How Does Acid Rain Affect the Environment?
Aquatic – Fish populations are damaged in a number of ways. Acidic water disrupts their reproductive cycle. It also leaches aluminum from the soil into the water, clogging the fish’s gills and altering their blood chemistry. As a lake becomes acidified, one species after another disappears. In addition to sensitive lakes, the Adirondack region includes thousands of miles of streams and rivers also sensitive to acidic deposition. Over half of these may become acidic during spring snowmelt. Forests – Sulfur and nitrogen deposition have caused adverse impacts on certain highly sensitive forest ecosystems, most notably the high-elevation, spruce-fir forests in the eastern United States. Forests are damaged because acid precipitation drains nutrients from the soil. Excess nitrogen in the air also may adversely affect tree growth. Evidence of decreased growth and dieback has been found in the Adirondacks already. Visibility – Dry acidic particles in the air lessen visibility. When winds blow
