Write an essay on ozone depletion and acid
rain.
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Answer:
Everyone knows that the atmosphere and the pollution in the world is very dangerous to everything and everyone. But how bad are these different things that affect us and everything around us? This paper will specifically look at the effects, global effect and the treatment on acid rain, the greenhouse effect and the ozone depletion.
Acid rain has been around for a long time. It was first noticed around the 17 century during the industrialization period. Scientists have been paying attention to "acid rain" since that time and the effects it has had on the plants, animals, humans etc. Acid rain is very dangerous as most people know. First off the term is not totally correct and scientists prefer the terminology acid depositions. The reason these scientists believe that it is called acid depositions instead of acid rain is simply because the acid which was formed by pollution can in fact return to the earth as either solid or a gas and not only in the form of rain. Acid depositions can come in rain, fog or even snow. Industries, factories, vehicles, aerosol cans, etc are all causes for "acid rain". This is because all of these things increase the level of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen in the air we breathe in. These chemicals will later transform into sulphuric acid as well as nitric acid which in the long run will come down in the form of "acid rain". Electric companies have to burn a lot of coal, which contains a very low amount of sulphur, in a day's time which will increase the level of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. But the electric companies are not the only one's to blame; a lot of other companies and industries have to process raw ore (a mineral or a numerous amount of minerals which a valuable or constituent can be profitably mined or extracted) so they can obtain copper, zinc, and nickel. The problem with that is that copper, zinc, and nickel are also causes of acid rain. Most poll...
Ozone Depletion
Ozone is formed by the effect of ultra-violet radiation on oxygen molecules and there are a layer of ozone above the earth between 15 and 40 kilometers. In this way, a large amount of potentially harmful ultra-violet radiation is absorbed and so prevented from reaching the earth’s surface. There is evidence that this beneficial ozone layer is being damaged by atmospheric pollutant. However, a number of pollutants can affect the ozone layer, examples include, chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) and nitrous oxide(NO). For CFCs, which is being the best known pollutants affecting ozone layer. CFCS are used in refrigerator, as propellants in aerosol sprays, and make up the bubbles in many plastic foams, e.g. expanded polystyrene. They are remarkably inert and therefore reach the upper stratosphere unchanged. For the effects, ultraviolet radiation has direct facts on DNA. It can modify the genetic information in body cells. And then an increase in the incidence of skin cancer, cataract and lung diseases, as well as a reduction in the function of the immune system is probably due to the increase in ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth. Furthermore, an increase in exposure to ultraviolet radiation can greatly reduce the yields of crops.
Fortunately, ozone layer will be replenished by itself in about 30 years so that if the use of CFCs products can be banned in all over the world. The problem of ozone depletion can be solved.
Acid rain
The major substances of the formation of acid rain are Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides. For Sulphur dioxide, this is the primary cause of acid rain. It is mainly released from the burning of fossil fuels in power stations, heavy industries and motor vehicles. In the atmosphere, it reacts with oxygen in the air. Within 43 days, it will be converted into sulphur trioxide. During this period, it can be transported for a considerable distance by wind and then dissolved in rain water to form a dilute solution of sulphuric acid. Nitrogen oxides are another cause of acid rain. The burning of fossil fuels in motor vehicles and power stations are mainly responsible for the release of nitrogen oxides into atmosphere. Like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxides reacts with water and oxygen to form nitric acid. These rain causes damage to buildings, statues and monuments. Marble and various metals are corroded by acid rain. At the same time, it also causes human respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma. For environment, acid rain not only can damage tree foliage directly and weaken the trees so that they become more susceptible to diseases, insects and drought. But also increases the acidity of soil. Soil has natural capacity to neutralize some inputs of acids. This normal soil-buffering capacity will be depleted in the presence of acid rain. When the soil Ph is below 4.5, most valuable nutrients are rapidly lost and bacterial activities will be greatly reduced. This affects the soil fertility and in turn, affects the growth of forest trees and crops.