The Unknown Threat: Is Acid Rain Real or Just Hype?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the reality and implications of acid rain, exploring whether it poses a genuine threat or if concerns surrounding it are exaggerated. Participants compare acid rain to other environmental issues and consider its effects on ecosystems, particularly trees and aquatic life, as well as the historical context of environmental degradation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the legitimacy of acid rain as a threat, suggesting it may be overstated like other environmental concerns.
  • Others argue that acid rain is indeed a significant issue for trees, limestone structures, and aquatic ecosystems.
  • A participant references historical declines in forests in Western Europe, attributing recovery to reduced sulfur emissions while questioning the role of droughts.
  • Concerns are raised about acid rain's ability to release harmful metals like mercury and cadmium from soil and sediment, which can accumulate in fish and wildlife.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of these metals for human health, particularly regarding fish consumption advisories in certain regions.
  • Some participants express confusion about the mechanisms by which acid rain affects the environment, particularly regarding the chemical reactions that lead to heavy metal contamination.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the severity and implications of acid rain, with no consensus reached on whether it is a real threat or merely hype. The discussion remains unresolved, with differing opinions on the environmental impact and historical context.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various environmental phenomena and historical events, indicating a complex interplay of factors affecting ecosystems. The discussion highlights uncertainties regarding the specific contributions of acid rain versus other environmental stressors.

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What is going on here? Should I shelter my children from the rain? One of my friends was telling me about acid rain how it used to happen. I said I don't remember it raining acid. ? :cry: The unknown!

But seriously, is this a real threat, was it? Was it just a bunch of hype caused by environmentalists? Compareable to Love Canal, Times Beach, DDT, Radon, the ozone hole, global warming, Bovine Growth Hormone, the coming Ice Age, the Day After Tomorrow, overcrowding of the Earth, the population bomb etc... Wow I just realized this has been going on for a while.
 
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DDT is hype?

Didn't like.. thousands of people die from that?
 
Pengwuino said:
DDT is hype?

Didn't like.. thousands of people die from that?

Nope. Millions die annually from malaria --- tens of millions w'out DDT.

It was implicated in declining raptor populations due to bioaccumulation processes; believed to result in thinning of egg shells to a degree that they were too fragile for successful nesting and incubation.
 
Well about 20-30 years ago the forests in Western Europe were strongly declining, known here as "das grosse waldessterben" and indeed every casual observer could not conclude anything else.

So we cut back on SOx emissions and other pollutants and yo and behold the forests are thriving again as never before.

Or were it the early 1970 draughts that led to many trees to perish?
 
Andre said:
Well about 20-30 years ago the forests in Western Europe were strongly declining, known here as "das grosse waldessterben" and indeed every casual observer could not conclude anything else.
So we cut back on SOx emissions and other pollutants and yo and behold the forests are thriving again as never before.
Or were it the early 1970 draughts that led to many trees to perish?

What about the effects on aquatic life, and acid rain elsewhere in the world? Can this all be tied into drought? Have decreases in forest cover on such a magnitude been caused by droughts in the past?
Acid rain seems like the more likely culprit to me.
 
matthyaouw said:
Acid rain isn't a threat unless you are a tree, a limestone building, or a lake ecosystem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain
Acid rain is quite a threat because when it comes in contact with soil, rocks, and sediment it can unlock metals like mercury, cadmium, and aluminun that bioconcentrate in the fish and the animals that we eat. Here in Maine, when you get your fishing license, they also issue you a book of regulations, that contains prominent health advisories warning pregnant women not to eat wild fish, and suggesting strict limits to how much wild fish anybody should eat - to avoid mercury poisoning. The state also advises that you not eat deer liver because of high concentrations of cadmium.

Acid rain has already caused damage to our environment that might take decades to mediate, even if man-made acid-forming emissions stopped right now.
 
turbo-1 said:
Acid rain is quite a threat because when it comes in contact with soil, rocks, and sediment it can unlock metals like mercury, cadmium, and aluminun that bioconcentrate in the fish and the animals that we eat.

Right you are:blushing:
 
turbo-1 said:
Acid rain is quite a threat because when it comes in contact with soil, rocks, and sediment it can unlock metals like mercury, cadmium, and aluminun that bioconcentrate in the fish and the animals that we eat.
So it is not the acidity of the rain that is bad, it is the reactions that go on underground, that bring heavy metals into the ocean?

Thank you for helping, but I don't quite understand yet.
 

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