The Mystery of Acid Rain and Its Effects

Acid rain forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides mix with water in the atmosphere.
It often has a pH between 4 and 5, making it much more acidic than normal rainwater.
Burning fossil fuels is the main source of the gases that cause acid rain.
Acid rain damages leaves, reducing plants’ ability to photosynthesize.
Lakes and rivers hit by acid rain can lose fish and aquatic life as pH drops too low.
It corrodes buildings and monuments, especially those made of limestone and marble.
Acid rain can leach nutrients like calcium from soil, weakening forests.
It also releases toxic metals like aluminum into waterways, harming ecosystems.
International agreements like the Clean Air Act have helped reduce acid rain in many regions.
While the mystery is solved, the lesson remains: human activity can change Earth’s chemistry.