16. Acidification Of Freshwater Flashcards
What is the normal pH of rainwater?
5.6
What causes anthropogenic acidification?
The burning of fossil fuels and wet and dry deposition of acid
What combines to form the weak rain water acid?
Carbon and h2O, carbonic acid
When are we describing acid rain?
Where pH is less than 5.6
What is the average rainfall of US and Central Europe?
pH between 4 and 5
What are the main generators of acids rain?
Coal burning, planes, cars
What comes from industrial pollution?
SO2 and H2S, makes sulphuric acid
What pollution comes from cars?
NOx from car exhausts, forms nitiric acid
What effect does land have on acudification?
Land use can enhance acid rain eg deforestation
What do trees pump out?
Hydrogen ions to take in the ironing exchange
What is dry deposition?
Trees absorb gases into vegetation
What is wet deposition?
Rainfall of acid,
How can wet deposition be buffered?
By limestone
Where do we get accumilation of acids
Where we have hard surface rocks, eg granite
When do we get sensitive soils
Where the area lacks limestone
What is surface acid pollution exceserbated by?
Land use
What do added trees do to rivers?
Increase acidity, leaf litter
What is the problem with farmers making ditches for tree runoff?
Increases runoff speed, flashy systems
What nutrients do trees take up?
Ca2 that ones needed to buffer the soils
As places become more acidic what comes into solution?
Metals, more common
What do the metals do in the water?
Sucks up all of the nutrients
What are the main fish we associate with acidification in the uk
Brown trout and Atlantic salmon
When does pH start becoming harmful to fish
When it’s less than 5, can damage eggs and fry
Why does acidification damage fish?
Impacts the gills, active transport less productive, loss of sodium ions
