Effects of Acid Rain

• • The Effects of Acid Rain on Ecosystems
  • This figure illustrates the pH level at which key organisms may be lost as their environment becomes more acidic. Not all fish, shellfish, or the insects that they eat can tolerate the same amount of acid.
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An ecosystem is a community of plants, animals and other organisms along with their environment including the air, water and soil. Everything in an ecosystem is connected. If something harms one part of an ecosystem – one species of plant or animal, the soil or the water – it can have an impact on everything else.

Effects of Acid Rain on Fish and Wildlife

The ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in aquatic environments, such as streams, lakes, and marshes where it can be harmful to fish and other wildlife. As it flows through the soil, acidic rain water can leach aluminum from soil clay particles and then flow into streams and lakes. The more acid that is introduced to the ecosystem, the more aluminum is released.

Some types of plants and animals are able to tolerate acidic waters and moderate amounts of aluminum. Others, however, are acid-sensitive and will be lost as the pH declines. Generally, the young of most species are more sensitive to environmental conditions than adults. At pH 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch. At lower pH levels, some adult fish die. Some acidic lakes have no fish. Even if a species of fish or animal can tolerate moderately acidic water, the animals or plants it eats might not. For example, frogs have a critical pH around 4, but the mayflies they eat are more sensitive and may not survive pH below 5.5.

Effects of Acid Rain on Plants and Trees

Dead or dying trees are a common sight in areas effected by acid rain. Acid rain leaches aluminum from the soil.  That aluminum may be harmful to plants as well as animals. Acid rain also removes minerals and nutrients from the soil that trees need to grow. 

At high elevations, acidic fog and clouds might strip nutrients from trees’ foliage, leaving them with brown or dead leaves and needles. The trees are then less able to absorb sunlight, which makes them weak and less able to withstand freezing temperatures.

Buffering Capacity

Many forests, streams, and lakes that experience acid rain don’t suffer effects because the soil in those areas can buffer the acid rain by neutralizing the acidity in the rainwater flowing through it. This capacity depends on the thickness and composition of the soil and the type of bedrock underneath it. In areas such as mountainous parts of the Northeast United States, the soil is thin and lacks the ability to adequately neutralize the acid in the rain water. As a result, these areas are particularly vulnerable and the acid and aluminum can accumulate in the soil, streams, or lakes.

Episodic Acidification

Melting snow and heavy rain downpours can result in what is known as episodic acidification. Lakes that do not normally have a high level of acidity may temporarily experience effects of acid rain when the melting snow or downpour brings greater amounts of acidic deposition and the soil can’t buffer it. This short duration of higher acidity (i.e., lower pH) can result in a short-term stress on the ecosystem where a variety of organisms or species may be injured or killed.

Nitrogen Pollution

It’s not just the acidity of acid rain that can cause problems. Acid rain also contains nitrogen, and this can have an impact on some ecosystems. For example, nitrogen pollution in our coastal waters is partially responsible for declining fish and shellfish populations in some areas. In addition to agriculture and wastewater, much of the nitrogen produced by human activity that reaches coastal waters comes from the atmosphere.

• Effects of Acid Rain on Materials

Not all acidic deposition is wet. Sometimes dust particles can become acidic as well, and this is called dry deposition. When acid rain and dry acidic particles fall to earth, the nitric and sulfuric acid that make the particles acidic can land on statues, buildings, and other manmade structures, and damage their surfaces. The acidic particles corrode metal and cause paint and stone to deteriorate more quickly. They also dirty the surfaces of buildings and other structures such as monuments.

The consequences of this damage can be costly:

• damaged materials that need to be repaired or replaced,
• increased maintenance costs, and
• loss of detail on stone and metal statues, monuments and tombstones.

 

What is Acid Rain?

Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.  This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.  

What Causes Acid Rain?

This image illustrates the pathway for acid rain in our environment: (1) Emissions of SO2 and NOx are released into the air, where (2) the pollutants are transformed into acid particles that may be transported long distances. (3) These acid particles then fall to the earth as wet and dry deposition (dust, rain, snow, etc.) and (4) may cause harmful effects on soil, forests, streams, and lakes.

Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO2 and NOX react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids.  These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground.

While a small portion of the SO2 and NOX that cause acid rain is from natural sources such as volcanoes, most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuels.  The major sources of SO2 and NOX in the atmosphere are:

• Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity.  Two thirds of SO2 and one fourth of NOX in the atmosphere come from electric power generators.
• Vehicles and heavy equipment.
• Manufacturing, oil refineries and other industries.

Winds can blow SO2 and NOX over long distances and across borders making acid rain a problem for everyone and not just those who live close to these sources. 

 

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Forms of Acid Deposition

Wet Deposition

Wet deposition is what we most commonly think of as acid rain. The sulfuric and nitric acids formed in the atmosphere fall to the ground mixed with rain, snow, fog, or hail.  

Dry Deposition

Acidic particles and gases can also deposit from the atmosphere in the absence of moisture as dry deposition. The acidic particles and gases may deposit to surfaces (water bodies, vegetation, buildings) quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form larger particles that can be harmful to human health. When the accumulated acids are washed off a surface by the next rain, this acidic water flows over and through the ground, and can harm plants and wildlife, such as insects and fish.

The amount of acidity in the atmosphere that deposits to earth through dry deposition depends on the amount of rainfall an area receives.  For example, in desert areas the ratio of dry to wet deposition is higher than an area that receives several inches of rain each year.

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Measuring Acid Rain

Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a pH scale for which 7.0 is neutral. The lower a substance's pH (less than 7), the more acidic it is; the higher a substance's pH (greater than 7), the more alkaline it is. Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6; it is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid.  Acid rain usually has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4.

Policymakers, research scientists, ecologists, and modelers rely on the National Atmospheric Deposition Program’s (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) for measurements of wet deposition. The NADP/NTN collects acid rain at more than 250 monitoring sites throughout the US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands. Unlike wet deposition, dry deposition is difficult and expensive to measure. Dry deposition estimates for nitrogen and sulfur pollutants are provided by the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET). Air concentrations are measured by CASTNET at more than 90 locations.

When acid deposition is washed into lakes and streams, it can cause some to turn acidic. The Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Network measures and monitors surface water chemistry at over 280 sites to provide valuable information on aquatic ecosystem health and how water bodies respond to changes in acid-causing emissions and acid deposition.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEES PENSION SCHEME ?

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEES PENSION SCHEME ?

1. Receive pension on retirement

Once you complete 58 years of age, you become eligible to retire. If you have served the mandatory 10 years of service period in the company, then you can avail the pension after retirement.

2. Receive pension on leaving service before becoming eligible for monthly pension

If you have served the mandatory 10 years of service period, then you can withdraw the entire pension fund before completing 58 years of age.

3. Receive pension on total disablement within the service tenure

As a member of the EPFO, you receive a monthly pension in the event of permanent disability.

4. Pension for the family after you

In case of death, your family dependants will receive the monthly pension.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PENSIONS UNDER THE PENSION SCHEME?

1. Widow Pension

In this case, the widow of the member of EPS receives the pension.

2. Child Pension

In this case, the widow and children of the member of EPS receive the pension.

3. Orphan pension

In this case, the children of the member of EPS receives the pension.

4. Reduced pension

If you have withdrawn an early pension, then the pension you receive in retirement is slashed by 4% every year.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR EPS AMOUNT?

As a member, you can check the balance amount in your EPS account with EPF Passbook. In the last column of the passbook, you will find EPS contribution deposited by the employer every month. You can also log into the EPS Passbook portal and check the status online.

WHAT ARE THE VITALPOINTS?

• The employer makes a contribution of 8.33% of the employee’s pay for EPS
• All the contributions made in the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) account are to be done by the employer
• The employer must make the contribution within 15 days of the close of every month
• The employee’s pay consists of basic wages with dearness allowance, retaining allowance and admissible cash value of food concessions
• All applicable contribution cost must be paid by the employer

FAQS

1. How to find EPS account number?

A. The Member ID of the EPF account works as the EPS account number.

2. How can I do EPS transfer online?

A. EPS transfer can be done online with Composite Claim Form. You must log in to the EPF Member Portal and apply for EPF transfer on the job change.

India urges the UN Member Nations to stay dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the oceans and its biodiversity

 

India urges the UN Member Nations to stay dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the oceans and its biodiversity, as well as to supporting sustainable economic development and the well-being of coastal people under the United Nation’s Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS)

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in a draft statement supported the high ambition coalition for the early conclusion of the International Legally Binding Instrument – Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) under UNCLOS

Despite significant progress on several major issues, negotiations are still ongoing, and consensus not arrived at important issues like funding, intellectual property rights and institutional mechanisms: Dr Jitendra Singh

Posted On: 22 FEB 2023 5:43PM by PIB Delhi

India today urged the member nations to stay dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the oceans and its biodiversity, as well as to supporting sustainable economic development and the well-being of coastal people under the United Nation’s Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).

In a draft statement supporting the high ambition coalition for the early conclusion of the International Legally Binding Instrument – Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) under UNCLOS, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh said, India's approach to biodiversity management is congruent with three globally accepted principles: conservation, sustainable usage, and equitable benefit sharing.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that India’s legislative framework, the "Biodiversity Act of 2002," bears witness to these values and we are determined to support all endeavors of global organizations that work towards the shared objective of achieving a robust and effective agreement on the protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Dr Jitendra Singh in the draft statement desired to have a global agreement to ensure a protected and resilient ocean and extended support for the early conclusion of the ongoing BBNJ negotiations and the entry into force of a strong framework that addresses conservation, sustainable utilization, and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of the same.

Aside from major elements such as Marine Protected Areas, Marine Genetic Resources and equitable benefit sharing, capacity building and transfer of marine technology, and Environmental Impact Assessment, India believes that the establishment of new institutions or the strengthening of existing ones with a robust democratic way of functioning are far more important, the Minister added.

Dr Jitendra Singh underlined that India is satisfied with the present talks at the Intergovernmental Conference, as several rounds of intergovernmental talks have been ongoing since 2014, with the most recent one taking place in 2023. He added that during these negotiations, member states worked to reach an agreement on a variety of issues, including the scope and governance of the agreement, the conservation and management of marine genetic resources, the sharing of benefits from their use, and the protection and preservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that despite significant progress on several major issues, negotiations are still ongoing, and consensus not arrived at important issues like funding, intellectual property rights and institutional mechanisms.

The Minister said, India is looking forward to this last session, which we believe will result in constructive ideas that will be a big step forward in addressing these challenges. We believe that the adoption of BBNJ agreement would signal the international community's strong commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the areas beyond national jurisdiction, and would provide a clear mandate for the implementation of the agreement, the Minister added.

Biodiversity occurring in areas beyond national jurisdiction remains a vital resource from the global seas, with more than 60% of it still to be managed and regulated with a legal frame work aimed at conservation. Biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction is also critical for the health of the ocean, the well-being of coastal people, and the overall sustainability of the planet.

TIRUPATHI BALA JI