#4 Acid Rain.

"Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from both natural sources, such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) andnitrogen oxides (NO_x) resulting from fossil fuel combustion. In the United States, roughly 2/3 of all SO₂ and 1/4 of all NO_x come from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels, like coal. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles.

Wet Deposition

Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow. If the acid chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the weather is wet, the acids can fall to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, or mist. As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a variety of plants and animals. The strength of the effects depends on several factors, including how acidic the water is; the chemistry and buffering capacity of the soils involved; and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that rely on the water.

Dry Deposition

In areas where the weather is dry, the acid chemicals may become incorporated into dust or smoke and fall to the ground through dry deposition, sticking to the ground, buildings, homes, cars, and trees. Dry deposited gases and particles can be washed from these surfaces by rainstorms, leading to increased runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting mixture more acidic. About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition.

Personal Response:

Acid rain is definitely not good for our environment, it comes about from the greenhouse gases that is filling our earth right now. However, we are unable to tell that the rain is acidic as the rain will not immediately eat away at everything that it touches. It slowly takes effect, to the point where we only realize the effects of it on our world way too late for us to be able to do anything. I feel that we should start trying to PREVENT acid rain from happening by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the world. But, i feel that this is impossible as the greenhouse gases come from what we use every day, such as hair sprays. Therefore i do hope that one day someone will be able to figure out a way to let us safely use out electronics, without contributing to the killer greenhouse gases that is the cause for the acid rain to hit our earth.

References: What Is Acid Rain?http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html