faster rate. The pH of the soil is normal and suitable for plant life if the leaves are green and appear to be healthy. However, if there is yellowing between the veins on the plant’s leaves, this indicates that the plant is acidified and unhealthy. Additionally, a plant that is acidified in the soil is unable to photosynthesize; chloroplast organelles can be destroyed during the drying process that is caused by acid and water. If a plant is unable to photosynthesize, it will not be able to produce oxygen for aerobic organisms or nutrients for its own survival. This will have an impact on the majority of species on Earth and, in the end, will defeat the purpose of the plant’s existence. Adverse effects, such as the acid’s effects on soil (see above) or a high concentration of gaseous acid rain precursors may have an indirect connection to acid rain. Forests at high altitudes are particularly vulnerable because they are frequently surrounded by fog and clouds that are more acidic than rain.

The application of lime and fertilizers to replace nutrients minimizes the impact on food crops, which can also be damaged by acid rain. In developed regions, limestone may likewise be added to build the capacity of the dirt to keep the pH stable, however this strategy is generally unusable on account of wild terrains. Red spruce trees become less tolerant of cold and are more likely to suffer injury or even die during the winter if calcium is leached from their needles. Western nations have been coming to an agreement on international treaties regarding the long-distance transport of atmospheric pollutants for some time. Beginning in 1979, nations from Europe gathered to ratify the UNECE Convention’s general principles. The goal was to stop Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution [9-10].

Conclusions

The Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions under the Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution was a way to make the convention’s results better. Aftereffects of the deal have proactively worked out as expected, as confirmed by a rough 40 percent drop in particulate matter in North America. Additional international commitments to stop the spread of particulate matter have been inspired by the effectiveness of the Convention in combating acid rain. In 1991, the Air Quality Agreement was signed by the US and Canada. The treaties were signed by Canada and most European nations. Movement of the Long-Reach Trans boundary Air Contamination Show stayed lethargic after 1999, when 27 nations met to additionally decrease the impacts of corrosive rain. In 2000, unfamiliar collaboration to forestall corrosive downpour was started in Asia interestingly. Ten diplomats from various nations on the continent met to talk about ways to stop acid rain.

1. Laden F, Schwartz J, Speizer F, Dockery D (2006) Reduction in fine particulate air pollution and mortality – extended follow-up of the Harvard six cities study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 173: 667-672.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

2. Kunzli N, Jerrett M, Mack W, Beckerman B, Labree L, et al. (2005) Ambient air pollution and atherosclerosis in Los Angeles. Environ Health Perspect 113: 201-206.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

3. He C, Morawska L, Hitchins J, Gilbert D (2004) Contribution from indoor sources to particle number and massconcentrations in residential houses. Atmos Environ 38: 3405-3415.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

4. Dobbin NA, Sun L, Wallace L, Kulka R, You H, et al. (2018) The benefit of kitchen exhaust fan use after cooking - An experimental assessment. Build Environ 135: 286-296.

Google Scholar, Crossref

5. Kang K, Kim H, Kim DD, Lee YG, Kim T (2019) Characteristics of cooking-generated PM10 and PM2.5 in residential buildings with different cooking and ventilation types. Sci Total Environ 668: 56-66.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

6. Sun L, Wallace LA, Dobbin NA, You H, Kulka R, et al. (2018) Effect of venting range hood flow rate on size-resolved ultrafine particle concentrations from gas stove cooking. Aerosol Sci Tech 52: 1370-1381.

Google Scholar, Crossref

7. Rim D, Wallace LA, Nabinger S, Persily A (2012) Reduction of exposure to ultrafine particles by kitchen exhaust hoods: The effects of exhaust flow rates, particle size, and burner position. Sci Total Environ. 432: 350-56.

Google Scholar, Crossref

8. Singer BC, Pass RZ, Delp WW, Lorenzetti DM, Maddalena RL (2017) Pollutant concentrations and emission rates from natural gas cooking burners without and with range hood exhaust in nine California homes. Build Environ 43: 3235-3242.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

9. WHO (2005) Air Quality Guidelines - Global update 2005.
10. Kim H, Kang K, Kim T (2018) Measurement of particulate matter (PM2.5) and health risk assessment of cooking-generated particles in the kitchen and living rooms of apartment houses. Sustainability 10: 843.

Google Scholar, Crossref