There is a special scale called the pH scale that measures the strength of acids and alkalies. A low pH number means something is acid. A high number means something is alkali. And something in the middle is called neutral.
Acidity can be tested using litmus paper.
Usually rain is a little acidic, and has pH of about 5.5, if the pH of rainfall is less than 5.5, then the rain is probably polluted by acid gases. The Main gases that cause acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Acid rain has a terrible effect on water life. Even if the acid rain does not fall straight into the lake, for example, it may enter from rivers and streams. Some of the life in the lake such as fish and plants may end up dying, because they cannot survive in acidic lakes.
Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life in them. They have received so much acid rain for so many years, because of the winds pushing the acid gases, that nothing can survive.
THE MAIN GASES THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN are sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
Acidity can be tested using litmus paper.
Usually rain is a little acidic, and has pH of about 5.5, if the pH of rainfall is less than 5.5, then the rain is probably polluted by acid gases. The Main gases that cause acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Acid rain has a terrible effect on water life. Even if the acid rain does not fall straight into the lake, for example, it may enter from rivers and streams. Some of the life in the lake such as fish and plants may end up dying, because they cannot survive in acidic lakes.
Thousands of lakes in Scandinavia have no more life in them. They have received so much acid rain for so many years, because of the winds pushing the acid gases, that nothing can survive.
THE MAIN GASES THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN are sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
