Unit 7: pH and Acid Rain

pH: how acidic something is
1. stands for: potential of Hydrogen
  1. range: 0-14
    1. only applies to liquids
      1. basically (pun intended) only liquids that contain water
    2. logarithmic: so extremity increases each time...
pH in the enviornment
1. ocean has had the exact same acidity level for millions of years...
acid rain formation
1. CO2 in atmosphere combines with water vapor (H20) to form H2CO3
2. rain is naturally somewhat acidic
  1. considered "acid rain" when pH reaches below 5.5
3. SOx, NOx carried by wind, mix w/ water vapor when it condensates into clouds
  1. NO, NO2 leads to NITRIC ACID (HNO3), part of acid rain
    1. also N2O, which is a greenhouse gas, not a pollutant
  2. SO, SO2, SO3, S2O2 lead to acid rain
    1. SO3+H2O= Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)
      1. largely contributed to by coal (power plants)... more coal= more acid rain
ionization of water
1. ion= has charge
acid rain effects
1. doesn't effect humans: only NOx, SOx do
2. can release aluminum from soils: enters streams, lakes
  1. plants like aluminum, animals in water don't
    1. aquatic life sometimes sensitive; trout, frogs (breathe through skin...)
3. weathers rocks (limestone...)/ corrode metals
  1. ex) unreadable tombstones
    1. slowly eats away at automobile paint
4. slower growth/death to forrests
  1. when trees don't grow as fast (cannot take in CO2, this effects the carbon cycle and contributes to climate change)
5. decreases visibility
acid rain solutions
1. decrease energy/don't use so much coal (lowers SOx)
  1. or cleaner coal: baghouse filters, wet scrubbers
    Nota:
    - xpensive, and only make it a water problem rather than a water problem
2. reducing transportation lowers NOx
3. pH in acidic lakes can be increased by adding limestone (a base)

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