The Effects of Acid Rain

Does acid rain affect your town? If you live in Northeastern United States, Southeastern Canada or Europe, acid rain may be effecting where you live.  Acid rain is created when pollution from cars and industries combines with water droplets.  The sulfur and nitrogen released from the fossil fuels which combine with water droplets are acidic and cause damage to the earth.

One of the effects of acid rain is that it lowers the PH of bodies of water.  As acid rain falls it goes directly into rivers and lakes. It also runs off the soil into the water.  If the acidity level gets to high then life in these bodies of water cannot be sustained. It is estimated that around 50,000 lakes in the United States and Canada have a PH lower than normal.

Acid rain also damages forests. When acid rain falls on forests it can it can make them lose their leaves, damage the bark and stunt their growth.  Damage to forests by acid rain is seen all over the world, but the most advanced cases are in Eastern Europe. It’s estimated that in Germany and Poland, half of the forests are damaged, while 30% in Switzerland have been affected (source: www.geography.about.com).

Acid rain is dangerous to our environment.  It causes damage to the beauty that God created. I believe it is important to reduce pollution and thus lower acid rain.