Guiding Questions. What is acid rain, how is it formed, and what are some of its impacts?

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1 2201. The atmosphere is a combination of gasses, primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen with small amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides and many other trace gases Natural factors such as fires and volcanoes cause precipitation in non-industrial areas to normally be slightly acidic Emission of combustion by-products such as SO 2 and NO X by industries and vehicles is a major source of these air pollutants Some gas molecules such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and the oxides of nitrogen (NO X ) can combine with water vapor in the atmosphere to form weak acids When acid vapors in the atmosphere form drops of precipitation, that precipitation is considered acid precipitation or acid rain When acid rain falls both on land and in bodies of water, it causes both environments to become more acidic (lower ph) which can affect the way other natural chemical reactions occur The availability to plants of trace nutrients (minerals) in Earth s soils is dependent upon the ph of the soils. The ph can be lowered by acid rain that in turn decreases the availability of these minerals to plants Many aquatic organisms are very sensitive to the ph of their environment, and changes in that ph can affect their ability to survive due to the narrow range of ph they can tolerate Building materials (such as limestone and marble) are composed of materials that react slowly with the acids in their environment, thus reducing their structural integrity and the exterior appearance. Guiding Questions What is acid rain, how is it formed, and what are some of its impacts? CSDE Expected Performance release of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) into the atmosphere can form acid rain, and how acid rain affects water sources, organisms and human-made structures. FMWK Code Refer to Standard 6.2, 6.3, 9.4, 9.5 & 9.7 for prior exploration of related concepts. Page 1 of 1 D 22 CSDE Embedded Lab Task Acid Rain

2 Guiding CSDE Expected FMWK Questions Performance Code 01. Sunlight delivers energy to Earth where it can be reflected, What is this transmitted or absorbed and re-emitted by the different materials greenhouse D 23 accumulation of in the Earth s atmosphere, water and land surfaces. effect, and how carbon dioxide 02. All matter making up the Earth, including living organisms, does it happen? (CO 2 ) in the releases energy into the environment. atmosphere 03. Earth maintains a thermal balance between the energy increases Earth s entering the Earth s environment from the sun and the energy greenhouse leaving the Earth s environment through radiation into space. effect and may 04. Atmospheric gases such as CO 2 are called greenhouse cause climate gases because they can act like a greenhouse to trap energy reradiated by Earth and prevent its loss into space. changes. 05. That radiation would normally leave Earth s environment, and support the thermal balance on Earth. 06. Sunlight is composed of many different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum, including microwaves and infrared, visible and ultraviolet light. 07. Different gases in the atmosphere absorb and transmit different wavelengths of energy depending on their chemical structure. 08. Carbon dioxide is a gas that naturally absorbs infrared radiation (heat) that is radiated by Earth materials. 09. When the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, more of the energy radiated by Earth materials is absorbed by the carbon dioxide gas and reradiated back to the Earth s surface, keeping that energy from escaping into space and contributing to the warming of the Earth s atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect. 10. Some scientists consider more frequent and powerful cyclones and hurricanes, more frequent and intense floods and droughts, and a recent increase in "extreme weather events" evidence that climate change has begun. (UNFCCC) Scientists say it's an indication that climate change already has begun. Page 2 of 2

3 11. One climate variation appears to be an increase in variation itself: there are wider swings in what is considered "normal" weather. Page 3 of 3

4 01. Aquatic organisms live in essentially all the bodies of water on Earth. 02. All the water that falls as precipitation on Earth eventually flows into the streams, rivers, lakes and oceans of the Earth. 03. As water flows over and through the surface of earth, many chemicals and particles are carried with that flow into the streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. 04. Heavy elements such as mercury that are used in some industrial and agricultural processes can be carried in the water flowing at Earth s surface. 05. Heavy metallic elements such as mercury have negative impacts on aquatic organisms and on organisms that consume them. 06. Some chemical compounds such as phosphates and nitrates used as fertilizers in agricultural processes are applied in ways that allow these chemicals to flow into the bodies of water. 07. Excess fertilizers provide nutrients for some plant, creating an imbalance in the environment such as an algal bloom. Algal blooms are considered to be unhealthy because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water that is available to aquatic plants and animals causing those populations to die off. 08. When a population of organisms in an ecosystem significantly increases or decreases, it can cause significant increases or decreases in other populations that are part of the same food web. 09. As larger organisms consume smaller organisms, the accumulation of heavy metals and chemicals from agricultural uses can result in a concentration of these materials in the larger consumers higher up on the food chain. This concentration may have a more significant negative impact on those higher order consumers. Guiding Questions What is heavy metal poisoning and how does it happen? CSDE Expected Performance accumulation of mercury, phosphates and nitrates affect the quality of water and the organisms that live in rivers, lakes and oceans. FMWK Code Page 4 of 4 D 24

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