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Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH).Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid rain has a pH level lower than this and ranges from 4–5 on average.
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]
Concrete damaged by acid rain. Buildings made of any stone, brick or concrete are susceptible to the same weathering agents as any exposed rock surface. Also statues, monuments and ornamental stonework can be badly damaged by natural weathering processes. This is accelerated in areas severely affected by acid rain. [53]
The Acid Rain Program is a market-based initiative taken ... the allowance market system known today as the Acid Rain ... may occur in combination with other actions ...
When the sulfuric acid molecules either spontaneously nucleate or condense on existing aerosols, they can grow large enough to form nuclei for raindrops and precipitate as acid rain. Rain containing elevated concentrations of SO 2 kills vegetation, which then reduces the ability of the area's biomass to absorb CO 2 from the air. It also creates ...
These are thought to be the principal pathways for formation of nitric acid in the atmosphere. [8]: 224–225 This nitric acid contributes to acid rain or may deposit to soil, where it makes nitrate, which is of use to growing plants. The aqueous phase reaction 2 NO 2 + H 2 O → HNO 2 + HNO 3
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Acid rain is also a frequent risk produced by lightning. Distilled water has a neutral pH of 7. "Clean" or unpolluted rain has a slightly acidic pH of about 5.2, because carbon dioxide and water in the air react together to form carbonic acid, a weak acid (pH 5.6 in distilled water), but unpolluted rain also contains other chemicals. [58]