Why is acid rain harmful to animals and plants?

Answer 1

Acid rain is a result of air pollution. When any type of fuel is burnt, lots of different chemicals are produced.

The smoke that comes from a fire or the fumes that come out of a car exhaust don't just contain the sooty grey particles that you can see - they also contains lots of invisible gases that can be even more harmful to our environment.

Power stations, factories and cars all burn fuels and therefore they all produce polluting gases.

Some of these gases (especially nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide) react with the tiny droplets of water in clouds to form sulphuric and nitric acids.

The rain from these clouds then falls as very weak acid - which is why it is known as "acid rain".

Acid Rain and Forests

It is thought that acid rain can cause trees to grow more slowly or even to die but scientists have found that it is not the only cause. The same amount of acid rain seems to have more effect in some areas than it does in others.

As acid rain falls on a forest it trickles through the leaves of the trees and runs down into the soil below. Some of it finds its way into streams and then on into rivers and lakes. Some types of soil can help to neutralise the acid - they have what is called a "buffering capacity".

Other soils are already slightly acidic and these are particularly susceptible to the effects of acid rain.

Acid rain can effect trees in several different ways, it may:

dissolve and wash away the nutrients and minerals in the soil which help the trees to grow.

It can cause the release of harmful substances such as aluminium into the soil. wearing away the waxy protective coating of leaves, damaging them and preventing them from being able to photosynthesise properly.

A combination of these effects weakens the trees which means that they can be more easily attacked by diseases and insects or injured by bad weather.

It is not just trees that are affected by acid rain, other plants may also suffer.

Acid rain can be carried great distances in the atmosphere, not just between countries but also from continent to continent.

The acid can also take the form of snow, mists and dry dusts.

The rain sometimes falls many miles from the source of pollution but wherever it falls it can have a serious effect on soil, trees, buildings and water.

Forests all over the world are dying, fish are dying.

Scientists have been doing a lot of research into how acid rain affects the environment.

In Scandinavia there are dead lakes, which are crystal clear and contain no living creatures or plant life.

It seems even Freshwater Fish are threatened, there have been reports of deformed fish being hatched.

This leads to fish-eating birds and animals being affected also.

　

Answer 2

Acid rain can be harmful to animals and plants because it lowers the pH of the soil and water, making it harder for organisms to take in nutrients. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies and toxic metal accumulation in their tissues. Acid rain can also damage the respiratory systems of animals and harm the membranes of plants, affecting their growth and reproductive capabilities.

Answer 3

it's ACID rain.