ACID RAIN As kids our parents probably hadn’t herd of smog, ozone depletion, greenhouse gases or even acid rain. This is fairly new too our society, things could have been done but they haven’t, Acid rain is ruining wild life, animal species and humans, we are hurting our own bodies with the gases we let into the atmosphere. From trees too babies we are suffering. You’ll see how it happens what it does to wild life, how it affects us and how it affects the rest of the world. Acid rain is rain water contaminated with certain chemicals released into the atmosphere through human activity, such as industries and cars. It’s caused when compounds such as Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide are released by American coal burning industries, cars, motorcycles, buses and chimneys, into the air. They usually rise up high into the atmosphere and mix together with water, Oxygen and other minor chemicals, together they form acidic pollutants and are released back down to earth in the water they were absorbed in. This is a big problem in many countries like Poland and north into Scandinavia mostly all of eastern Europe also Canada because of its crops, wild life, its soft water and its animals. The acid rain that falls across Canada can burn the roots of plants and even stay in the plant and damage the inside of our bodies which aren’t used too such acidity. Acid rain burns the leaves off trees leaving animals such as squirrels, birds and many others homeless in forests. The amount of acidity in soft water streams and lakes across Canada may vary due to a couple different things such as the type and amount of soil and bedrock, it also depends on the duration of the precipitation. Soils and bedrock containing a lot of carbonate-containing materials like limestone and calcite are usually less affected by the acidic rain because of their capability of neutralizing acids. But there are lakes and streams situated on the Precambrian Shield which means they have a lot less types of limestone’s and have a lot less capability of neutralizing acidity in the lakes and streams. Lakes and streams in that area usually show a smaller number of Ph level in the waters. The acidic PH of these waters also have side effect on not only the aquatic life in it but also the ecosystem around it and the animals who drink from that source of water. The water destroys plant roots which again affect the animals around it. The acidity I in the lake is not the direct cause of animal death, it’s the effects that kill fish and even eliminate fish species. The acid rain flows through the soil and aluminium is released into the streams and lakes as the PH level decreases the aluminium level increases, low PH and high levels of aluminium is directly toxic too fish, it might not kill them right away but it does lead too loss of weight and smaller weaker fish who have trouble fighting for food or fighting for a new habitat, fish will die quickly, it will also be bad for humans too eat, even fishing as a recreational sport won’t be as fun because the fish will be smaller.

The chemicals released into the air can and does affect humans directly, the particles and matter of the “poisoned” air that we breathe in can get stuck and lodged in out lungs where they can cause inflammation and