Narrow Results

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to see the indirect effect of air pollutants on the prey-predator type fish population in a closed population (lake). It is shown that as the pollutant concentration in the environment increases, the concentration of the acidic chemicals in the lake increases and consequently the equilibrium level of the fish population decreases. Using stability theory of differential equations and computer simulation, it is shown that due to the effort, pollutant concentration can be reduced to a desired level to save fisheries from extinction by acid rain.

In this paper, the durability of steel fiber reinforced concrete/SFRC is tested under the combined effects of carbonization and acid rain erosion. Mass loss rate, splitting tensile strength loss rate, eroded thickness and neutralization depth were taken as evaluation index. Test results indicated that the concrete mass loss rate, splitting tensile strength loss rate, and eroded thickness of SFRC under the multi-combined effects of acid rain and carbonization are greater than that of SFRC affected by the acid rain; the neutralization depth of SFRC are larger under the multi-factor effects of acid rain and carbonization compared to the superposition of them. According to the analysis of combined effects, the carbonization and acid rain has almost equal contribution to the neutralization of concrete. Proper mixture of steel fiber can effectively inhibit the erosion of original concrete under the effect of acid rain and reduce the neutralization depth. According to the varied mixing proportions in the test, the SFRC with the steel fiber mixing proportions of 1.5% has the best durability.

Acid rain is formed when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides reach the air and are transformed into sulfate or nitrate particles. When combined with water vapor, they are converted into sulfuric or nitric acids. Acid rain can adversely affect aquatic life, erode stone buildings and marble statues, and seriously threaten trees and crops. Power plants that burn coal to generate electricity are a chief cause of acid rain. The US Congress and US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) have worked to reduce acid rain by restricting the amount of sulfur allowed in the coal burned by power plants and other industrial sources. In some areas, where pollution is concentrated, plants may burn only coal with 1% sulfur or less. In rural locations, a maximum sulfur content of 2% is allowed. Nitrogen oxide emissions from cars also contribute to acid rain. These emissions are being reduced by new car emissions standards that have been established by the US EPA. Acid rain monitoring stations are built to determine the long-term effects of acid deposition. The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act Amendments required power plants across the nation to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. These measures have significantly reduced the pollutants that contribute to acid rain formation.

Aquatic life at all levels of the food chain can be harmed by acid rain. Destruction begins at the lowest level of the food chain, when the tiny microorganisms that are food for minnows and other small organisms die. As food sources dwindle, more and larger fish die. Acid in the water may also interfere with oxygen circulation, harm fish gills and cause heart problems in fish. Even though acid rain is a complex global problem, there are things that each of us can do to help control it. Conserving energy helps by reducing electricity demands on our power plants. Carpooling also helps, by reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides. And widespread recycling will also help control acid rain. By minimizing the volume of waste we generate, we are contributing to reductions of nitrogen oxide emissions from waste incinerators. These are a few ways that, with enough individuals acting on behalf of the environment, each of us can make a difference.

In the past few decades, precipitation across North America and Europe has become increasingly more acidic having an immense effect on the ecosystem. Any rain below the natural pH level is considered acid rain. Acid rain primarily occurs when extraneous sulfur dioxide is released into the atmosphere and mixes with the air; nitric oxide, typically from burning of fossil fuels, is a secondary cause. First being discovered in the mid-20th century, the phenomena has had detrimental effects on lakes, rivers, soils, plants, and the overall environments that cannot neutralize water. This chapter thoroughly covers the history, causes, and environmental effects of acid rain.

Urbanization is often associated with natural resource exploitation, largely characterized by fossil fuel combustion for energy generation. Increasing demand for energy releases acidic gases into the atmosphere, thus increasing the acidity of natural rain with debilitating consequences to the environment and public health. Therefore, this chapter aims to simplify the complex interactions guiding acid rain formation and its projected impacts on the ecosystem, and to reveal the urgent need for mitigation measures particularly by acid rain–stricken developing countries.

This chapter highlights the importance of deposition in the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere and at the same time its role in the addition of these pollutants back to lithosphere and hydrosphere. Wet deposition in terms of rain acidity, global rain pH trend and its estimation are detailed. Processes involved in scavenging of pollutants and their role in deciding chemical nature of rain are discussed.

Technical and legal terms are introduced for resources engineers and scientists. Being the former Federal and the State government officials/consultants for many years, the authors have compiled and edited these glossary terms in this book mainly based on the technical information from the governments and the professional associations. More technical and legal terms in the selected field are continuously collected and edited and will be added in the future new editions of this book.

Pollution is a global problem, yet represented by numerous smaller issues at a local level. Greenhouse warming is a global issue that despite its increasing impact remains debated. Regionally, acid rain damaged the forests and lakes of Europe and North America, but was successfully addressed by controlling emissions. Nevertheless, it persists and has become characteristic of China and India. The upper parts of the atmosphere are contaminated by chlorine derived from refrigerants that enhance ozone depletion, though international agreements have reduced this problem. Biomass burning, volcanoes, and windblown dust are seemingly natural processes, yet cause widespread health problems and disrupt air traffic. In the oceans, oil pollution has long been a major problem, although in the current decade it is plastic pollution that has come to dominate public concern. Local air pollution problems typify cities, but are also found around large industrial plants. Air pollutants arise directly as exhaust gases, but are also formed from reactions in the atmosphere, which lead to photochemical smog. Cities additionally suffer from urban runoff that runs across hard surfaces, such as roads and leads to flooding and polluted water. Factories, sewage works, and large point sources add to water pollutants. Legal and fiscal responses, add to technical controls as potential solutions to environmental problems.

From the beginning of the reform and open door policy period, in 1978, to the present moment, China has consistently subordinated the importance of environmental protection to the pursuit of rapid economic growth in the name of constructing a socialist modernized state. Remarkable achievements in economic development have been made in the last three decades, and people's living standards, in material terms, have been vastly improved, but China has paid a very heavy price, in environmental terms, for such gains. Confronted with a widening spectrum of problems manifesting rapid environmental deterioration, major initiatives and measures have been repeatedly undertaken by the Central government to improve the efficacy of the country's environment protection apparatus. This chapter reviews the challenges encountered, and progress made, in the field of environmental protection, tracing the impacts of rapid industrial and urban growth on the country's environmental contours and ecological landscape. We argue that, despite of the pro-environment actions undertaken by the Central government, the prospect for a quick reversal of the current trends of environmental degradation remains slim because such efforts have always been resisted or even negated by local governments bent on pursuing economic growth at the cost of environmental protection. Unless China's political culture is reformed to allow a greater degree of transparency in local governance matters and that the implementation of environmental policies and programs is effectively and vastly strengthened, the country will be hard pressed to achieve even its modest environmental targets in the foreseeable future.