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Acid Rain: A Teacher's Guide. Activities for Grades 4to 12.National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D. C.85

13p.

National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th Street, N.W.,Washington, DC 20036 (Item No. 79678: $1).Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (ForTeacher) (052)

MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.*Acid Rain; *Class Activities; Elementary SecondaryEducation; Environmental Education; Lesson Plans;*Pollution; *Science Activities; Teaching Guides;*Water Pollution

IDENTIFIERS Clean Air Amendments 1970; Environmental Issues;Environmental Problems

ABSTRACTThis guide on acid rain for elementary and secondary

students is divided into three study areas: (1) What Causes AcidRain; (2) What Problems Acid Rain Has Created; (3) How You and YourStudents Can Help Combat Acid Rain. Each section presents backgroundinformation and a series of lessons pertaining to the section topic.Activities include working with the properties of acids; the watercycle; sources of acid rain; effects of acid rain on plants, animals,soil, and human communities; legislation; and citizen and communityaction. Included is a student crossword puzzle, glossary of pertinentterms, bibliography, and order information for additionalinstructional materials. (MCO)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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-PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

Sharon A. Schilirc

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES0 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).-

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

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THENATIONAL WILDLIFEFEDERATION CREED ...

I pledge myself as a responsible human.to assume my share of the stewardshipof our natural resources.

I will use my share with gratitude.without greed or waste.

I will respect the rights of others andabide by the law.

I will support the sound managementof the resources we use, the restorationof the resources we have despoiled.and the safe-keeping of significantresources for posterity.

I will never forget that life and beauty,wealth and progress, depend on howwisely we use these gifts . . . the soil,the water the air the minerals, theplant life and the wildlife.

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The Acid Rain Teacher's Kit, item number 79678, may be purchased for $1.00. Please send checkor money order to: The National Wildlife Federation, 14+2 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036. t

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Ten years ago, few peo-ple had heard of "acid

rain." But, today, it is oneof our most talked about and serious environ-mental problems. It has killed the aquatic life inhundreds of lakes and streams throughout partsof the United States and Canada. It is also stronglysuspected of damaging forests, some veg&ablecrops, buildings, and even human health. Already,acid rain has caused billions of dollars in damage.

The National Wildlife Federation has producedthis acid rain teachers' activity guide becausewe believe that you and your students can helpfight acid rain by learning more about it. Theguide is divided into three study areas to explain:I. What causes acid rain.2. What problems acid rain has created.3. How you and your students can help com-

bat acid rain.

ACID RAINA TEACHER'S GUIDE

The acid rain problembegins at the smoke-

stacks of coal-burning util-ities and factories and thetailpipes of motor vehicles. The two mainculprits are the man-made pollutants:1) sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the coal-burning plants, and 2) nitrogen oxides

Each activity has a sug-gested grade level; however,most can be adapted to your

students' level. You can also incorporate theactivities into many subject areas, including sci-ence, art, language, and social studies.

For an exciting study approach, you can makeyour class into an "Acid Rain Task Force." Divideyour students into small study teams and haveeach group choose to do one or more of theactivities. At the end of the investigation, haveeach team present its findings to the rest of theclass. This way, you can get all your studentsinvolved and teach more concepts in a shorteramount of time. Forming a task force to exam-ine acid rain will also give your students a feel-ing of doing something worthwhile for themselvesand their community.

(N0x) from car and truck exhaust.Millions of tons of these pollutants are

sent high into the atmosphere where theycan travel hundreds of miles by wind.

They can then react withwater vapor to form sul-furic and nitric acids andthen fall to earth as acid

rain, snow, hail, and even fog.To understand acid rain, it is helpful

to understand 1.) the idea of acidity and2.) the water cycle.

HOW ACID IS IT?

GRADE LEVEL: 7-12OBJECTIVE: To understand acidity.MATERIALS: pH paper (or other acidindicators), beakers or jars. commonsubstances, marble chips, dirty pennies.

Briefly,stated, a solution is more acidwhen it contains more hydrogen ions(H +), or charged hydrogen atoms. Acid-ity is measured on a pH scale that rangesfrom 0 to 14; 0 is extremely acidic, 14 isextremely alkaline or basic, and 7 isneutral. The scale progresses logarith-

mically. Thus, pH 3 is 10 times moreacid than pH 4 and 100 times more acidthan pH 5.

You can measure pH in several ways,the pH meter being the most preciseand, by far, the most expensive. Yourhigh school chemistry laboratory mighthave one. Other indicators are less precise,less expensive, but still very useful. Theseinclude: pHydrion papers, wide range0 (very acid) 12 (alkaline), approxi-mately $5.00, Carolina Biological Sup-ply Company, Burlington, NC 27215(800-547-1733); Hach wide range 0 (veryacid) 12 (alkaline), indicator kit, $56.75plus postage and handling, Hach Chem-ical Company, Box 907, Ames, IA 50010

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(1-800-247-3990); Pocket Lab, $2.95 pluspostage, Early Winters, 110 PrefontaineSouth. Seattle, WA 98104.

To get an idea of acidity, fill small jarsor beakers with common substances suchas vinegar, ammonia, tap water, rain water,cola soft drink, lemon juice, and dis-solved baking oda and measure theirpH. The students can rank the substanceson a bar graph. such as that on page 2 ofthe acid rain booklet in your kit. Thenthey can place small marble chips (ob-tainable from school chemistry labs) orpennies in each beaker and watch themfor 48 hours. How does acidity affectthe materials?

3

WATER REALLY GETS AROUND

GRADE LEVEL: 4 -6OBJECTIVE: To understand the watercycle.MATERIALS: 1) Two glass containers.one with a waterproof seal.2) Simple art supplies.

When water evaporates, it isn't goneforever. Instead, its molecules becomean invisible gas and enter the atmosphere.Then, the water condenses into a liquidor solid and falls to earth again as rain.sleet, snow, and hail. If a molecule entersa stream, it might be drunk by a cowand become a part of the cow's tissue,until it is eaten by someone in a ham-burger stand. This person can then per-spire the molecule back to the atmos-phere again. So, the world never reallygains or loses water, it just recycles it.

I) To help your students understand thisbasic ecological concept, set up a sim-ple water cycle in the classroom. Filltwo clear containers with equal amountsof water. Cover one as tightly as possi-ble and set them both aside. Watch thewater levels for several days. Where hasthe water in the open container gone?How can the amount of water in theclosed container be explained?

2) Using their imaginations, have yourstudents create stories about the hypo-thetical "Life of a Water Molecule.-Their stories can contain all the ele-ments of a dime store adventure paper-backsurprising twists of plot. drama.exotic travel. even intrigue and ro-mance. Illustrate the stories by makinglarge murals using butcher paper andpaint, or adapt the stories into plays.

POLLUTION PATROL

GRADE LEVEL: 7-12OBJECTIVES: To learn the sources ofacid rain-causing pollution.To learn how to get information fromenvironmental agencies.

Ask one or more of your students tofind out if your community has somefactories or utility plants. If it does, yourstudents can learn if any of them pro-duce SO, pollution by contacting theirstate air pollution control office, usu-ally located in state capitals (check withyour local government for the address).

Next, determine the approximateamount of car-produced nitrogen oxides(NO,) in your community. To do thisyou will need three figures: 11 the aver-age amount of NO produced by eachvehicle per mile, 2) the average lengthof each vehicle trip, and 3) the averagedaily number of cars on your commu-nity's roads. The first two figures arereadily available because the EPA. in

1982, estimated average vehicle NO pro-duction as 4 grams per mile, and aver-age trip distance as 5 miles per trip. Todetermine the third figure, the averagenumber of daily cars on the road. yourpollution patrol will have to collect somedata itself. Here is how to do it:I. Pick a point on a road that is neitheroverly congested nor traffic free andestimate the number of cars that passthat point in a day. You can do this bycounting the number of cars passingthe point in 15 minutes, multiply by 4 toget the number per hour and multiplyby 24 to get the average per day. (Sinceeach car travels an average of 5 miles,this figure indicates the number of carsin an average 5 mile segment of road.2. Determine the number of 5 mile seg-ments of road in your community bydividing the total number of miles ofroads by 5.3. Multiply the number of 5 mile seg-ments in your community by the aver-age number of cars in a 5 mile segmentto get the total estimated number of

cars using your community's roads inone day.

Since each of these cars produces 4grams of NO per mile and each cartravels an average of 5 miles. to estir :atethe total number of grams of NO pro-duced per day in your community usethis formula: number of cars on yourcommunity's roads in a day x 4 gramsNO per car per mile x 5 (the averagenumber of miles each car travels.)

Your class can also ask your countyhealth department if your communityhas an air quality monitoring station itcan visit. At the station. you should heable to see the filter that has trappedtiny air-borne particles in the station'sair sampler, and compare its conditionwith a fresh filter, as well as observe thestation's latest readings on SO2, carbonmonoxide, and ozone (the last two mostlycoming from motor vehicle exhaust).The station official should be able toexplain some of the pollutants' sources.daily and seasonal variations, and somepublic health ramifications.

WHAT'S IN THE AIR?

GRADE LEVEL: 4-9OBJECTIVE: To learn about air-borneparticles in your area.MATERIALS: Petroleum jelly, whitepaper, microscope slides, microscope.

Most air pollution is invisible, made upof microscopic particles and gases. Some

4

air pollution. however, can he easilyobserved by doing this simple investi-gation. Cover two sheets of white paperwith petroleum jelly and place themsmear side up on an outside windowledge. Remove one after a day; leavethe other a week. Compare the two sheetsand record the differences. Your classmight also want to compare sheets placedin other areas in the community, such

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as alongside highways, near factories.and in forests.

To observe particles more closely.repeat the procedure using microscopeslides instead of paper. Under a micro-scope, observe the colors, shapes. andsizes of the particles. Can your studentssurmise where they came from? Yourcounty health department should be ableto help with answers.

Iis hard to see acidrain's environmental

effects, but you can simu-late some of them withsome simple classroom experiments.

WHAT DOES ACID RAIN DOT,.

WHAT'S IN THE WATER?

GRADE LEVEL: 7-12OBJECTIVE: To see how acid rain can

, affect aquatic life.MATERIALS: Pond water. dissectingmicroscope, 2-3 30 ml. r Ptri dishes, pHpaper. pump, large conta....r. air stones.250 ml. beaker, acid (vinegar), dip net,eyedroppers, household ammonia.

First, collect some invertebrates fromnearby streams and ponds using dip netsor strainers. Try to get at least three ofeach kind. Put each type of animal thatyou collect in its own container (any jarwill do) to minimize your animals eatingeach other. Collect also a good supplyof water from your collection sourcesto help your catch survive in the class-room.

Once back, keep each type of inverte-brate separate. Air stones and air pumpsshould ensure adequate oxygen. Insectscollected from cold rushing streams, suchas stoneflies and mayflies, are very sensi-tive to oxygen depletion and tempera-ture increases. Keep these in a refrigeratorwith air stones. You can identify your

catch using Elsie B. Klots' Nev r PeldBook of Freshwater Life, available fromG. B. Putnam and Sons.

For each type of invertebrate, youwill need three petri dishes. Fill eachwith the water from the places whereeach animal was collected and add oneinvertebrate to each dish. Measure thepH in each, then add 10-12 drops ofvinegar to the first dish until the pH reads4.0 and 4-8 drops of ammonia to thesecond until the pH reads 6.0. Leave tl.ethird dish as a control. Using a dissect-ing microscope, observe what happensto the aquatic life over 30 minutes. Repeatthe procedure using different pH levelsand different invertebrates. (lf you can'tget invertebrates from your vicinity, youcan use daphnia or hydra, obtainablefrom biological supply houses. Be sureto check the policy in your school sys-tem first before experimenting with anyinvertebrates.) How does increased acid-ity or alkalinity affect the animals? Areall of them equally susceptible? If youhave a variety of animals, you can pre-pare a chart illustrating their relativeacid susceptibility. What happens tothe fish, otter, osprey, and other largeanimals if small invertebrates are killedby acid rain? What happens to an entireaquo.tic ecosystem? (When the smallinvertebrates go, the small fish and otheranimals which eat them also die; thelarger animals like otters go next. Theloss of one food chain link affects theentire chain.)

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

GRADE LEVEL: 4-6OBJECTIVE: To observe acid rain'seffects on plant seedlings.MATERIALS: Seeds (clover, radish.peas, mustard), paper cups, potting soil,vinegar, measuring cup, pH paper,lime tablets.

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Plant each type of seedthat you have in its owncup filled one inch fromthe top with potting soil.

Plan on using 15 cups for each type ofseed that you use. Water 1/3 of eachgroup with tap or distilled water, 1/3with water to which you've added vine-gar to make the pH factor read 4.0, and1/3 with lime added to make the pH 6.0.Observe the growth of the seedlings fortwo weeks. How does the acid wateraffect the plants? Is there a differencebetween different ty tes of plants?

HAS ACID RAINCOME TO TOWN?

Acid rain has caused serious eco-nomic and environmental prob-

lems in many parts of North America.Has acid rain become part of your com-munity? Your class can find out.

First. locate your area on the acidrain susceptibility map. pages 4 and 5 ofthe acid rain booklet in your kit. Even ifyou are in an area of low susceptibility,your community can still be sufferingfrom acid rain. On the other hand, notall susceptible areas have experienceddamage. You can find out if acid rainhas come to your community by doingthe following experiments.

5

GRADE LEVEL: 6-9.OBJECTIVE: To determine the acidityof the rain in your neighborhood.MATERIALS: Container (glass or tef-lon), pH paper, plastic garbage bag.

In a clean container. collect some rain,snow, or sleet during the next storm.During collection place the containerupon a plastic garbage hag to preventdirt and other materials from splashinginto your sample. Measure the sample'sacidity using pH paper. If your rainhas a pH below 5, acid-causing pollu-tants have probably affected it. Repeat

the process several times, relating differ-ent acidity levels with wind direction(obtained ,hrough your local newspa-per or weather station). This may indi-cate where acid rain-causing pollution.if any, is coming from.

Many communities have acid rainmonitoring stations, some maintainedby state air pollution offices, others bythe Bituminous Coal Research Inc.

At a station. you can ask whether yourcommunity is experiencing acid rain,what its probable sources are. and howmuch damage it has caused. You mightalso compare your rain acidity testing

results with the station's. If your resultsdiffer, your figures aren't necessarilyinaccurate: different testing sites cangather different data. To test your data'saccuracy, compare the acidity of somerain you have collected ',ourself at themonitoring station with the station's sam-ples and adjust accordingly.

To learn if a station exists near you.contact your county health department.or your state air pollution controloffice or :

Bituminous Coal Research Inc.350 Hochberg Road

Monroeville. PA 15146 (412) 327-16(X)

CAN THE SOIL COPE?

GRADE LEVEL: 6-9OBJECTIVE: To leans that the bufferingcapacity of soil varies with soil type: tolearn that the buffering capacity of soilaffects the environmental impact of acidrain.MATERIALS: Small plastic garbagebags, soil samples, funnels, filter paper,beakers. pH paper. vinegar, large con-tainers.

Acid rain can completely eliminate lifein lakes, streams, ponds. and even rainpools. However, the amount of damageit does depends largely upon an area'ssoil. Rainwater trickles through soil tothe groundwater and then can enter lakesand streams. Only alkaline soils can neu-tralize or buffer the rain's acid. Unfortu-nately acid rain is striking many areaswhich have soils incapable of bufferingthe acid. These areas include nearly allof eastern Canada. New England. New

York's Adirondacks. parts of the Appa-lachians. and much of Minnesota.Michigan, and Wisconsin.

To determine the buffering capacityof your area's soil, your class can con-duct the following experiment. First, con-tact your Soil Conservation ServiceDistrict Office to learn the location ofdifferent types of soil in your vicinity.Collect samples from these locations insmall plastic bags. Back in the classroom,make funnels from bleach bottles andput the filter paper in the bottom ofthe funnel. Now fill each funnel with 1pound (approximately 450 grams) of adifferent soil sample and place themover the large containers. Next, add 50ml. of vinegar to 150 ml. of water tomake a solution with a pH of 4.0. Pour itover the soil samples, and measure itspH again, once it has percolated throughthe soil into the container. Compare theresults to determine which soil has thebest buffering capacity. Your local SoilConservation Service agents should beable to help you with some explanations.

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TALKING WITH PEOPLEIN YOUR COMMUNITY

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12OBJECTIVES: To use the interview tech-nique to learn some of the interests andoccupations of persons in your com-munity.To learn if long term acid rain damage

been observed in your neighborhood.

Acid rain's effects occur slowly and it isdifficult to see how significant they canbe through short-term investigations. Peo-ple in your community, such as fishermen.public works officials. building inspectors.foresters. farmers, public health per-sonnel, and air quality inspectors may.however. have noticed progressive acidrain damage. Perhaps they have noticedan increase in building materials disinte-gration or a decrease in fish popula-tions, or in crop and forest growth. Yourclass can find out by interviewing these

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Dirty air and acid raincan provide one

useful product: an excel-lent social studies teach-ing tool! By observing how the CleanAir Act is faring in Congress, studentscan learn how laws are made and howour governmental system works.

THE CLEAN MR ACT

In 1985, the United States Congresswill revise the 1970 Clean Air Act

Amendments. This law, and its amend-ments passed in 1977, require the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency to:1. Set health standards regulating the

amounts of seven different air pollu-tants* to he permitted in the atmos-phere.

2. Set standards regulating the amountsof pollutants that certain sourcesfactories, motor vehicles, utilities,etc.can emit.

3. Ensure that all states develop plansto meet Federal Air Quality Stand-ards.

4. Enforce compliance with air qualitystandards.

The bill stated that in 1981 the act wouldcome up for revision, a process still under-way in 1985.

Here's what happens in the revisionprocess: A bill is introduced to the Houseand Senate and then assigned to theappropriate committees. In this case,the Clean Air Act was directed to theHouse Energy and Commerce Commit-tee and the Senate Environmental andPublic Works Committee. Subcommit-tees within each committee hammer outthe bill's details and then refer their rec-ommendations to the full committees.Following this, the House bill travels tothe House Rules Committee and theSenate bill to the Senate floor. The HouseRules Committee decides how the billwill be handled in the House how muchdebate will be allowed, how many amend-

*Sulfur dioxide, total suspended par-ticulates. carbon monoxide, nitrogenoxides, hydrocarbons, ozone, and lead.

ments can be added, when it will beconsidered. Now on each chamber's floor,the measure is voted upon by the com-plete legislative bodies. If each passesits bill, it ends up in the ConferenceCommittee, consisting of members ofboth chambers. Usually by this time,each body has altered its respective ver-sion making each one different. TheConference Committee makes each ver-sion identical in a manner that will,hopefully, be acceptable to both cham-bers. Both houses then vote upon thisversion. If it passes, it lands upon thedesk of the President of the United Stateswho can either sign it into law or veto it.Only a 2/3 majority in both the Houseand the Senate can override this veto.

This process is illustrated on page 8.Everyone wants clean air. Why, then,

have the Clean Air Act revisions nowbefore Congress become so controver-sial?

Basically, the argument revolvesaround the question: At what point dothe costs of cleaning America's air be-come too expensive for the benefitsgained? Some people claim that the airquality standards we already have aretoo strict. They contend that industry,electric utilities, and motor vehicle man-ufacturers are paying too much to reducetheir air pollution, thus harming the econ-omy and placing an unfair financial bur-den upon them and the consumer. Asfar as acid rain goes, they feel we don'tknow enough yet to blame man-madepollution for acid rain. They maintainthat we should learn more about howacid rain is formed before investing alot of money to solve the problem.

But many people disagree with thispoint of view and think the evidenceassociating acid rain with SO2 and NOxemissions is overwhelming. While agree-ing that it will cost money to reducethese pollutants, they maintain that con-tinued acid rain damage to aquatic eco-systems, forests, vegetable crops, and

8

public works will cost evenmore. Besides which, theyclaim, enormous costs ex-ist which cannot be ade-

quately expressed in dollars and cents.such as the loss of recreational fishing.

Who's right? By deciding for them-selves and then acting upon their opin-ions, your students can learn some fun-damental responsibilities of living in ademocracy and some of the roles theycan play to help this democracy function.With the clean air question, they face aproblem not easily resolvable by laymen.There are ways, however, that they canapproach it.

First, your students can consider theproblem in depth. The acid rain book-let in your kit represents one perspective;another view may be heard either bycontacting local utilities or by writing autility trade association, the Edison Elec-tric Institute, 1111 19th Street, N.W.,Washington, DC 20036. Your studentsmight also want to hear from people inthe community (such as those describedin the last section) or consult their localnewspapers. Your class can cut out news-paper articles and place them in an acidrain notebook or classroom corner.Alongside these clippings can be recentmagazine articles on the subject. Checkthe bibliography for some sources.

Also, a film, "Acid Ruin Requiemor Recovery." has been sent to eachPBS television station in the country.Quite possibly, the station in your neigh-borhood will show this film during schoolhours if sufficient interest exists. Trycalling the station and enlisting the helpof other schools in the effort. The filmlasts 27 minutes and is an excellent intro-duction to acid rain. To complete anhour, your station might sponsor a debateon the subject.

After researching the subject. have yourstudents consider:

1. How does acid rain affect them andtheir community?2. What are the costs of controllingacid rain vs. the costs of leaving itunchecked? (Expenses to utilities, car

7

manufacturers, industry, and the con-sumer on one side; health costs, loss ofcrops, forests, fishing, and recreationrevenues; and damage to buildings onthe other.) Which costs cannot be ade-quately expressed in financial terms?3. How do you decide if sufficient evi-dence exists concerning acid rain for-mation and acid rain damage to justifydoing something about the problem?(One possibility: consider the sourcesof information. How impartial are they'?)4. Which types of organization sup-port each side? Do they have vestedinterests in the outcome of this issue?See the partial list below:

For Weakening Air QualityStandards

American Coal AssociationUnited Mine WorkersEdison Electric InstituteAppalachian Power CompanyWheeling Electric

For Strengthening Air QualityStandards

National Wildlife FederationLeague of Women VotersAmerican Lung AssociationUnited Steelworkers of AmericaAmerican Forestry AssociationAmerican Fisheries SocietyTrout UnlimitedAmerican Public Health AssociationNational Farmers' Union

WRITING A LETTER

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12OBJECTIVES: To learn how to write aletter to elected representatives;To demonstrate that Congressmen con-sider such letters to accurately reflecttheir constituents' concerns.To encourage future participation in leg-islative pr cesses.

Once your students have taken a posi-tion on the Clean Air Act, they areready to have their voices heard. Throughwriting their representatives, senators,or even the President, they can learnthat our legislators rely, to a great extent,upon their mail to know what their con-stituents think. The viewpoints, in turn.affect how our elected officials vote.

Your students can write to their repre-sentatives at the following addresses:

8

SENATE COMMITTEE

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE

SENATE FULL COMMITTEE

SENATE FLOOR.

HOUSE COMMITTEE

&°44005E SUBCOMMITTEE

HOUSE FULL COMMITTEE.

HOUSE RULES COMM MEE

4-10u5E FLOOQ

JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

SENATE FLOOR 14ousE FLOOR

READY FOR PRESIDENT'S SIGNATURE Ok VETO

(Your representative in the House)c/o House of Representat'ves

Washington, DC 20515(Your senators)c/o U. S. Senate

Washington. DC 20510

The Presidentc/o The White HouseWashington, DC 20500

Your students can learn the Act's cur-rent status by contacting their con-gressman's local office. But what aboutafter the Clean Air Act? Whatever hap-pens, it will take years to implement itsrevisions, leaving the door open for fur-ther policy changes. Continued track-ing of your representatives and mediaon this issue, then, will still be an inter-esting study of the legislative process.

A brief note on the National WildlifeFederation's attitude towards this activity.Obviously, the Federation is committedtowards working for a strong Clean AirAct that significantly decreases acid rain-causing pollution. Nevertheless, we real-ize that, for this activity to be of educa-tional value, each student has to makeup his or her own mind. Even if studentsend up disagreeing with the Federation;we are convinced that the value of thisactivity in teaching students to be goodcitizens makes it worthwhile.

LET'S TALK

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12OBJECTIVES: To develop skills in or-ganization, debate, writing, art and de-sign, and communication.

Many exciting communication projectson acid rain are possible, including:I. Holding a debate among your stu-dents for others in the school, with votesbeing taken afterwards on the issue.2. Sponsoring a forum of available speak-ers on acid rain, including scientists,fishermen and guides, public worksofficials, utility and coal companyspokesmen, and members of conserva-tion groups.3. Writing columns and articles in theschool and town newspapers.4. Constructing acid rain exhibits in thehallway or classroom.S. Sponsoring an acid rain poster con-test in your school or community.6. Contacting your local T.V. and radiostations and newspapers asking them toinclude acid rain information in theirweather reports. The National WildlifeFederation has prepared a "media kit"which can assist the media in expand-ing their weather reports in this manner.

ACID RAIN CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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1 transport is when pre-vailing winds carry pollutants milesfrom their source

5 capacity is the degreeto which soils or water bodies canneutralize acids.

8 dioxide and nitrogen ox-ides are two kinds of pollutants in-volved in acid rain formation.

10 oxides and sulfur diox-ide are two kinds of pollutants in-volved in acid rain formation.

12 A lake is a lake that hasno aquatic life

13 A is a device added topower plants to remove certainmaterials from coal fired emissions.

16 Some experts consider fossilsuch as coal to be the

root of the acid rain problem

17 and utility smokestacksand automobile exhausts emit sul-fur dioxide and nitrogen oxides thatcontribute to the acidity of rain.

19 Lake is a temporarycostly method of dumping calciumcompounds in lakes to neutralizethe acid.

20. The U S. and are twocountries that share the problem ofacid rain.

22 Limestone soil has the ability tothe acidity of rain.

25 Communities of independent orga-nisms together with the environ-ment which they inhabit and withwhich they interact are called-

27. At least 200 lakes thatonce had fish are now fishless.

30 To Is to neutralize (par-tially) acidic precipitation in soilsor waters

31 Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidesare mixed with moisture falling toearth as

33 Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidesare

34 Buffering is the degreeto which soil or water bodies canneutralize acidification.

36. An ecosystem is a community ofindependent togetherwith the environment which theyinhabit and with which they interact.

2. Acid rain is formed from two kindsof pollutants, sulfur dioxide (SO2)and nitrogen

3

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pa ler is used tomeasure the act lily of soil or H:0

is considered abnor-mally acidic if its pH falls below 5 6

Some will die when thepH factor has fallen to 4 5

Sulfur and nitrogen ox-ides are two kinds of pollutants thatform acid rain

9. More than 200 in theAdirondacks that once had fish arefishless due to acid rain

11 refers to the dischargeof substances into the air throughindustrial smokestacks and car ex-hausts.

14 Some experts believe that the burn-ing of fossil fuels, such asis the root of the acid rain problem.

15. Sulfur dioxide is emitted primarilyfrom industrial aridsmokestacks.

18. Prevailing winds can pol-lutants thousands of miles from theirsource.

10

21. Utility and smelter smokeemit pollutants.

23. When the pH of a lake falls below4 5 most life will bedead

24 The type of of a lakedetermines its ability to neutralizeacid precipitation.

26 Congress will soon be voting on abill revising the set forclean air and water

28 Acids and other pollutants arecleansed from the byrain, snow and other forms of pre-cipitation.

29 Air standard is the pre-scribed attainable level of a pollu-tant established by Federal and stategovernments.

32. Environmental Protec-tion Agency, is the governmentagency charged with enforcementof Federal air and water pollutionregulations.

35 rain is formed when sul-fur dioxide and nitrogen oxides com-bine with moisture in the air

Solution to puzzle on page 11

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GL 0 S S AR Y

Acid A material with a pH of less than 7.0.

Adirondacks A mountainous lake area in New York State where acid rain has caused over 200 lakes to be fishlcss.

Air Quality Standards Federal and state government-prescribed levels of a pollutant in the outside air that cannot he exceededduring a specified period of time in a specified geographical area.

Alkaline Capable of neutralizing acid and producing hydroxyl (OH) ions in solution.

Aquatic life Plants or animals living in water.

Bedrock The solid rock found on the surface of the land or just below the soil.

Buffer The ability to (partially) neutralize acidic precipitation in soils and waters.

Buffering capacity The degree to which soils or water bodies can neutralize acidification.

Carbonate A mineral, soluble in acid, the chemical composition of which contains CO,.

Carbon monoxide (CO) A colorless toxic gas produced by incomplete fossil fuel combustion, notably in motor vehicles.

Ecosystem A community of independent organisms together with the environment with which they live and interact.

Emission Substances discharged into the air through smokestacks and car exhaust.

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency is the governmental agency that enforces Federal regulations conceivingpollutants.

Fossil fuels Fuels derived from organic substances such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

Ion An electrically charged atom or group of atoms.

Lake liming Dumping alkaline compounds into a lake to neutralize the acidity of its water.

Molecule The smallest particle of an element or compound that can exist alone and retain the characteristics of the substance.

Nitrogen oxides (N0x) Gases formed in great part from atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen when combustion occurs athigh temperatures.

Organism Any animal or plant which can maintain life on its own.

Osprey A large, fish-eating bird of prey.

Ozone (03) A form of oxygen that is reactive chemically and an irritant to the eves and respiratory system.

Percolation The downward movement of water throogh soil.

pH The measuring unit for specifying the acidity of a substance.

Precipitation Moisture that falls to the earth such as snow, rain, sleet. etc.

Scrubber A device (attached to a utility or industrial smokestack) that 1,ses a liquid spray to remove aerosol and gaseouspollutants from an airstream.

Standard& The amount of pollutants allowed by state and Federal governments.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) A pungent. colorless gas formed primarily by c .-nbustion of fossil fuels.

BIBLIOGR A P H

Bass, T. "Acid Rain: Deadly Fallout Perils Remote Watersheds In Rockies." Audubon, November 1982.

Boyle, R. H. "American Tragedy." Sports Illustrated, September 1981.

Burton, P. "Acid Rain: The Water That Kills." National Parks, July-August 1982.

Cowling, Ellis B. "Acid Precipitation In Historical Perspective." Environmental Science and Technology, February 1982.

DeYoung, Henry G. "Acid Rain Regulators Shift Into Low Gear." High Technology, September-October 1982.

Golden, Frederic. "Storm Over A Deadly Downpour." Time, December 6, 1982.

Hornblowcr, Margot. "New Research In Acid Rain." National Wildlife, June-July 1983.

Kerr, R. A. "Tracing Sources Of Acid Rain Causes Big Stir." Science, February 1982.

Knight, J. "Clean Air: The Global Dimension." Sierra, May-June 1981.

LaBastille, A. "Acid Rain: How Great A Menace?" National Geographic. November 1981.

LaBastille, A. "Acid Rain Is Killing My Lake." Ranger Rick Magazine, July 1983.

Luoma, John R. "Troubled Skies, Troubled Waters." Audubon, No. ember 1980.

Peterson, I. "To Catch A Cloud." Science News, August 1982.

Wall, Tom: Bakalain, Allan; and Kamlet, Ken. "Acid RainThe Heavens' Revenge." East West Journal, October 1982.

West, Susan. "Acid From Heaven." Science News, February 2, 1980.

Williams. Ted. "Gray's Current, Clearing The Air On Acid Rain." Gray's Sporting Journal, Summer 1981.

Zern, E. "The Rain Of Terror." Field and Stream, May 1982.

FILMSTRIP 'A T let 01 S I PilliE I.R1 I lc

"Acid RainThe Choice Is Ours," x III I I

by Friends of the Boundary Waters. 80 frame filmstrip 0 I TROIS N

with cassette, catalog #52-3442. $36.50, from Carolina E X M

Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC 27215 (800-547-1733). s i0

's R NER U ELSFILM o r I N D U S RI AL"Acid RainRequiem or Recovery," A I I

L16mm, 27 min., color, free. from National Film Board of Canada, L.

tIMING N ANA A

Suite 313, 1 1 1 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601 r IEUTA LI ZE 5V A G

C V C 5 ST M

CURRICULUM MATERIALSA I ON C A a T

1 s 7 7' g A

Laboratory and classroom activities for science, social studies, a i

and environmental science, Grades 7-12. $50.00 for 5 units. tic F ER R C t P I TAT ION C D

from Acid Precipitation Awareness, 1037 Bidwell St., P KNT5 AP CI T1,11.

West St. Paul, MN 55118 (612-455-7719).1.

i c D

selu F`r 5 1211 N G

ULFVRH A

ARREN$

G A N I S MT S

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Dr. lay D. HairExecutive Vice President

John C. StoneVice President, Conservation Education

Written by David Wood and Jeannette BryantDesign Martha FahrenwaldNWF Contributors Rue Gordon Steve Howards

Jack Greene Ken KamletBetsy Hodge Jorge Manring

Special Thanks to Judy Braus

NWF also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following people:however, NWF is fully responsible for any errors which may exist:

James BryantFrank GladdingElizabeth HankinsDeter PattersonPaul SpanglerWilliam Swietlik

Susan Sherwood.Michael Walsh

Longfellow Intermediate School, Fairfax. Va.Longfellow Intermediate School, Fairfax, Va.Longfellow Intermediate School, Fairfax, Va.Soil Conservation ServiceSmithsonian InstitutionFairfax County Health Department,

Division of Air Pollution ControlNational Park ServiceEnvironmental Consultant

© NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION Revised 1985

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