Acid rain is perhaps the most well known and recognizable form of pollution that is affecting the world today. Acidity is measured using a pH scale, with 7 being neutral. So anything below 7 is considered to be acidic, but as far as acid rain goes, the baseline for identifying acid rain is generally below the pH level of 5.6. But there have been many debates over this value and many scientists believe that it should be closer to a pH of 7. So any precipitation that has a pH value of less than 5.6 is considered to be acid precipitation. Readings of pH 2.4, as acidic as vinegar, were recorded during storms in New England and during one particular acid rain storm, the paint was actually stripped of a car and left it ruined (Tyson 1992).
             One of the main causes of acid rain is sulfur dioxide. There are natural sources that emit sulfur dioxide like volcanoes, sea spray, rotting vegetation, and plankton. But the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, are blamed for approximately half of the emissions of this gas in the world. When sulfur dioxide reaches the atmosphere, it oxidizes to form a sulfate ion and it then becomes sulfuric acid as it joins with hydrogen atoms in the air as it falls back down to earth. The oxidation occurs the most in clouds and especially in heavily polluted air where other compounds such as ammonia and ozone to catalyze the reaction, converting more sulfuric dioxide to sulfuric acid. The equations below are the stoichiometric equation for the formation of sulfuric acid.
             The charts below indicate the pH levels of wet deposition over time at the provinces in Canada. Accompanied with it are charts of emissions over time in Canada compared with the United States.
             One of the most serious impacts of acid rain is on forests and soils. Great damage is done when sulfuric acid falls onto the earth as rain. It washes away all the nutrients in the soil and aluminum that is present in the soil ...