Why is Sweden badly affected by acid rain?
Why is Sweden badly affected by acid rain?
According to the Swedish Environmental Protection, acid rain in Sweden is caused by air pollution originally produced in Britain and other European countries. These elements combine with water in the air to create sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which are transferred to soils and lakes upon precipitation.
What has caused the lakes in Scandinavia to become acid?
Many of the acid lakes in northern Sweden are thus naturally acidic, predominately due to high concentrations of natural organic acids. Acidic lakes (i.e., those with low pH) are not necessarily acidified (i.e., decrease in pH). The natural organic acids in DOC give a lower pH for a given ANC.
What is natural acidification?
Soil acidification is the buildup of hydrogen cations, which reduces the soil pH. With time and weathering, soils become more acidic in natural ecosystems. Soil acidification rates can vary, and increase with certain factors such as acid rain, agriculture, and pollution.
How are Norway and Sweden tackling the effects of acid rain?
A second, previously underestimated cause of acid rain is nitrogen oxides, produced partly by farming and motor vehicles. Norway is still pouring up to 45,000 tons of lime into rivers and lakes each year to counteract the effects of nitric acid in rainfall.
Why acid rain is a major problem of Scandinavian countries?
Acid rain makes lakes and streams acidic. The acid kills fish eggs and makes fish sick and cases where the acidic content is too high, fishes cannot survive. The fact Norway and Sweden rely heavily on fish as a major food source, their economies are badly affected.
What is meant by acid rain?
Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.
How do you neutralize acid rain in lake water?
One common method that is used to increase the pH is to send the water through a calcium carbonate filter, which neutralizes the acid and increases the pH of the water. Another common method is to inject a sodium carbonate solution into the water.
What is an example of acidification?
Coral. Many marine organisms that produce calcium carbonate shells or skeletons are negatively impacted by increasing CO2 levels and decreasing pH in seawater. For example, increasing ocean acidification has been shown to significantly reduce the ability of reef-building corals to produce their skeletons.
What causes acidification?
Ocean acidification is mainly caused by carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere dissolving into the ocean. This leads to a lowering of the water’s pH, making the ocean more acidic. Currently, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for human industry is one of the major causes.
Is acid rain still a problem in 2020?
The quick version: Yes, acid rain is still around, and yes it’s still a problem. Rain is naturally slightly acidic, since picks up carbon dioxide in the air, producing carbonic acid. But when it starts absorbing industrial pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the acidity becomes troublesome.
What pH is acid rain?
Normal, clean rain has a pH value of between 5.0 and 5.5, which is slightly acidic. However, when rain combines with sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides—produced from power plants and automobiles—the rain becomes much more acidic. Typical acid rain has a pH value of 4.0.
What do you mean by acid rain Class 8?
Acid rain is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compounds like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. These substances can rise very high into the atmosphere, where they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants, known as acid rain.
How is acidification of Swedish forest soil estimated?
The magnitude of acidification by deposition was estimated based on deposition data from four catchments throughout Sweden. Acidification by deposition was defined as the negative value of the acid neutralizing capacity in deposit ion. The acidifying effect of tree harvesting decreases in the order Norway spruce >birch> Scots pine .
How does acidification of forest soils affect biota?
Acidification of forest soils in Sweden has negatively affected nutrient status and caused toxic effects on biota. The aim of this thesis was to investigate potential impacts of two drivers of acidification of forest soils in Sweden: (1) tree growth with subsequent harvest and (2) deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds.
What is the meaning of acidification by deposition?
Acidification by deposition was defined as the negative value of the acid neutralizing capacity in deposition. The acidifying effect of tree harvesting decreases in the order Norway spruce>birch>Scots pine.
