Poison in the Rockies
In the last 10 years, the phenomenon known as acid rain has become recognized both in the United States and Europe as a major environmental danger. Acid rain has brought devastation to thousands of lakes and streams in the U.S. and Canada such as the Colorado Rockies. Some aquatic systems have become so acidic that they are effectively dead. In others, fish struggle to survive. Acid rain damage in the U.S. alone is estimated at more than $10 billion annually. Acid Rain is one of the three most threatening environmental factors to water quality in Colorado; two more factors are mining and recreational development. Once the water quality in Colorado is destroyed then that leads to impact the downstream rivers. The watersheds in Colorado supply 10,000,000 gallons of water daily to other states. This enables the pollution in Colorado to spread to across the country. An ecosystem con only withstand a limited amount of acidity so if there is an excess of acids it can easily destroy an ecosystem's balance. The problem is one of balance; nature depends upon balance. Normal precipitation reacts with alkaline chemicals - derived from the region's bedrock and found in the air, soils, lakes, and streams - and is thereby neutralized. Howeve
------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. In addition, a low pH will throw off the balance of salts in the fish tissue. The formation of acid mine drainage is primarily a function of the geology, hydrology and mining technology employed for the mine site. Oxidation occurs the most in clouds and especially in heavily polluted air where other compounds such as ammonia and ozone help to catalyze the reaction, converting more sulphur dioxide to sulphuric acid. This results in poor reproduction - their eggs produced would be damaged; they are either too brittle or too weak. The following are the stoichiometric equations for the formation of sulphuric acid: S (in coal) !+ O2 SO2; 2 SO2 + O2 2 SO3; SO3 H2O + H2SO4 . As nitrogen-containing fertilizers are washed off into the lakes, the nitrogen stimulates the growth of algae, which logically would mean an increase in oxygen production, thus benefitting the fish. However, because of increased deaths in the fish population due to acid rain, the decomposition process uses up a lot of the oxygen, which leaves less for the surviving fish to take in. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) directly interferes with the fish's ability to take in oxygen, salt and nutrients needed to stay alive. Nationally, about two-thirds of sulfur emissions come from coal-burning electric power plants, and available technology can reduce these emissions through vigorous energy conservation together with the use of stack scrubbers and low sulfur coal. The federal government remains deadlocked on implementing such measures to control acid rain in the rest of the nation, even though last year, for the first time, the President belatedly cited acid rain as a severe environmental problem. It then becomes sulphuric acid as it joins with hydrogen atoms in the air and falls back down to earth. Acid mine drainage is formed by a series of complex geo-chemical and microbial reactions that occur when water comes in contact with pyrite (iron disulfide minerals) in coal, refuse or the overburden of a mine operation. We eat food, drink water, and breathe air that has come in contact with acid deposition. Osmoregulation is the process of maintaining the delicate balance of salts and minerals in their tissues.
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Acceptance Essays
