This book is included in the Natural Disasters section.
LEARNING ABOUT ACID RAIN
Purpose
Acid rain is a complex environmental problem which affects the United States and many other countries around the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to address environmental issues, such as acid rain. Through its programs, EPA works to protect human health and the environment in the United States by developing and enforcing regulations and studying environmental conditions.
In addition, EPA is committed to informing the public about environmental topics and its efforts to solve them through written materials and its Web site (www.epa.gov). EPA frequently receives requests for information about environmental problems from school systems, teachers, and individuals. Acid rain is one of the most frequently requested topics. As part of EPA’s public outreach on acid rain, EPA first developed this guide in 1990. This revised guide is designed to help students
better understand the science, cause and effect, and regulatory and citizen action that are part of understanding and addressing acid rain.
This book is intended for teachers of students in 6th-8th grade. It is written at a 6th grade level and the language,
concepts, and experiments may need to be adapted for other grades accordingly. After reading the guide and doing some of the experiments and activities, we hope that you and your students will have a better understanding of acid rain and the problems it causes, as well as a greater interest in its resolution and in applied environmental science.
In addition to this teacher’s guide, EPA has many other publications with information on research, monitoring, regulation, and other aspects of the acid rain problem. If you are interested in learning more, resources are available at www.epa.gov/airmarkets. This guide, “Learning About Acid Rain: A Teacher’s Guide for Grades 6 Through 8,” is available online at www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/teachersguide.pdf. Printed copies are available for free through the Acid Rain Hotline (202-343-9620).
Introduction
Humans make use of many things found in nature. For example, we use trees to build our homes and cotton to make our
clothes. Things that are not made by people, but instead occur naturally, are called NATURAL RESOURCES. Some examples of natural resources are plants, minerals, and water. All of these things are important to humans because they provide us with the materials we need to make the things we use everyday. Some of the products made from natural resources are obvious to us, like the timber and stone that make buildings. Other natural resources are not as noticeable, like the underground water table where our drinking water comes from. Natural resources that humans use to generate electricity are called ENERGY RESOURCES. Most energy in the United States comes from burning FOSSIL FUELS such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal, oil, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they were formed millions of years ago from dead plants and animals.
People burn fossil fuels for many reasons. We burn oil and coal to make the electricity that we need to light buildings and run appliances like televisions and computers. We burn gas to heat our homes and to power cars, buses, and airplanes. Many human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, cause POLLUTION. Pollution is the release of harmful substances called pollutants into the ENVIRONMENT. The air pollution created when fossil fuels burn does not stay in the air
forever. Instead it can travel great distances, and fall to the ground again as dust or rain. When airborne chemicals and pollutants fall to the Earth, or deposit, it is called DEPOSITION.
ACID RAIN forms when clean rain comes into contact with pollutants in the air, like SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2), CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2), and NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX). Although sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide occur in the air naturally, burning fossil fuels adds more of these chemicals to the air. When these pollutants are released into the air, they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form acid rain. Acid rain then falls to the Earth where it can damage plants, animals,
soil, water, and building materials.
PURPOSE INTRODUCTION OBSERVATIONS ABOUT ACIDITY DEFINING ACID RAIN Air Pollution Causes Acid Rain Acid Precipitation Dry Deposition Acid Rain Is A Problem That Can Travel Natural Acids EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN ON ECOSYSTEMS Forests Acid Rain On The Forest Floor Ponds, Lakes, And Streams EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN-CAUSING POLLUTANTS ON HUMANS EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN ON MAN-MADE MATERIALS WHAT IS BEING DONE The Acid Rain Program Monitoring Alternative Ways Of Producing Energy What You Can Do To Help To Prevent Acid Rain To Address Other Environmental Problems EXPERIMENTS Measuring With pH Paper Measuring With pH Meters Tips Safety In The Laboratory Recording Observations Experiment 1: Measuring pH Experiment 2: Determining The pH Of Common Substances Experiment 3: Making A Natural pH Indicator Experiment 4: Measuring The pH Of Natural Water Experiment 5: Measuring Soil pH Experiment 6: Soil Buffering Experiment 7: Observing The Influence Of Acid Rain On Plant Growth Experiment 8: Looking At Acid’s Effects On Metals Experiment 9: Observing The Influence Of Acid Rain On Marble And Limestone Experiment ANSWERS ACTIVITIES Games Crossword Puzzle Word Search Game Answers Additional Resources GLOSSARY Participation and Completion Certificate
End of Preview.
RETURN to Main Titles Index or
Natural Disasters
Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 1986-2012, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All
Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572