by Ambreen R

Created on: February 25, 2009

Acid rain is term used to describe the two basic ways the acid is added into our atmosphere and affects the surface it falls. So typically there are two types of acid rain, the one being wet and the other is dry in the form of strong winds carrying entrapped pollution within them.

Here we are going to deal with the wet rain which is the actual acid rain that falls on ground surfaces and oceans. This acid rain deeply affects the life in oceans and their effect is dependent on some major factors such as the acidity of water, the chemical composition of water surface it strikes and the type of plant, fish or other marine animal that relies on the ocean water for its survival.

The two main chemical composites of acid rain are Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx). These chemicals are byproducts of industrial waste, burning fossil fuels, coal in the atmosphere and when these are combined with rain the result is acid rain.

The acid rain can be measured using a pH scale. The lower the value of pH the higher the acidity of water will be. Under ideal conditions pure water has a pH of 7.0 but the normal rain water has a pH of 5.5 due to the absorption of Carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. According to a survey the most acidic rain fall in US in the year 2000 had a pH of 4.3.

According to some research it has also been evaluated that acid rain in oceans has more impact on the coastal sections of the ocean. The main reasons are that coastal areas are prone to pollution, climatic change and excessive fishing, disturbing the marine life.

Now acid rain affects ocean life in several ways, once the ocean water becomes acidic it inhibits the growth of coral reefs and marine animals. Acidity in water also affects certain types of Plankton's causing inability to create exoskeletons (their hard outer shell) that is essential for their survival. Since these living creatures are integral part of food chain in marine life, these in turn lower the supply of food for other marine animals dependent on them. Thus the overall ocean ecosystem is at risk.

These damages can be reduced to a greater degree by understanding various methods to reduce the pollution. Some of these methods are creating awareness and develop a better understanding of how these pollutants effects can be nullified so as to minimize future damages. Adopt an alternative usage of sources of energy that are environmental friendly and follow up with the cleaning the environment of hazardous material. If different environmental agencies follow up with the routine procedures to keep a check on dangerous emissions and their removal then this will enhance the quality of life in oceans and will indirectly affect the human health too.

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