Sulfur and nitrogen oxides make rain acidic, damaging forests, soils and lakes.
SO2 from coal and NOx from vehicles form acids; rain pH below 5.6. Effects: leaching aluminium and calcium, forest damage, fish loss and building erosion. Scrubbers and catalytic converters reduce emissions.
Pollution moves across borders. Soils differ in buffering: limestone neutralises acid. Recovery follows emission cuts.
Example: scrubbers in power stations remove sulfur dioxide.
Sulfur and nitrogen oxides make rain acidic, damaging forests, soils and lakes.
Acid Rain is one of the 54 topics in Marine & Environmental Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Coral Reefs, Plastic Pollution, Pollution.
Scandinavian lakes were limed to counter acidification.
Work through the Beginner topics in Marine & Environmental Biology first, such as Oceans, Ocean Zones, Plankton, then return to Acid Rain. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Acid Rain are Coral Reefs, Plastic Pollution, Pollution, Carbon Sequestration. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Acid Rain. To practise the whole of Marine & Environmental Biology, use the Marine & Environmental Biology quiz.
Acid Rain: Sulfur and nitrogen oxides make rain acidic, damaging forests, soils and lakes. Coral Reefs: Biodiverse ecosystems built by coral polyps living in partnership with symbiotic algae. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Coral Reefs and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Marine & Environmental Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Biodiverse ecosystems built by coral polyps living in partnership with symbiotic algae.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologyPlastics break into microplastics that are ingested by organisms and travel up food chains.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologyIntroduction of harmful substances into air, water or soil, such as plastics and chemicals.
🌊 Marine & Environmental BiologyLong-term storage of carbon in forests, soils, oceans or geological formations.
🌊 Marine & Environmental Biology