What are three causes of acid rain?

Answer 1

Acid rain is a widespread term used to describe all forms of acid precipitation (rain, snow, hail, fog, etc.). Atmospheric pollutants, particularly oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, can cause precipitation to become more acidic when converted to sulphuric and nitric acids, hence the term acid rain. Acid deposition, acid rain and acid precipitation all relate to the chemistry of air pollution and moisture in the atmosphere. Scientists generally use the term acid deposition but all three terms relate to the same issue.

Answer 2

Acid rain or, more accurately, acid depositions, or preciptation, occurs naturally from lightning, volcanic eruptions, pollution from forest fires, vegetable and other organic decay and various other natural factors, including ocean spray.

Natural causes of atmospheric pollutants account for less than 10% of the total; about 95% of nitrogen oxides and more than 90% of sulphur dioxide released into the air are generated by mankind.

The problem of man-made acid depositions was first noticed and recorded in the 1600s and the term 'acid rain' was coined by chemist Angus Robert Smith in his 1872 book, 'Air and Rain: The Beginnings of Chemical Climatology'.

It took almost another hundred years following the publication of Smith's book before we belatedly admitted the problem was serious, wasn't going away, and frighteningly, was inevitably going to become worse.

Hardest of all to admit was the fact that we were causing it more or less all by ourselves, and we're still trying with great difficulty to come to terms with that.

It's one thing to take to plant and animal pests with poisons, traps and guns, and quite another to wonder whether we, personally and as a global community, might make a division between things we need and things we want, and then decide which of the latter group we're prepared to get by without in order to have the planet reward us richly by humming along a little more sweetly for a little longer.

Answer 3

1. Emissions from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, which react with water vapor to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
2. Industrial activities, including mining, smelting, and refining, release various pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that contribute to acid rain.
3. Vehicle emissions, especially from cars and trucks, release nitrogen oxides that can combine with water vapor in the atmosphere to form nitric acid, a component of acid rain.

Answer 4

Release of nitrogen and sulfur oxides from the combustion processes of fossil fuels and derivatives lead to the formation of acids in the Earth atmosphere.

Answer 5

burning of fossil fuels which release SO2, SO3, (sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide) etc. which dissolve in rainwater to form H2SO3 and H2SO4 (Sulfurous and sulfuric acid)

Answer 6

lightning,volcanic eruptions,fires and bacterial compositions

Answer 7

Volcanic Eruptions