Acid Rain

Acid Rain is caused by pollution containing sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxide, and ozone ( SOý, NOx, and Oý ) is released
into the air. These chemicals are absorbed into clouds and
results in Acid Presipitation ( Acid Rain, Acid Snow, Acid
Hail, Acid Sleet ). When the chemicals aren't absorbed into
clouds, they can drift for miles and fall to the ground,
resulting in Acid Deposition, or dry deposition. When Acid
Rain falls into water it is mixed in with the normal water
and causes the pH of the entire body to be raised.
Measurments on the pH ( potential Hydrogen ) scale, rise
exponentialy, thus, a lake with a pH of 4 is ten times as
acidic as a lake with a pH of 5, and a lake with a pH of 3
is 100 times as acidic, After many rain falls of Acid rain,
the pH of a normal lake ( 5.8 ) to 4. Acid Rain has been
known to reach the acidicy of pH 2, ( battery acid has a pH
if 1 ) this is a drastic change, as normal rain is average
pH 5.2. Acid Rain can dissolve limestone and chalk, and
corrodes outdoor structures. Statues and monuments that are
left unprotected can fall victim to the unpredjudiced
destruction of acid rain. Acid Rain reacts to different
types of soil and rocks in two ways. 1) Acid rain will
dissolve alkaline rocks and soil, or will neutralize the
alkalinity. 2) Acid rain will increase the acidicy of
already acidic rocks and soil, such as granite, or the soil
which results from corroded granite. Acidic chemicals,
and alkaline chemicals react to each other by reducing the
alkalinity or acidicy of each other. Which ever has the
strongest pH level, usually will neutralize or reduce the
pH of the other, but after the reaction is complete, both
substances have undoubtably changed, their pH moved closer
to neutral ( pH 7 ). This knowledge led to the use of
Salting. Salting ( dropping salt, chalk, or limestone into
lakes and streams ) is a done to reduce the acidicy of the
water, and neutralize the water, counteracting the effects
of the acid rain. This involves literally tonnes of salt,
and an Airplane with a bombay. This is only a temporary
solution, as putting salt into the water will not stop the
acid from coming, it just neutralizes what is already
there.