DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

“Environmental Monitoring”

SUBMITTED BY: RABIA SHAFQAT

TAYYABA RIZWAN

ZARA KHALID

SUBMITTED TO: DR. NUMRAH NISAR

ACID RAIN MONITORING

INTRODUCTION:
The problem of acid rain has become an international problem. It is a trans boundary pollution
problem. It is a term used to describe all forms of acid precipitation (rain, snow, fog etc.)
Atmospheric pollutants, particularly oxides of sulfur and nitrogen cause precipitation to
become acidic when converted into sulfuric and nitric acids. Burning of fossil fuels is a common
cause of these atmospheric pollutants being present in atmosphere as a result of which acidity
of rain increases. Other sources of sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and Carbon dioxide can be
volcanoes, oceans, biological decay and forest fires.

ACID DEPOSITION:
Acid deposition is a scientific term used to describe acid rain. When atmospheric pollutants
such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides mix with water vapors in the air, they become sulfuric and
nitric acids. When the acidic rain lands on the Earth’s surface, it can cause damage to the land
as well as water bodies. Acid rain degrades the quality of land and water as well as
contaminates. This form of Acid deposition is termed as Wet deposition

Dry deposition occurs when acids are first transformed chemically into gasses and salts before
making their way to Earth’s surface. Sulfur dioxide for example is deposited as a gas as well as
salt.
IMPACTS OF ACID RAIN:
Acid rain has been known to cause considerable harm towards the environment. It exhibits
several negative impacts upon contact. In certain areas where rate of pollution is considerably
high, acid rain becomes fairly common. However increased occurrences of acid rain in an area
can permanently cause damage to the region’s land, buildings, water etc. If neighboring areas
suffer from acid rain, the impacts can be seen in surrounding regions as well.

For example Sweden and Norway both receive approximately 90% of their sulfur pollution from
abroad.

A few common impacts observed include:

 Acidification of soil and water can harm plants as acid rain degrades soil quality by
eliminating nutrients. The presence of acid particles in soil can also harm the plants by
weakening them and causing damage to leaves.
 Acid rain can cause contamination of water bodies, as a result animals that consume
water from lakes/river/streams can be harmed
 Surface water acidification leads to a either loss or degradation of aquatic species like
fish, frogs, crayfish etc.
 Acid rain causes stone cancer i.e. gradual erosion/corrosion of building stone, metals
and paint
 Exposure to acid rain can cause skin irritation, redness of skin, bronchitis, asthma,
cancer or can even induce risks to heart

Such impacts are the reason why it is important to monitor and observe acid rain activities.
Monitoring of acid rain allows us to understand what measurements can be taken to reduce its
occurrence for example; reducing emission of atmospheric pollutants.

Monitoring of acid rain in an area also allows us to know if vegetation or housing can be
established in such a region where acid rain occurs frequently or has already caused significant
damage to the area’s environment, if the groundwater is too contaminated that its use could
prove to be harmful, if certain buildings or monuments can be established, If grazing or
groundwater irrigation can be carried out in the region etc.

Measuring and monitoring of acid rain allows us to reduce or prevent extent of damage that
acid rain can do to an area.

MEASURING ACID RAIN:

pH scale is commonly used to measure the acidity in an area. Rainfall acidity is measured in pH units
that can determine if an area is slightly acidic, unpolluted or has been considerably damaged.
Normal, clean rain has a pH value of between 5.0 and 5.5, which is slightly acidic. However, when rain
combines with sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides, produced from power plants and automobiles, the rain
becomes much more acidic. Typical acid rain has a pH value of 4.0.

MONITORING METHOD:
The simplest way to monitor the acidity of acid rain (from wet deposition) is to collect rain samples and
to measure the pH of the water.

For measuring the pH it is important to own an appropriate pH kit. It is advised to not store the water in
metallic containers as metal can alter the water quality by changing the pH beyond repair.

The samples should not be exposed to sunlight so that there would be no accumulation of bacterium or
fungi. Use rain barrel storage for storing the sample as they block light and evaporation can be avoided.
When water is properly covered, it will not go bad; it may lose chlorine and some other undesirable
additives collected via air, through evaporation during the hydrological system functions such as salt or
acidity levels, perhaps even some hydrogen molecules/ions. This experiment should always produce
roughly the same results with pH levels between 5 & 9.

All precipitation samples are analyzed for

 Conductivity
 pH
 Sulfate, nitrate and chloride concentration
 A variety of metal ions (ammonium, sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium)

Combining these measurements of acid deposition with the estimated critical loads in the form of maps
can highlight those areas where the tolerance to acidity is being exceeded, and where damage from
acidification is most likely to be found.

The sample collectors are advised to be 100m away from small point sources such as domestic
chimneys, 100m from small mobile sources (road traffic), 1km from major roads, 5km from large surface
works, and 10km from large point sources (such as power stations).

Across the UK, the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network monitors the composition and acidity of
precipitation at 32 sites to provide an accurate measurement of pollutant deposition in rain and snow to
assist in implementing a critical loads approach to environmental protection.

REFERENCES:

 http://www.enviropedia.org.uk/Acid_Rain/Monitoring.php
 https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_does_one_collect_rainwater_for_examine_pH_and_s
olutes_Is_there_a_protocol_limit_area_specific_time_or_instruments
 http://icp-forests.net/page/icp-forests-manual