 |
| Killer Downpour. ACID RAIN. |
Rain
seems to make things cleaner. Rain helps flowers grow and helps keep plants
green. It washes the dust off cars and houses. It makes roads look shiny and it
leaves a fresh smell in the air.
But rain can be dirty. That's because, as the rain
falls, it gathers up any pollution that's in the air. It can leave cars looking
streaky, and windows looking spotty.
Some rain will even ruin the paint on cars. It will damage
or kill the fish living in lakes that are fed by rain. Such rain is called
'acid rain'.
This is what happens. We burn fuels sue as coal, gas,
and oil in our factories.
This releases gases containing elements such as sulphur,
carbon, and nitrogen into the air. These combine with moisture in the air to
form
Such
damaging substances as sulphuric acid, carbonic acid and nitric acid. When it
rains, these acids fall to earth with the water.
Acid doesn't fall to earth only in the form of rain.
It can also fall as snow, sleet, and hail. It can even be in fog.
Acid rain harms many forms of life, including human
life. It also damages buildings. The acid eats through stone, metal, and concrete.
Acid rain has damage some of the world's great monuments, including the
cathedrals of Europe, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Taj Mahal in
India.
0 Comments