Soil and Acid Rain
Recommended for grades 6–12.
Introduction
Acid precipitation can be very harmful to the environment. It can kill fish by lowering the pH of lakes and rivers. It can harm trees and plants by burning their leaves and depriving them of nutrients. In addition, it can weather away stone buildings and monuments.
Carbon dioxide, CO2, is a gas found naturally in the air. When CO2 dissolves into water, it produces a weak acid called carbonic acid, H2CO3. This makes precipitation slightly acidic naturally. Precipitation of pH 5 to 6 is common and does not generally cause any problems. Oxides of sulfur and nitrogen released into the air by fossil fuel burning power plants, various industries, and automobiles dissolve into atmospheric water to form acids such as H2SO3 (sulfurous acid), H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), HNO2 (nitrous acid), and HNO3 (nitric acid). The resulting precipitation can be as acidic as pH 4, precipitation with a pH below 5.6 is generally considered to be “acid precipitation.”
Objectives
In the Preliminary Activity, you will use a pH Sensor to measure the pH of acid rainwater. You will then filter the acid rainwater through soil, collect the resulting filtrate, and measure the filtrate pH as you determine the soil’s influence on acid rainwater pH.
After completing the Preliminary Activity, you will first use reference sources to find out more about acid precipitation, soil pH, and soil buffering capacity before you choose and investigate a researchable question.
Sensors and Equipment
This investigation requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for the Preliminary Activity
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the Preliminary Activity does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
See all standards correlations for Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry »
Experiment 12 from Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry Lab Book
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.