WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Click to continue Hodder Education Revision Lessons Acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 What are the causes and effects of acid rain? Click to continue Acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Gases of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon are released into the atmosphere. How does this happen? Click to continue Causes of acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 The use of fossil fuels as a source of power in factories and power stations causes acid rain… …but it is not only industry’s fault. We are also directly responsible, heating our homes and driving cars. What happens next? Click to continue Causes of acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Gases of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon are soluble in water, so they dissolve in the water vapour carried in the atmosphere. This makes the water vapour mildly acidic. Click to continue Acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Some of this acidic water vapour returns to Earth fairly quickly as rain. When this happens over towns and cities, it causes the weathering of some buildings. But why is acid rain an international issue? Click to continue Acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Let’s answer that question by asking another one. What usually happens to air? It moves from areas of high to low air pressure. This wind carries the acidic water vapour for great distances before it falls as acid rain. This often means the rain falls in countries that have not caused the air pollution. How does acid rain affect natural environments? Click to continue

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Some of the most devastating effects are in forested areas. Chemicals in the rain remove nutrients from the soil and add aluminium. Trees and other plants die. Is that the only way it damages plants? No. The rain, and sometimes fog, directly damages the leaves of crops and other plants. Are other natural environments affected? Click to continue Acid rain

WJEC (B) GCSE Geography Theme 3 Topic 7 Yes. Aluminium released from soil washes into rivers and lakes. Here it causes disruption of fish and frog breeding and clogs the gills of fish, killing them. There is a knock-on effect within food webs, which are sometimes severely damaged. Acid rain Click to continue