ACID RAIN.   Term Paper ID:17414 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Causes, measurement, effects, evidence, acceptable levels. Legislative efforts to correct, political resistance, environmental impact.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Causes, measurement, effects, evidence, acceptable levels. Legislative efforts to correct, political resistance, environmental impact. Paper Introduction: Ever since the 1972 Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, the international community has made significant progress in understanding the causes and consequences of acid rain. While the world is slowly coming to understand the seriousness of the problem, we continue to pour ever-more sulfur and nitrogen contaminants into the earth's atmosphere. The purpose of this research is to examine the nature and extent of the acid rain problem and to discuss proposed solutions to the problem. It is imperative that the gap between knowledge and action be closed quickly - otherwise much will be lost. Several important studies funded by the German Marshall Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, The European Economic Community, and other national and international Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The United States, for example, has beenexceedingly reluctant to negotiate a bilateral treaty with Canada on theproblem of acid rain ("In," 1987, p. One of the greater achievements from these conferences has been therealization that certain types of pollution control strategies - namely,dispersion - contributes to transboundary acid deposition. In West Germany, 2 percent to 3 percent of the standing spruce trees are estimated to be either dead ordamaged by the effects of acid deposition. Acidprecipitation. 6-13). In Minnesota, rangers in theBoundary waters Canoe Area report increased levels of mercury in trout,walleyed pike and northern pike. The natural pH value of forests is 5.3. The Taj Mahal in India and the Colosseum in Rome are also in astate of rapid deterioration. Ever since the 1972 Conference on the Human Environment was held inStockholm, the international community has made significant progress inunderstanding the causes and consequences of acid rain. The San Diego Union. It is imperative that the gap between knowledge and action be closedquickly - otherwise much will be lost. Acid deposition: Distribution and impact. Acid deposition may also release excessiveconcentrations of metals into the soil which can be poisonous to vegetation(Babich, Davis, & Stotzky, 198 , pp. Higher concentrations can lead to the increasedlikelihood of respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Lakes in the vicinity of Sudbury,Ontario, have pH values as low as 3.2. Acidic values lower thanthis will have a negative impact on trees. (1983). Whelpdale, D. The purpose of this research is to examine the nature andextent of the acid rain problem and to discuss proposed solutions to theproblem. and15, fishless lakes due to acidity. (198 , May). Plant growth and metabolism are effected andproductivity and photosynthesis decline. U.S. Most mollusks, sponges, leaches, zooplankton, fish,frogs, and salamanders cannot survive long exposures to a pH value of lessthan 4. The ramifications ofthis oversight plague the world today. These materials are usually deposited near the originalpollution source ("Committee," 1984, pp. (1984, May). In 198 , the United States attributed 65 percent of its aciddeposition to sulfuric acid, 3 percent to nitric acid and 5 percent tohydrochloric acid. It is now generally recognized that acid deposition is formed throughthe transformation of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. To get an ideaof the possible dangers of breathing acid precipitation, London was onceoverwhelmed by an extreme concentration of acid fog during the IndustrialRevolution that left dozens of people dead. The costs should beabsorbed globally through international agreements. Approximately two-thirds of eastern Canada's acid deposition originates from the UnitedStates, while one-third of the pollutant in the northeast United Statescomes from Canada (Wetstone and Rosencranz, 1983, p. More than enough scientific evidence has beencollected to verify the damage caused by acid deposition. New York: Nick Lyons. But the movement forinternational controls thus far has been staunchly opposed by the UnitedStates and Great Britain. (1983). A pH value of 4.3 is about15 times more acidic than a 5.6 value. TheSun. The scientific measurement of hydrocarbon ion concentrationis a 14-point logarithmic scale of pH values, with to 7 the acidic rangeand 7 to 14 the alkaline range. . They have initiatedinternational conferences on the study of acid rain and offered guidelinesfor national air pollution policies. Acid rain is now even endangering the humanenvironment. 6-13). (1988, August 8). Sulfates pose negative health effects on humans even when inhaled insmall concentrations. Acid deposition can also burn through leaves andneedles of trees. Izrael, J. NORTH AMERICAN LAKES Lakes in the Adirondack Mountains in New York ranged in pH from 6. For example, high acidity enhances the growth of sphagnum moss,which covers the bottom of acidified lakes and contributes to the reductionof other forms of plants (Babich, Davis, & Stotzky, 198 , pp. Long-range transport of sulfur in the atmosphere and acid rain. Algae and insects, however, are moreacid-tolerant and thrive in the absence of fish and amphibians. (1988, July 25). And the higher the pollutants are dispersed in the atmosphere,the greater the distance acidic compounds will travel. Bacteria populations maydecrease while fungi flourishes. Even the forests in theCalifornia and Nevada Sierras are now showing signs of deterioration fromacid deposition (LaRue, 1988, p. It will requireinternational agreements that "disperse" the costs of effective andexpensive technological solutions for controlling sulfuric emissions. Chronic exposure to acid deposition has been shown to discolorpaints, crack rubber, corrode metals and soils, and decay building stoneand concrete. While the world isslowly coming to understand the seriousness of the problem, we continue topour ever-more sulfur and nitrogen contaminants into the earth'satmosphere. HUMAN EFFECTS OF ACID DEPOSITION Indirect effects of acid deposition include the leaching ofwatersheds and the contamination of water storage and distribution systems. Acid rain has begun to scar the sierras. The remaining organisms may not be suitable as food for other animalsand so the food chain is disrupted. Not only is the relationship betweentoxic pollutants and human disease unclear, but there is also the questionof social costs versus human benefits. Wetstone, G., & Rosencranz, A. Acid rain and its environmental effects. Fish-eating birds, like mergansers andloons, migrated from many Swedish lakes after the death of their fishstocks in quest of food. In terms of terrestrial ecosystems, acid deposition contributes tothe depletion of calcium and magnesium from the soil, both of which areessential nutrients for vegetative life. POLITICAL OPTIONS The most obvious conclusion that can be drawn from this analysis isthat acid deposition is a serious international problem. INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM Acid deposition is a global problem. It remains a matter of debate as to how much toxic pollutants inhuman drinking water is tolerable. This is not an easy thing toaccomplish. The increase of acidity in aquatic ecosystems has had a wide range ofenvironmental effects. Acidicpollutants have been known to travel in the atmosphere as far as 2, kilometers. Other international conferences onacid rain have followed, largely at the beckoning of Canada, another netimporter of air pollution. For example, the destructive effects of acid rain on ancientGreece's Parthenon and marble sculptures of the Acropolis have become amajor concern. Wet deposition includes all gases,liquids or solids removed from the atmosphere by rain and other forms ofprecipitation. Acid rain in Europe andNorth America. Only 7 percent of sulfur dioxides in the atmosphere come from naturalsources, such as sea spray and volcanoes, about 93 percent come from man-made sources. The extent of acidic damage depends on site specificcharacteristics and the level of tolerance of the particular specieseffected. Geneva:World Meteorological Organization. Most of these pollutants are emitted fromautomobiles and industrial smokestacks (Babich, Davis, & Stotzky, 198 , pp.6-8). 1). Acid fog might make crops more vulnerable to disease and lessmarketable. Nearly 9 percent of the low pHlakes have lost their bountiful fish stocks. Acid precipitation has a pHlevel of 2 to 5, with the median pH for the northeastern United Statesmeasured at 4.3 (Boyle & Boyle, 1983, p. LaRue, S. The nations that contribute most to the acid rain problem arethe heavily-industrialized nations, who also have a greater propensity topursue the more effective and costly technological abatement programs.None of the lesser industrialized nations, who tend to be net importers ofacid rain, have resorted to these expensive technological strategies;instead, as in the case of Canada, they have adopted dispersion programsfor their own industries while calling for more stringent controls abroad. The problem of acid rain is a global problem. Los Angeles Times. While these conferences have promotedconsiderable study of the issue, they have produced very few governmentalpolicies. The Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development has estimated that in Western Europe more thanhalf of all sulfur emissions end up contaminating the country of origin,but 37 percent of emissions are deposited in a foreign country. Environment, 6-13. The acid fog in California, for example, is 1 times more acidic than the average pH of rain in the state. Motor vehicleexhaust and combustion from fossil fuel-fired power plants and industriesare the producers of large quantities of oxides of nitrogen and sulfur andby-products such as ash. M. The lag time for effects from today's emissions may be as longas 5 to 1 years for terrestrial ecosystems and 1 to 2 years foraquatic ecosystems. The popular andexpensive strategy of building tall smokestacks at pollution sources inorder to disperse and dilute sulfur concentrations in the air, actuallypromotes transboundary acid deposition. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Evidence of contaminated ground water has been reported insouthern Sweden, parts of Ontario, Canada, and the Adirondack region of NewYork. 48-53). 31). It would appearthat technological controls, such as flue gas desulfurization scrubbers(FGD), are more effective at controlling acid rain. to 8. The world sulfur dioxide emission amounted to more than2 tons annually. Increased acidity in fresh water has led to delayed egghatching, mortality of eggs and larvae, reduced growth rates, accumulationof metals (mercury) in aquatic organisms, reproductive failure in adultspecies and the mortality of adults. The longer sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide remainin the atmosphere, the greater the probability they will oxidize and becomeacids. Washington D.C.: Environmental Law Institute.----------------------- 11 This transfer of acidic gases or particles from the air to the groundtakes place by "wet" and "dry" means. NATURE OF ACID DEPOSITION Acid rain has emerged in the past few decades from a regional problemto a global problem covering vast amounts of the earth's surface.Scientists have used the term "acid precipitation" because of theoccurrence of "wet" deposits of acid snow, sleet, hail, mist, fog, frost,and dew, as well as rain. These diseases can beaffected by acid fog. in 193 , with only 4 percent of the lakes lower than 5. (1983). Normal, unpolluted water is slightlyacidic, falling within the 5.6 to 7 range. Theheavily-industrial nations must be required to reduce emissions throughexpensive technological means and perhaps, the reduction of production.But the heavily-industrial nations must not be forced to bear the entirecosts of resolving this international problem. Scandinavia, largely importers of air pollutants, have drawn globalattention to the problem of acid deposition. The growing use of coal to produce energy is resultingin a further increase of the world's sulfur emissions (Izrael, 1983, pp. By 1975,the average pH of these lakes was 4.1 to 4.3, with 51 percent of the 217mountain lakes having pH values below 5. In a fog on acid rain. The acidity of these deposits is determined by the presence of freehydrogen ions. It appears that West Germany alsofavors stringent international standards. Long-range transport of sulfur in the atmosphere and acid rain. The longer sulfur and nitrogenoxides are suspended in air, the more likely they will form into acidiccompounds. Several important studies funded bythe German Marshall Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment, The European Economic Community, and other national andinternational agencies have helped define the issue of acid rain, measureits effects, and document potential responses to the problem. Acid rain: A surveyof data and current analyses. These acids eventually find their way back to the earth in the formof rain, precipitation, or solid deposits. Nations that are netimporters of acid contaminants from other industrial countries stronglyendorse the international approach. . Geneva: WorldMeteorological Organization. In the La Cloch Mountain region ofCanada, 28 out of 67 lakes have lost the majority of their fish populationsdue to acid deposition. Today, the greatest problem of acid contamination is developing thepolitical will to curtail pollution. Area's acid fog threatens crops. This precipitation is usually deposited far away from theoriginal source of pollution. 55-65). While the effects of acid deposition on ocean water are small due toits high alkaline content, the effects on fresh water can be devastating.Fresh water ecosystems positioned on granite with a thin covering oforganic material are particularly susceptible to acidic contamination.Aquatic ecosystems in a large number of lakes in Scandinavia and Canada arealready damaged, in some cases irreparably, by the effects of aciddeposition. Much of Canada's and Germany'sforest industry is being damaged by acid rain. 39-53). House of Representatives: U.S.Congressional Report. Yet, thepolitical aspect of devising an acceptable, as well as functional, programto abate this pollution has been all but neglected. There is also an economic cost posed by acid deposition. Besidessignificant losses to the timber and fishing industries, there is someevidence that acid contamination may threaten agriculture (Atwood, 1988, p.Bl). This has contributed to increased levels of toxicity in drinking watersupplies. References Atwood, S. And vegetation may shift toward acid-tolerantspecies. As these pollutants move through the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide andnitrogen oxide are changed into sulfuric and nitric acids through theprocess of oxidation. 1-1 ). (1987, December 18). Babich, H., Davis, D., & Stotzky, G. Acid deposition dissolves calcium and magnesium carbonatein stone and marble and thus, literally is washing away Greece's ancienthistory. The increased acidity inthe soil decreases the fertility and productivity of some soils. Sweden now has over 5, lakes with pH values below 5. Boyle, R., & Boyle, A. EFFECTS OF ACID DEPOSITION There is considerable evidence that acid deposition has a damagingeffect on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, soil, surface water and evenpeople. There is still no consensus on whether acid deposition should becontrolled at the national or international level. Dry deposition includes all materialstransferred from the atmosphere to the ground by means other thanprecipitation. Now, because of the role of "dry" deposits ofacid particles, aerosols and gases in the damaging effects of acid rain,the term "acid deposition" is coming into widespread use. Sulfuricpollution is devastating our forests, our lakes, and our terrestrial andaquatic ecosystems. . Thepercentage of foreign depositions are much greater between the UnitedStates and Canada, where pollutants from heavy industry in the UnitedStates are the primary source of acid rain in Canada. A comparison of lakes in southern Norway, whichreceives severe acid deposition, shows a significant shift to lower pHvalues in recent decades resulting in the massive death of fish stocks(Whelpdale, 1983, pp. Studies also show that massmortalities of fish correspond with snowmelt in the spring (Whelpdale,1983, pp. It is poisoning our drinking water, contributing to disease,and disrupting our economy. 94). (1983). BlO). Lichens perish when exposed to highacidic concentrations. Insouthwestern Scandinavia, soils with pH values of less than 3.4 aredepleted of all alkaline ions. Acid rain. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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