Question

Which of the following statements concerning acid precipitation is incorrect?
A. Acids that enter the atmosphere primarily affect ecosystems located less than 100 kilometres from the source of the pollution.
B. The effects of acidification of lakes appear to be quickly reversible if their pH can be returned to normal.
C. While regulation of emission sources has raised, the pH of precipitation in parts of the eastern United States, and precipitation in many parts of the West is becoming more acidic.
D. Sulfuric acid and nitric acid from smokestacks and automobile emissions are the major causes of acid precipitation.

Answer 1

Hint: Acid rain damages plants by direct impact on foliage and growing point-chlorosis, necrosis, defoliation, dieback. It causes leaching of essential minerals from the soil.Acid precipitation could be a regional, not a neighbourhood, environmental drawback. Acids might travel many kilometres before they settle to Earth in precipitation or as dry particles.

Complete step by step answer: The statements concerning acid precipitation are incorrect. The precipitation that's falling in many parts of the West is becoming more acidic, but this has nothing to do with emission sources. In fact, emissions from industry and the burning of fossil fuels are actually helping to lower the pH levels in some areas.
What's happening is that as pollutants enter the atmosphere, they react with water vapour to form aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the air). These aerosols scatter sunlight back out into space, which makes it harder for raindrops to reach Earth's surface and release their moisture. This process is called "retro-action," and it occurs naturally because different elements contribute different amounts of CO₂ to the atmosphere.
As a result of retroaction, rainfall becomes more acidic near major cities and industrial zones where concentrations of pollution are high. However, since this phenomenon only affects precipitation near these locations, it has not had much impact on most parts of the United States outside major metropolitan areas.

Hence, option C is correct.



Note: In step with the globe Health Organization (WHO, 2002), about 1.7 million individuals die every year thanks to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. during this text we have a tendency to contemplate and define the most important sources of pollution and therefore the impact that pollutants wear on the aquatic surroundings.