Most people have surely heard about acid rain. It is often the topic of some news reports and students can learn about it at school. Acid rain is acidified rain combined with chemicals in the air and water. It is known as it is harmful to plants, water plants, and buildings. This phenomenon is getting worse every year, so it is one of the major environmental problems.

▲ Acid rain is an important and well-known environmental issue.

The chemicals which unite with water in the air are usually sulfur and compound of nitrogen. These chemical substances produce acid, react in the atmosphere and combine with rain. Chemicals that cause acid rain are released by humans. Especially, areas that have lots of factories release a number of those substances. However, areas that release them and areas which are damaged by acid rain are totally different since those chemicals are moved by wind. For example, Western Europe produces air pollutants, but these go to Northern Europe by westerlies. Therefore, acid rain is an international issue as well as an environmental issue.

▲ Acid can make corrosion of marble, which is the reason of destruction of statues.

The effects of acid rain are serious. It damages the walls of buildings and statues that are made of marble. As marble is comprised of calcium carbonate, the acid which can melt it dissolves buildings and statues. Moreover, acid rain has a great effect on the number of water plants, absorb and causes the change of water circulation structure of Earth, further. Because acidified soil has much more calcium than before, the size of stoma expands spouts much vapor. This makes plants absorb much moisture, and it can arouse the change of water circulation structure.

▲ Forests are seriously being damaged by acid rain.

People have realized the seriousness of acid rain, so they are trying to solve it now. To reduce sulfurous chemicals in the atmosphere, many countries made The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, which prevents and controls all aired pollution and air pollutants moving across boundaries. Many people hope the damage caused by acid rain will be recovered and be prevented in the future.

November 9, 2019

By Kang Jine Ie