234 CHAPTER 9 Global Atmospheric Changes© Stefan Jannides/redbrickstock.com /Alamy
Peter Essick / Aurora Photosa. These carved stone slabs from the Mayan Palace at
Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico have been damaged by
acidic deposition.b. China has abundant supplies
of high-sulfur coal.Acid Deposition
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Define acid deposition and explain how acid
deposition develops. - Relate examples of the effects of acid
deposition.
W
hat do fishless lakes in the Adirondack Moun-
tains, recently damaged Mayan ruins in south-
ern Mexico, and dead trees in the Czech
Republic have in common? All these prob-
lems are the result of acid precipitation or, more
properly, acid deposition (Figure 9.16a). Acid
deposition has been around since the Industrial
Revolution began. Robert Angus Smith, a British
chemist, coined the term acid rain in 1872 after
he noticed that buildings in areas with heavy
industrial activity were being worn away by rain.Acid precipitation, including acid rain, sleet, snow,
and fog, poses a serious threat to the environment.
Until recently, industrialized countries in the North-
ern Hemisphere had been hurt the most, especially
the Scandinavian countries, central Europe, Russia,
and North America. In the United States alone, the an-
nual damage from acid deposition is estimated at $10
billion. Acid deposition is now recognized as a global
problem because it also occurs in developing countries
as they become industrialized. For example,
Chinese scientists have reported that acid
deposition affects 40 p ercent of their coun-
try. In the two decades from 1990 to 2010,
the amount of sulfur dioxide released from
burning high-sulfur coal tripled in China
(Figure 9.16b).acid deposition A
type of air pollution
that includes sulfuric
and nitric acids in pre-
cipitation, as well as
dry acid particles that
settle out of the air.-ÕÀViÃÊ>`ÊivviVÌÃÊvÊ>V`Ê`i«ÃÌÊUÊ}ÕÀiÊ°£ÈÊ