http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/acid_rain/ Learn the cause and effect of acid rain. Read environmental news articles on how acid rain takes nutrients from the soil, leads to stunted forests and more. en-us Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:05:01 EDT Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/acid_rain/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100303114001.htm Chemicals that helped solve a global environmental crisis in the 1990s -- the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer -- may be making another problem -- acid rain -- worse, scientists are reporting. A new study analyzes the effect of chemicals that replaced the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons once used in aerosol spray cans, air conditioners, refrigerators, and other products. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100303114001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121164209.htm Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants; limits on available nitrogen constrain how much plants can grow. This in turn affects the amount of carbon dioxide plants can absorb, which affects the global climate. Using a framework that considers interactions of carbon and nutrients, researchers have developed a new global estimate of nitrogen fixation rates. Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121164209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222105507.htm Oceanographers have discovered that seawater sound absorption will drop by up to 70 percent this century, due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide causing ocean acidification. As a result, underwater sound could travel farther, and this could lead to growing noise levels in the oceans. Increasing transparency of the oceans to low-frequency sounds could also enable marine mammals to communicate over longer distances. Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222105507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091209113840.htm Deforestation in tropical rain forests could have an even greater impact on climate change than has previously been thought. The combined biomass of a large number of small forest fragments left over after habitat fragmentation can be up to 40 percent less than in a continuous natural forest of the same overall size. This is the conclusion reached by German and Brazilian researchers who used a simulation model. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091209113840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202114046.htm A Smoky Mountain forest's woodland herb population has shown that climate may play a role in how forest understories recover from logging, according to new research. Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202114046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091205105844.htm Researchers have found compelling evidence of a previously undocumented large volcanic eruption that occurred exactly 200 years ago, in 1809. The discovery helps explain the record cold decade from 1810-1819. Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091205105844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091203141903.htm Rising levels of carbon dioxide may overheat the planet and cause other environmental problems, but fears that rising carbon dioxide levels could directly reduce plant biodiversity can be allayed, according to a new study. Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091203141903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity? A large and unexpected one, say wildlife biologists. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate. And they've been aided by ever more sophisticated computer models that make estimating the relative impact of each type of pollutant more reliable. Yet the complexity of nature -- and the models used to quantify it -- continues to serve up surprises. The most recent? Certain gases that cause warming are so closely linked with the production of aerosols that the emissions of one type of pollutant can indirectly affect the quantity of the other. And for two key gases that cause warming, these so-called "gas-aerosol interactions" can amplify their impact. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030100020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132127.htm Urban grasslands are an extremely common, but poorly studied ecosystem type. Many receive high rates of fertilizer, creating concerns about nutrient runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research has been focused on long-term study plots to evaluate multiple ecological variables in different components of the urban landscape. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141608.htm According to a new study by geologists, the wealth of some minerals that lie in the rock beneath the Earth's surface may be extraterrestrial in origin. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122054.htm Scientists are reporting the first evidence that China's sharp focus on reducing widespread damage to soil by acid rain by restricting sulfur dioxide air pollution may have an unexpected consequence: Gains from that pollution control program will be largely offset by increases in nitrogen emissions, which the country's current policy largely overlooks. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm The role of the forests is assumed to increase in the future, as an important buffer of climate change and increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. So-called Earth system models, computer systems making predictions for the globe, estimate that this effect can be very large. However, new research results, based on measurements at hundreds of European forests, indicate that predicted effects by these models are overestimated because they ignore the limitation of nitrogen. It makes the current predictions by Earth system models more than twice as high as they most likely will be. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223911.htm German scientists investigating the complex chemical mixture thought to be present in the early Earth's oceans have found that amino acids can be 'cooked' into many other important chemical building blocks of life when embedded in salt crusts. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916223911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083226.htm Researchers have developed a reusable organic liquid that can pull harmful gases such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide out of industrial emissions from power plants. The process could directly replace current methods and allow power plants to capture double the amount of harmful gases in a way that uses no water, less energy and saves money. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818083226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814165303.htm New research shows that air pollution in eastern China over the past 50 years has decreased the yearly number of days of light rainfall by 23 percent. The study links for the first time high levels of pollutants in the air with conditions that prevent the kind of rainfall critical for agriculture. The results suggest that bad air quality might be affecting the country's ability to raise crops as well as health and the environment. Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814165303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720190728.htm Burning of fossil fuels pumps chemicals into the air that react on surfaces such as buildings and roads to create photochemical smog-forming chlorine atoms, scientists report in a new study. The newfound chemistry should be added to atmospheric models, researchers say. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720190728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804071400.htm What do the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone," global climate change and acid rain have in common? They're all a result of human impacts to Earth's biology, chemistry and geology, and the natural cycles that involve all three. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804071400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803091917.htm Sewage overflows are a fact of life in urban areas, and in many cities, excess sewage water enters streams and lakes with rain runoff. Although this pollution is harmful to most organisms, there is one group of insects that thrives on it: mosquitoes. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803091917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728083709.htm A list of potentially toxic chemicals will be used to make recommendations on occupational health in Germany. The list shows the estimated concentration of a substance in the body to which a person can be exposed during his or her working life without suffering any adverse health effects (BAT values). Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728083709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622194342.htm Researchers have calculated the buffer factor for water in the River Schelde and in the ocean. A wide range of chemical and microbiological processes influence the acidity of natural waters. Due to the uptake of CO2 produced by humans, oceans in the future will not only be more acidic but also more sensitive for changes in pH, researchers say. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622194342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604144322.htm Researchers have found a new proxy to measure the impact of fossil fuel emissions on the global nitrogen cycle. The scientists use nitrogen isotopes found in a Greenland ice core to link nitrates to the rise in nitric oxides since the industrial period. The research also shows the greatest change in the isotope ratios occurred between 1950 and 1980, following a rapid increase in fossil fuel burning. Results are published in Science. Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604144322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511122416.htm The Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test was recently studied to clarify the chemical nature of what the test measures and its relationship to microbial growth in soils, determining that the test does not estimate total soil nitrogen and is selective for certain forms of microbial nitrogen. Fri, 15 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511122416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502084607.htm Dairy cows that produce USDA-certified organic milk also produce manure that may gradually replenish soil nutrients and potentially reduce the flow of agricultural pollutants to nearby water sources, according to new findings. Thu, 07 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502084607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061830.htm Chemical conditions beneath glaciers are difficult to observe and are usually studied by sampling meltwaters emerging from glacial oulets or drill holes. These waters average chemical signals over a large area and cannot record small-scale spatial and temporal variability. Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144532.htm Fertilized grasslands are more productive but poorer in species. Researchers have now identified the mechanisms that lead to loss of biodiversity through fertilization. The new results show that nutrient enrichment of grasslands must be more strongly controlled if plant diversity is to be preserved. Fri, 01 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414130623.htm If Mark Twain were alive today he might rephrase his frequently cited observation about everyone talking about the weather but not doing anything about it to say, "Everyone reads or watches weather forecasts, but many people don't understand them." Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414130623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414120452.htm A new study finds that it will take more than 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost when biofuel plantations are established on forestlands. If the original habitat was peatland, carbon balance would take more than 600 years. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414120452.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155535.htm Carbon soot aerosols from combustion of fossil fuels and forest fires directly influence the Earth-atmosphere heat balance by absorbing sunlight. Fresh soot particles repel water and hence have little effect on properties and lifetimes of clouds. As soot particles age, they are thought to undergo a weathering process that allows them to absorb water, potentially transforming particles into cloud condensation nuclei. Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155829.htm Nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, which are produced by lightning, biomass burning, and soil outgassing, are converted into atmospheric nitrate through oxidation reactions. Nitrogen oxide, itself a pollutant, controls the production of ozone, which in turn is a greenhouse gas and a pollutant at ground levels. Atmospheric nitrate contributes to the load of atmospheric particulate matter and, along with sulfate, to acid rain. Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325155829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316133438.htm The Catskill Mountains receive some of the highest nitrogen deposition rates in North America due to pollutants drifting, and a recent study in this region demonstrates how some forested watersheds are more capable than others in absorbing nitrogen. While nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth, excess levels are capable of acidifying soils and decreasing water quality. Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316133438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311134802.htm Is wood the new coal? Some researchers now think so, and they working to turn woodchips into a substitute for coal by using a process called torrefaction that is greener, cleaner and more efficient than traditional coal burning. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311134802.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302183250.htm Mudslides that followed the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan, China earthquake may cause a carbon-dioxide release in upcoming decades equivalent to two percent of current annual global carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion, a new study shows. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302183250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141147.htm Canada's inland waters, the countless lakes and reservoirs across the country, are important "sentinels" for climate change and yet the warnings are being ignored. Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127112043.htm Three billion years ago, a "new" amino acid was added to the alphabet of 20 that commonly make up proteins in organisms today. Now researchers have demonstrated how this rare amino acid -- and, by example, other amino acids -- made its way into the menu for protein synthesis. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127112043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112130647.htm Scientist's understanding of how soils have responded to decreases in acidic deposition at the regional scale is limited, but a recent study confirms that the acidification of soils in watersheds slows the recovery of aquatic ecosystems, an effect that is threatening the health of forests in the northeastern United States. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112130647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107134635.htm Mercury pollution has already spurred public health officials to advise eating less fish, but it could become a more pressing concern in a warmer world. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107134635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108101631.htm Researchers have analyzed the application of waste sludge from a waste water purification plant to acid soils which have limited capacity for neutralizing the acidity. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090108101631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211081618.htm The nitrogen emissions from boreal dairy pastures vary depending on the time of year and ley rotation. The emissions peak in spring, when the nitrates accumulated in the soil over the previous summer and winter leach with the melting snow. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211081618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216131016.htm NASA researchers have since analyzed data from NASA's Aura and Terra satellites that show how key pollutants responded to the Olympic restrictions in China. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216131016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202190859.htm Climate change is hampering the long-term recovery of rivers from the effects of acid rain, with wet weather offsetting improvements, according to a new study. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202190859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127145141.htm A new and insidious environmental threat has been detected in North American lakes. Boreal forest lakes suffer from 'aquatic osteoporosis.' Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127145141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117153158.htm Increasing levels of nitrogen deposition associated with industry and agriculture can drive soils toward a toxic level of acidification, according to a study published in Nature Geoscience. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117153158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124141053.htm Scientists have documented that the ocean is growing more acidic faster than previously thought. In addition, they have found that the increasing acidity correlates with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The increasingly acidic water harms certain sea animals and could reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081124141053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081021214850.htm After more than 20 years of research in the northern hardwood forests of Michigan, scientists have reached a surprising conclusion: Moderate increases in temperature and nitrogen from atmospheric pollution actually improve forest productivity. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081021214850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016124041.htm A new study led by the Pacific Northwest Research Station represents the first direct evidence of the toll wildfire can take on forest soil layers. It draws on data from the 2002 Biscuit Fire, which scorched some 500,000 acres in southwest Oregon. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016124041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170753.htm Researchers in Iran are publishing what they describe as the first study on a fungus that can remove sulfur -- a major source of air pollution -- from crude oil more effectively than conventional refining methods. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080923084535.htm Ammonia emissions from seabirds have been shown to be a significant source of nitrogen in remote coastal ecosystems, contributing to nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) and acidification in ecosystems. Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080923084535.htm