Acid precipitation: crucial questions still remain unanswered

Journal Article · Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · J. - Water Pollut. Control Fed.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5884851

Kish, T

With specific attention given to various control measures under consideration, precipitation found preserved in 350 yr old ice cores of glaciers and continental ice sheets has been shown to be generally above pH 5. Ice originating as snow 150 years ago in Greenland has a pH ranging from 6 to 7.6. The earliest known pH record obtained in the US was made in Brooklyn, Maine in 1939 and showed a pH value of 5.9. In the early 1950's rain was falling with pH values in the low 5's. The acidic portion in rainfall in the eastern US has been analyzed to be about 62% sulfuric acid and 32% nitric acid, with 6% other acids including hydrochloric acid. Sulfur and nitrogen acids derive from the burning of coal and oil. The Canadian Ministry of Environment estimates that about 60,000 lakes are degraded or endangered due to acid precipitation. Norway estimated 20,000 of its lakes are endangered. Low pH levels can release heavy metals from soils into the lakes, further complicating the situation. Acid lakes experience changes in algal populations. While solutions for reducing acid rain problems are not clear, the desire to do so is wide spread. 2 figures.

• OSTI ID: 5884851
• Journal Information: J. - Water Pollut. Control Fed.; (United States), Vol. 53:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
02 PETROLEUM
ACID RAIN
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
POLLUTION SOURCES
ACIDIFICATION
CANADA
COAL
COMBUSTION
LAKES
MAINE
NITRIC ACID
NORWAY
PETROLEUM
PH VALUE
RAIN WATER
SULFURIC ACID
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
EUROPE
FEDERAL REGION I
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RAIN
SCANDINAVIA
SURFACE WATERS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USA
WATER
WESTERN EUROPE
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
010900 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects
020900 - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects