{"id":61250,"date":"2025-08-29T18:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T12:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=61250"},"modified":"2025-08-29T18:07:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T12:37:39","slug":"acid-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/acid-rain\/","title":{"rendered":"Acid Rain, Causes, Mechanism, Sources, Impacts, Controlling Measures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain is an important environmental issue faced all over the world.\u00a0 It not only damages the ecosystem and biodiversity but also impacts human health, cultural heritage and infrastructure. In this article, we are going to cover acid rain, its causes, process, types and impacts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain is the formation of precipitation in the form of rain, fog, mist or snow that becomes acidic because of the presence of pollutants in the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pollutants responsible for acid rain are sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that combine with water vapour to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These acids then return to the Earth\u2019s surface through rain, snow, or fog, damaging soil, water, vegetation, and man-made structures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While normal rain is slightly acidic (pH around 5.6) due to dissolved carbon dioxide, acid rain has a pH much lower than this, often between 4.0\u20135.0.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Mechanism\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cycle of acid rain works in the following manner:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emission of Pollutants: Fossil fuel burning in industries, vehicles, and power plants releases SO\u2082 and NO\u2093 into the atmosphere.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chemical Reactions: These gases undergo oxidation and dissolve in water droplets, forming sulphuric and nitric acids.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deposition: The acids fall back to Earth in the form of rain, snow, fog, or dust, leading to acid deposition.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Sources\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sources of acid rain are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 98.3962%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 13.5271%;\"><strong>Compound<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 39.8798%;\"><strong>Natural Sources<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 44.1884%;\"><strong>Anthropogenic (Human) Sources<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 13.5271%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sulphur Dioxide<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 39.8798%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Volcanoes, oceans, decomposition of organic matter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.1884%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fossil fuel burning, coal-based power plants, industrial emissions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 13.5271%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nitrogen Oxides<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 39.8798%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Volcanoes, lightning, forest fires, organic decomposition<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.1884%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vehicle emissions, thermal power plants, biomass burning<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 13.5271%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Formic Acid<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 39.8798%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forest fires<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.1884%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biomass burning<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 13.5271%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carbon Dioxide<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 39.8798%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Respiration, decomposition<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.1884%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fossil fuels, industrial processes<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 13.5271%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carbon Monoxide<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 39.8798%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plant emissions (isoprene)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 44.1884%;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biomass burning, industries<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Chemistry\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid rain causes the following reactions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sulphur Cycle:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SO\u2082 + H\u2082O \u2192 H\u2082SO\u2083 (Sulphurous Acid)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H\u2082SO\u2083 + O\u2082 \u2192 H\u2082SO\u2084 (Sulphuric Acid)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nitrogen Cycle:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2NO\u2082 + H\u2082O \u2192 HNO\u2082 (Nitrous Acid) + HNO\u2083 (Nitric Acid)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These acids mix with rainwater and fall as acid rain.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Causes<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain is caused by the following factors:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Burning fossil fuels in power plants, industries, and vehicles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Volcanic eruptions and wildfires releasing natural SO\u2082 and NO\u2093.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Industrial emissions from refineries, cement plants, and chemical factories.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biomass burning and agricultural practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Types of Acid Deposition\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain causes the depositions of following types:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wet Deposition<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Occurs when acidic pollutants combine with rain, snow, mist, or fog.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common in humid regions with high precipitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: Acid rains in Scandinavia caused by industrial emissions in Britain.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dry Deposition<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Occurs when acidic gases and particles settle on surfaces without precipitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later washed off by rain, causing delayed environmental damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common in arid or semi-arid regions with less rainfall.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Impacts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following are the impacts of acid rain:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Soil<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaching of essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, making soil infertile.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced microbial activity and decomposition rates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acidic soils affect crop productivity and forest health.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Vegetation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced photosynthesis and growth rates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Symptoms: Leaf discolouration, premature ageing, stunted growth, and tree death.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weakens plants, making them more vulnerable to disease and pests.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Microorganisms<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disrupts soil microbial balance and reduces bacteria and protozoa, favours fungi.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alters decomposition rates and nutrient cycling.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increases susceptibility to plant and soil-borne fungal diseases.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Aquatic Life<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acidic waters lower pH below tolerance levels for fish and amphibians.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kills eggs, sperm, and larvae of aquatic organisms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduces plankton populations, collapsing aquatic food chains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: Fishless lakes in Canada and Scandinavia due to acidification.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Terrestrial Life<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indirect effect via food chain disruption.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Herbivores suffer due to damaged vegetation, cascading impacts on predators.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Humans<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not directly harmful to touch, but indirectly impacts health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SO\u2082 and NO\u2093 cause respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and lung cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eye, skin, and throat irritation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contributes to ground-level ozone formation, worsening air pollution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On Buildings &amp; Monuments<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid rain reacts with limestone and marble, causing structural damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Famous example: Taj Mahal (Agra) turning yellow due to acid rain and pollution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Damages heritage structures, statues, and buildings worldwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid Rain Controlling Measures<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acid rain can be controlled by the following measures:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleaner Fuels: Use low-sulphur coal, natural gas, or renewable energy and promote solar, wind, and hydropower.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scrubbers: Installs flue-gas desulfurization units in power plants and can remove 90\u201395% of sulphur dioxide emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catalytic Converters: Fit into vehicles to reduce NO\u2093 and SO\u2082 emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neutralization: Add lime to acidic lakes and soils to restore pH balance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Policy Measures: Stricter emission standards for industries and vehicles and promotes energy efficiency and public awareness campaigns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Cooperation: Since acid rain crosses borders, global treaties like the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution are crucial.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Acid rain causes, chemistry, types and impacts on soil, water, health and monuments. Learn its sources, effects on biodiversity and control measures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":61206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[2398],"class_list":{"0":"post-61250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-acid-rain","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}