 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our expert term paper writing service is available for only $12.95 per page! Order Now!
Any Questions?
Feel free to contact our experienced customer support team.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acid Rain
Acid rain is a serious problem with disastrous effects. Each
day this serious problem increases. Many people believe that
this issue is too small to deal with right now, and others believe it should be met head on. In the following paragraphs I will be discussing the impact of acid rain effects on wildlife and how our atmosphere is being destroyed.
Causes
Acid rain is a cancer, eating into the face of Eastern Canada
and the North Eastern United States. In Canada, the main
sulphuric acid sources are non-ferrous smelters and power
generation. On both sides of the border, automobiles are
the main sources for nitric acid (about 40% of the total).
Power generating plants, industrial commercial, and
residential fuel combustion together contribute the rest of the nitric acid . In the atmosphere, the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides transform’s into sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Air current can send them thousands of kilometres from the
source. When these acids fall to the earth, they will
have large impact on the growth and the preservation of
certain wildlife.
No Defence
Areas in Ontario; mainly southern regions that are near the
Great Lakes, have substances as limestone or other known
antacids. These substance’s can neutralize acids entering the body of water, thereby protecting it. However, large areas of Ontario that are near the Pre-Cambrian Shield, with quartzite or granite based geology and little top soil, there is not enough
buffering capacity to neutralize even small amounts of acid
falling on the soil and the lakes. Therefore over time, the
basic environment shifts from an alkaline to a acidic one.
This is why many lakes in the Muskoka, Haliburton,
Algonquin, Parry Sound and Manitoulin districts could lose
their fisheries if sulphur emissions are not reduced
substantially.
Acid Rain Consists Of
Canada does not have as many people, power plants or
automobiles as the United States, and yet acid rain here
has become so severe that our government officials
call it the most pressing environmental issue facing the
nation. It is important to bear in mind that acid rain
is only one segment, of the widespread pollution of the
atmosphere facing the world. Each year the global atmosphere
is on the receiving end of 20 billion tons of carbon
dioxide, 130 million tons of suffer dioxide, 97 million tons
of hydrocarbons, 53 million tons of nitrogen oxides, more
than three million tons of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury,
nickel, zinc and other toxic metals. The Global atmosphere host’s synthetic organic compounds ranging from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), to toxaphene and other pesticides. A number of which may be capable of causing cancer, birth defects, or genetic imbalances.
Cost Of Acid Rain
Interactions of pollutants can cause problems. In addition
to contributing to acid rain, nitrogen oxides can react with
hydrocarbons to produce ozone (a major air pollutant
responsible in the United States for annual losses of $2
billion to 4.5 billion worth of wheat, corn, soyabeans, and
peanuts.). A wide range of interactions can occur with many unknown toxic metals.
In Canada, Ontario alone has lost the fish in an estimated
4000 lakes and provincial authorities calculate that Ontario
stands to lose the fish in 48 500 more lakes within the next
twenty years if acid rain continues at the present
rate. Ontario is not alone, on Nova Scotia's Eastern most
shores, almost every river flowing to the Atlantic Ocean is
poisoned with acid.
The Dying
Acid rain is killing more than lakes. It can scar the leaves
of hardwood forests, wither ferns and lichens. Acid rain accelerates the death of coniferous needles, sterilize seeds, and weaken the forests to a state that is vulnerable to disease infestation. In the soil the acid neutralizes chemicals vital
for growth, strips others from the soil and carries them to
the lakes and literally retards the respiration of the soil.
The rate of forest growth in the White Mountains of New
Hampshire has declined 18% between 1956 and 1965, time of
increasingly intense acidic rainfall. Acid rain no longer
falls exclusively on the lakes, forest, and thin soils of
the Northeast it now covers half the continent.
Effects
There is evidence that Acid rain is destroying the
productivity of the once rich soils themselves, like an
overdose of chemical fertilizer or a gigantic drenching of
vinegar. The damage of such overdosing may not be repairable
or reversible. On some croplands, tomatoes grow to only half
their full weight, and the leaves of radishes wither.
Naturally it rains on cities too, eating away stone
monuments and concrete structures, and corroding the pipes
which channel the water away to the lakes and the cycle is
repeated. Automobile paints have it’s life reduced
due to the pollution in the atmosphere, by speeding up the
corrosion process. In some communities drinking water is
laced with toxic metals freed from metal pipes by the
acidity. Urban skies typical visibility has declined from 10 to 4 miles, along the Eastern seaboard, as acid rain turns into smog. Also, now there are indicators that the components of acid rain are a health risk, linked to human respiratory disease.
Prevention
Acidification of water supplies could result in increased concentrations of metals in plumbing such as lead,
copper and zinc which could result in adverse health
effects. After any period of non-use, water taps at summer
cottages or ski chalets, should run the taps for at
least 60 seconds to flush any excess debris. There are now ways to reduce the level of dioxides coming out of coal burning plants, one way is to install an expensive scrubber in each smoke stack. Other possible measures include burning only low sulfur oil and coal.
Statistics
Although there is contradicting statistical data, the evidence indicates that in the last twenty to thirty years the acidity of rain has increased in many parts of the United States. Presently, the United States annually discharges more than 26 million tons of suffer dioxide into the atmosphere. Just three
states, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois are responsible for
nearly a quarter of this total. Overall, two-thirds of the
suffer dioxide into the atmosphere over the United States
comes from coal-fired and oil fired plants. Industrial
boilers, smelters, and refineries contribute 26%; commercial
institutions and residences 5%; and transportation 3%. The
outlook for future emissions of suffer dioxide is not a
bright one. Between now and the year 2000, United States
utilities are expected to double the amount of coal they
burn. The United States currently pumps some 23 million tons
of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere in the course of the
year.
Conclusion
Acid rain is real and a very threatening problem that is now being found all over the world including North America, Northern Europe and the tropical rain forest.
Action by one government is not enough. In order for things
to be done we need to find a way to work together on this
for at least a reduction in the contaminates contributing to
acid rain.
Governments should be cracking down on
factories not using the best filtering systems when
incinerating or if the factory is giving off any other
dangerous fumes.
Works Consulted
Bubenick, D.V. Acid rain information book.(1984)
White, J.C, Acid Rain.(1989)
Grolier encyclopedia.(1996)
Mackenzie J.J. Acid rains toll on forest’s(1991)
Pearce Fred, Acid Rain. What is it and what is it doing to us? - (1989)
William Stone, Acid Rain. Fiend or Foe?(1989)
Steward Gail, Acid Rain (1990)
Word Count: 1241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Can't Find a Term Paper? Use our writing
service! Our writers will help you with any term paper topic, any
number of pages and level of writing. We work 24 / 7, thus, you can get
an essay in up to
24 hours from the time the order has been submitted.
Fill in the
order
form and we will start working on your paper now! |
|
|
|
|
