Acid Rain

11:16am Monday 7th April 2008

Some years ago Acid Rain was top of the agenda, even more so than Global Warming. It was stated that due to man made pollution, our water source from all precipitation was increasingly becoming acid. This acid rain would have a profound effect upon our plant life.

Over the past 10 years we have hardly heard about acid rain, its more to do with the warming of our globe, due to man made influences increasing glasshouse gases. But acid rain is still a threat. Clean air contains small amounts of carbon dioxide, an even smaller amount of sulphate released from volcanic activity, and nitrogen oxides produced when lightning supplies the energy to oxidize nitrogen. These dissolve in water droplets, making all precipitation slightly acid. Normally, rain has a pH of 5.6. If the pH is higher, the rain is alkaline. Precipitation is considered acid if its pH falls below 5.0, the level at which fish and plants start to be harmed. With pollution levels still high and rising, the acidity of precipitation remains high, this causing some damage to property, our plant life and also to many other living beings.Next week......The moving earth.

The answer to last weeks question: Drier.

This weeks question:

Which is more acid:A/ pH of 5.6.B/ pH of 5.0.Best of luck.Glossary: Climatology: The scientific study of climate, which is the weather typical of a region, or the entire earth, over a long period.Weather for coming week:Monday 7th April-Friday 11th April.Low pressure bringing a showery week, those showers a mixture of rain, hail, sleet and snow early on, then of rain after mid week as it turns less cold. Slight overnight frost. Sunnier, drier spells between those showers.

Winds swinging into the south/south-west, gusty in those sharp showers.

Maximum temperature 9-12c 48-54f.Minimum temperature 0-4c 32-39f.Last Week's Observations (Monday-Sunday)Highest day temperature..........17.5c 64f on Thursday 3rd April.Lowest night temperature........Minus 1.8c 28f on Saturday 5th April.Wettest day............................6.8 mm early Sunday Morning-tide from 1-4 inches of snowfall.

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