Acid rain : Acid rain is the rain which contains chemical present in nature and other pollutants and falls on the Earth as slightly acid solution. Rain water is slightly acid with pH level between 5 and 6. If pH decreases below 5.6, then rain becomes acidic. This is caused by the presence of air pollutants like oxides of sulphur (SOx) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which mixed with rain water of form sulphuric acid and nitric acid. The formation of these strong acids make the rain acidic.
2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O ➝ 2H2SO4
Effects of acid rain :
Acid rain represents one of the major consequences of air pollution. It may cause extensive damage to materials, terrestrial ecosystem and aquatic ecosystems. The effects of acid rain are given below :
- It causes damage to buildings and structural materials made from marble, limestone etc.
- It causes death of aquatic animals.
- It causes acidification of soil which decrease the fertility of soil.
- It deteriorates trees, forests and field.
