Acid Rain Effects
Students conduct a simple experiment to model and explore the harmful effects of acid rain (vinegar) on living (green leaf and eggshell) and non-living (paper clip) objects.
The effect of acid rain on forests.Copyright 2006 Lovecz, Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acid_rain_woods1.JPG
Acid rain is a complex environmental problem that concerns many environmental and chemical engineers. When engineers examine the acid rain damage to water, wildlife, forests, crops and structures, they consider the impact on human health. Engineers design many useful technologies that help industry reduce the amount of harmful pollutants released into our air. Engineers also help to develop laws that prevent or limit factories and industries from burning fossil fuels (which release pollutants), or require them to minimize their pollutant output.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Discuss how engineers are working to prevent pollution and acid rain.
- Use an indicator to differentiate between acidic, basic and neutral solutions.
- Use their observations to describe the cause-effect relationship of acid rain.
- Observe and describe some of the harmful effects of acid rain on living and non-living items.