Acid rain has existed for thousands of years. Some people think it's a horrible thing and others think it doesn't really cause harm to anything. Acid rain occurs when acidic particles from the soil rise into the atmosphere. Some causes of acid rain are man-made and natural. Acid rain can affect many substances, including plants and animals. Even though it can affect all of these things, some people still think it's not that bad. In my opinion, acid rain is very harmful to the environment and we should do everything in our power to reduce the amount of it, and eventually put an end to it. The United States contributes approximately ⅔ of the total sulfur dioxide and ¼ of the total nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere from the production of electrical energy by burning fossil fuels, such as coal. Acid rain forms from these gases when they react with water, oxygen, and other gases in the atmosphere to form highly acidic compounds. This results in solutions of nitric and sulfuric acid. Acid rain is a mixture of wet and dry deposits from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acid. There are many forms of acid rain. Wet deposition and dry deposition are two forms of acid rain. Wet deposits are rain, sleet, snow, or fog that has become more acidic than usual. Dry deposition is another form of acid deposition, which is when dust particles become acidic. Acid rain is caused by natural and artificial causes. Volcanoes are the most common natural cause of acid rain. When the volcano explodes, it sends ash into the atmosphere which mixes with particles in the air. It is a natural cause of acid rain. Some anthropogenic causes of acid rain are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are made of sulfur......middle of paper......and this. As a high school student, there is little I can do to reduce acid rain. But there are a few things I can do as an individual to help. This includes turning off lights, computers and other devices when I'm not using them. Saving electricity is a big help. Carpooling is also a major help in reducing emissions into the environment to reduce acid rain. Overall, acid rain is a problem and will continue to get worse if we do not take immediate action to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we burn.BibliographyReferencesAcid rain and pollution problems. (nd). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/region1/eco/acidrain/pollproblems.htmlThe Environment. (2005). Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Nakaya, A.C. (2006). The environment. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. O’Connor, R. (2004). Acid rain. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Lucent Books.