Acid rain is a broad term that includes any precipitation which has acidic components like sulfuric or nitric acid that fall from the atmosphere to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust. The acid rain containing water is known as wet deposition, while the acid rain with dust or…
Acid rain is a serious environmental issue that needs global attention. Since acid rain became a rallying point for environmentalists a decade ago, just a little progress has been made. Acid rain is a time bomb that may cause untold damages in the future if not handled with caution. However, if both individuals and governments…
Venus is considered the most hostile planet in the solar system. Along with Earth and Mars, Venus and Mercury make up the inner solar system. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the second-largest terrestrial planet but millions of years ago, Venus largely resembled Earth due their similar size and mass. However,…
Overdependence on fossils fuels has led to a hail of environmental problems the universe faces today such as climate change, oil spills, air pollution, and acid rains. Burning of fossils fuels to generate electricity releases dangerous greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, methane, and fluorinated gasses that cause the greenhouse effect. For…
Rocks, minerals, soils normally change their structure under the action or influence of certain environmental forces. Biological activity, extreme weather, and agents of erosion such as water, wind and ice are examples of environmental forces that influences the continuous breakdown, wearing away and loosening of rocks and soils. This is what is termed as weathering….
Chemical weathering pertains to the changes in rock structure under the action or influence of chemical reactions. There are hundreds of natural chemical processes and reactions within the rocks the change the composition and the structure of the rocks over time. Temperature and, especially, moisture are critical for chemical weathering. Chemical weathering, therefore, occurs more quickly in…
Forest degradation results owing to decrease in tree cover, the biodiversity in the forests or the changes to a lower state of the forest structure. Degradation refers to damage or reduction in quality of certain features of the forests. Continued degradation of the forests can destroy the entire forest cover and biodiversity, and it mainly…
Acid rain influences soil chemistry, plant activities, and the acidity of surface waters in general. In this sense, it means acid rain has many implications to the environment. The increase of acid rain is persistently affecting the health of humans and plants, the chemical composition of the soil, and most importantly the survival of aquatic…
Acid rain is formed by elevated levels of sulfur and nitric acids in the atmospheres that accumulate as a result of Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Sulfur dioxides (SO2) emissions. Acid rain is a mix of atmospheric water molecules and dry depositions of Sulfur dioxides and Nitrogen oxides emitted from industries and vehicles. When these gases…
Pollution is the introduction of damaging or poisonous materials into the natural environment. Equally, pollution means the presence of undesirable materials in the natural environment or the state of the natural environment being contaminated with potentially harmful substances as an outcome of human activities. The pollutants are jointly termed as contaminants because they contaminate and…
Industries and factories give off various pollutants into the environment including the land, air, and waters. It is estimated that about 50% of all pollution is as a result of industrial and manufacturing activities. It only displays how industries and factories are responsible for giving off toxic and dangerous materials into the environment. Illnesses, loss…
Soil pollution takes many forms and is equally a serious matter in the contemporary society. Soil pollution takes place when the soil is contaminated by chemical pollutants or degraded. It happens when human activities directly or indirectly introduce destructive chemicals, substances, or objects into the soil in a way that causes damage to the immediate…
Air pollutants can potentially harm human and animal health, damage or hinder vegetation growth, and can make the living conditions in the environment unbearable. In most regions of the world, air pollution has adversely affected people and the environment in various aspects. The short-term and long-term effects of air pollution as experienced across the world…
The reason our Earth is habitable is because it is like a greenhouse. Sunlight penetrates through the atmosphere, warming the Earth’s surface, then radiating back to space (infrared radiation). A portion of this outgoing heat is retained in the Earth’s atmosphere and radiated all around by greenhouse gases. This process is called the greenhouse effect….