Acid rain
creates inhospitable conditions for algae and other plant life.
The term, acid rain, is not new. It was first used in 1872 to describe the effects of acidic precipitation on forests located downwind of industry. Reports of forests damaged by acid rain increased as industry grew in Scandinavia and North America through the 1960s and 1980s. Scientists also found that aquatic resources such as lakes and ponds suffered ill effects of acid rain along with plants such as pond algae. The effects on pond algae, however, depend upon the type of algae and the degree to which a pond is contaminated.
PH Levels
Acid rain exists because of fossil fuel emissions, which contain sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide and other contaminants. These toxins combine with moisture in the air in a chemical reaction that results in acid rain. Sunlight provides the necessary heat energy to fuel the reaction. Acid rain then falls to the ground, creating negative environmental effects in ponds and other ecosystems by decreasing pH levels.
Direct Contamination
Some forms of pond algae are especially vulnerable to the effects of acid rain. Algae can be one-celled or multi-celled organisms. These organisms do not have a network of conducting tissue with which to transport water and nutrients. Rather, they depend on their watery environment to accomplish this task. Therefore, if the pond water is contaminated by acid rain, it will soon end up in the pond algae.
Water Chemistry
Acid rain effects can include a rapid die-off of pond algae, especially the more sensitive algae species. The negative effects cascade from there. High levels of algae die-off cause an explosion in pond bacteria. These bacteria begin the process of breaking down the dead organic matter, using up the pond's stores of dissolved oxygen. The low levels of dissolved oxygen combined with the ammonia from plant breakdown create toxic, acidic conditions. The pond is no longer able to support any plant or animal life, including algae.
Reduction of Competition
Curiously, some species of algae may actually thrive, at least for a time, due to the effects of acid rain. The acidic conditions that acid rain creates will cause a reduction in other pond organisms such as mollusks and fish. As these numbers drop, so, too, does the feeding behavior of these organisms. Algae, which would otherwise end up as food, proliferate. As long as the acidic conditions remain, the populations of these forms of algae will continue to increase.
Tags: acid rain, pond algae, acidic conditions, Acid rain, acid rain, algae especially, dissolved oxygen