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The nitric acid flush of meltwater may cause a sharp, short term, decrease in the drainage water pH entering groundwater and surface waters. [7] The decrease in pH can solubilize Al 3+ that is toxic to fish, [8] especially newly-hatched fry with immature gill systems through which they pass large volumes of water to obtain O 2 for respiration ...
Diagram depicting the sources and cycles of acid rain precipitation. Freshwater acidification occurs when acidic inputs enter a body of fresh water through the weathering of rocks, invasion of acidifying gas (e.g. carbon dioxide), or by the reduction of acid anions, like sulfate and nitrate within a lake, pond, or reservoir. [1]
Upon exposure to oxygen (O 2) and water (H 2 O), metal sulfides undergo oxidation to produce metal-rich acidic effluent. If the pH is low enough to overcome the natural buffering capacity of the surrounding rocks (‘calcium carbonate equivalent’ or ‘acid neutralising capacity’), the surrounding area may become acidic, as well as contaminated with high levels of heavy metals.
Yellow boy in a stream receiving acid drainage from surface coal mining. Water temperatures as high as 47 °C (117 °F) [9] have been measured underground at the Iron Mountain Mine, and the pH can be as low as −3.6. [10] Organisms which cause acid mine drainage can thrive in waters with pH very close to zero.
The term ‘acid sulfate soils’ (ASS) was coined by the Working Party on Nomenclature and Methods for the first International Symposium on Acid Sulfate Soils (1972, Wageningen) to mean soils that contain, or have the potential to produce, sulfuric acid in quantities that cause significant and long-lasting changes in key soil properties. [22]
Acid rain is also capable of detrimenting soil composition by stripping it of nutrients such as calcium and magnesium which play a role in plant growth and maintaining healthy soil. In terms of human infrastructure, acid rain also causes paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and weathering of stone buildings and statues ...
The causes of soil alkalinity can be natural or man-made: The natural cause is the presence of soil minerals producing sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3) upon weathering. Coal-fired boilers / power plants, when using coal or lignite rich in limestone, produce ash containing calcium oxide.
As it is the byproduct of sewage treatment, it generally contains more contaminants such as organisms, pesticides, and heavy metals than other soil. [4] In the European Union, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows sewage sludge to be sprayed onto land. The volume is expected to double to 185,000 tons of dry solids in 2005.