Question

What are the effects of acid rain?

Answer 1

Hint: There are a large number of sources of air pollution that release particulate matter and toxic gases into the atmosphere. The acidic oxides of certain elements that are found in emissions from factories and vehicles mix with the rainfall and cause acid rain.

Complete answer:
The nitrogenous and sulphur oxides being non-metallic oxides have an acidic character and are one the major constituents of air pollution. These acidic pollutants result in contaminated precipitation called acid rain.
Acid rain has a number of hazardous impacts that can be listed as follows:
Acid rain affects forests by seeping into the soil and causing the dissolution of essential nutrients required for the growth and maintenance of plants.
It adversely affects the pH of the soil due causing significant changes in its nutritional content and fertility.
It lowers the pH of water bodies that support aquatic life making it difficult for plants and organisms to survive under water.
It affects inanimate objects like monuments and statues. One important example of the damage caused by acid rain is the effective yellowing of the Taj mahal monument. The historical monument lost its shine and its marbles look old and worn out due to the repeated attack of acid rain on it.

Note:
The aquatic life gets significantly affected by acid rain both directly as well as indirectly. The lowering of pH creates drastic conditions for organisms to stay alive and at the same time harms phytoplankton which is a major food source for aquatic organisms.