How can we avoid its consequences

Surely we have heard dozens of times of acid rain without knowing exactly what it is. It is also possible that we have a cartoon image of this very real phenomenon, a rain that corrodes and destroys everything it touches. There is something true in this but, of course, reality is a bit more complex.

First of all we must answer an obvious question: What is acid rain. We refer to acid rain to a rain that drags acid components. These components can of different types, for example nitric acid or sulfuric acid, so there is no “standard” composition of acid rain.

Acid rain does not have to be strictly, rain. Other similar events, such as fog or hail, can also make the acidic compounds of the atmosphere intermingle with water and give rise to “acid rainfall.”

In a way we can see acid rain as a variety of phenomena with a common denominator in these Acid components. The result is more acidic than normal rainfall: if the rain usually has a pH of 5.6, acid rain tends to have values pH between 4.2 and 4.4.

How acid rain occurs

Acid rain usually begins with atmospheric emissions of compounds such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) or some nitrogen oxide (NOX). These compounds can be issued by the industry or means of transport (although they can also arise naturally) and dragged from industrial and urban areas to distant areas.

In the atmosphere, these compounds can end up mixing with oxygen, water, and other components, unleashing chemical reactions that give rise to the formation of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. These acids are later captured by water itself, forming acid rain. They can also end up precipitating themselves on land, vegetation or terrestrial waters, in what we call the phenomenon of dry deposition.

How it affects the environment

According to Explains the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the effects of acid rain can be seen more clearly in aquatic environments. Although the increase in water acidity can be harmful to many species (especially young), the main risk is indirect.

When acid rain falls on the ground, it can interact with clay particles in these and Extract aluminum They could contain. Due to runoff, part of this aluminum ends in rivers and lakes, affecting aquatic life.

This aluminum can also be absorbed by plants, which implies that acid rain can also affect plants, not corroding them as we can imagine but intoxicating them from the ground. It can also make the ground lose nutrients that plants need.

Different species may have different levels of tolerance regarding these impacts, however we must take into account that ecosystems are complex systems where the loss of a piece can affect many others. EPA puts a Example with frogs: While these can endure a pH of up to 4, some of the insects they feed cannot survive in waters with a pH below 5.5.

How it affects people

Acid rain also generates impacts on people. Again, we can rule out the idea of direct damage as skin damage derived from contact with this rain. “Walking in acid rain, or even swimming in a lake affected by acid rain, is not more dangerous for humans than walking in normal rain or swimming in non-acid lakes,” Explain EPA itself.

That does not mean that acid rain does not affect us, only that it does so indirectly. Acid rain can also expose us to heavy metals. Studies on the impact of aluminum are not conclusive But we know that acidification can increase bioconversion of mercury to methylmercury and its accumulation in fish.

In addition, since this rain can affect plants, it can also influence agriculture, for example altering the pH of agrarian soils, making them more acidic.

This rain can also affect the constructions and public furniture. Here corrosion does play an important role since acidic particles interact with metal, stone and paint causing damage to the coating of buildings, statues and other elements.

The presence of acid rain is also an indicator of the existence of torqueSO2 and NOX ticleswhich in themselves can be harmful to humans when they are inhaled. That is, the same particles that cause acid rain put our health at risk to a greater extent than acid rain itself.

Consequences for the planet of acid rain

We indicated before the compounds that cause acid rain can travel displaced by atmospheric winds and currents. This implies that sometimes the emissions of certain industrial areas end up causing problems in vegetated areas to hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. That is, acid rain can have global impacts in addition to premises.

Can acid rain be avoided?

The big question then is what we can do to avoid this. The answer is In emission control of the particles that cause this problem, that is, of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

The main sources of these pollutants are the burning of fossil fuels in different sectors (transport, electricity generation or industry) is largely responsible for This type of emissions. Various limitations introduced Throughout the last decades (The last the imposed in the maritime sector to sulfur emissions) have kept at bay the potential environmental disaster derived from acid rain.

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Image | Patrick Hendry / Wal_172619