Acid Rain Essays (310 words) - Carbonates, Acid Rain, Free Essays

Acid Rain Essays (310 words) - Carbonates, Acid Rain, Free Essays Acid Rain Acid Rain Acid rain forms high in the clouds in a gaseous form. Theses gasses stay in the atmosphere until they come in contact with rain that dissolves the gasses. A mild solution of sulfuric and nitric acid is formed. These drops fall to the earth and get into our water table beneath the surface. From there they are collected into streams, rivers, and lakes that eventually will lead to the ocean. Rain isn't the only form acidity falls to the earth. About half of all the acidity falls back through dry deposition as gasses and dry particles. The wind blows the acid particles onto cars, homes, trees, and buildings. The acid discharge is then washed from the surfaces by rain. The runoff adds to the acid already in the rain. And adds to the acidity of the water. Air pollution isn't the only way acid rain forms. Lightning is nature's way of forming acid rain. When lightning strikes, it breaks nitrogen's triple bond, it then combines with O2 and then with water in the atmosphere to form HNO3 Acid rain changes the pH of lakes and oceans, which can affect the lives of plants and animals that live there. The rain also reacts to buildings made of marble. Marble is made out of Calcium Carbonate and when mixed with acid rain it forms Carbonic acid. This acid will decompose further to Carbon dioxide and water. This will dissolve the marble buildings. Countries with a great acid rain problem have been forced to encase their sculptures in a transparent case to prevent corrosion. The only way to try to prevent it from occurring is by scrubbing the coal. This process gets rid of the sulfur impurities that could be extracted from the coal. This solution is very expensive but is the only way to remove the sulfur from the coal.

The Best Way to Watch Whales from Shore on Cape Cod

The Best Way to Watch Whales from Shore on Cape Cod Thousands of people flock to Cape Cod each year to go whale watching. Most watch whales from boats, but in the spring, you can visit the Cape and watch whales from shore. The tip of Cape Cod is located only three miles from the southern end of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a prime feeding ground for whales. When the whales migrate north in the spring, the waters around Cape Cod are one of the first great feeding locations they encounter. Whale Species Common Off Cape Cod North Atlantic right whales, humpback, fin and minke whales may be seen off Cape Cod in the spring. Some stick around during the summer, too, although they may not always be close to shore. Other sightings in the area include Atlantic white-sided dolphins and occasionally other species such as pilot whales, common dolphins, harbor porpoise and Sei whales. Why Are They Here? Many whales migrate to breeding grounds further south or offshore during the winter. Depending on the species and location, the whales may fast this entire time. In the spring, these whales migrate north to feed, and Cape Cod Bay is one of the first major feeding areas they get to. The whales may stay in the area throughout the summer and fall or may migrate to more northern locations such as more northern areas of the Gulf of Maine, the Bay of Fundy, or off northeastern Canada. Whale Watching From Shore There are two locations close by from which you could watch whales, Race Point and Herring Cove. You will find humpbacks, fin whales, minkes and possibly even some right whales circling around the waters offshore.regardless of time of day whales are still visible and active. What To Bring If you go, make sure to bring binoculars and/or a camera with a long zoom lens (e.g., 100-300mm) as the whales are far enough offshore that it’s hard to pick out any details with the naked eye. One day we were lucky enough to spot one of the Gulf of Maines estimated 800 humpback whales with her calf, likely only a few months old. What To Look For When you go, the spouts are what you’ll look for. The spout, or â€Å"blow,† is the whale’s visible exhalation as it comes up to the surface to breathe. The spout may be 20’ high for a fin whale and look like columns or puffs of white over the water. If you’re lucky, you might also see surface activity such as kick-feeding (when the whale smacks its tail against the water in a feeding maneuver) or even the sight of a humpback’s open mouth as it lunges up through the water. When Where To Go Get to the Provincetown, MA area using MA Route 6. Take Route 6 East past Provincetown Center and youll see signs for Herring Cove, and then Race Point Beach. April is a good month to try your luck - you can also check out the near real-time right whale detection map to get an idea of how active the waters are when you visit. If there are lots of right whales around, you might see them and likely some other species, too. Other Ways to Watch Whales On Cape Cod If you want the chance to get closer to the whales and learn more about their natural history, you can try a whale watch.