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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Pollution and Environmental Quality

Acid rain

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˌæsɪd ˈreɪn/nounCommon term

In environment & climate, acid rain means: Rain, snow or fog that is more acidic than normal because of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides released mainly by burning fossil fuels.

In Turkish: asit yağmuru

How it is used

A major issue in Europe and North America in the 1970s and 1980s, when it damaged forests, lakes and buildings. Flue gas desulfurization units (scrubbers) at power plants and cleaner fuels greatly reduced it. Scientists also speak of acid deposition, which includes dry particles.

Example sentences

  1. Acid rain killed many trees in the region before the power plant installed scrubbers.

  2. Limestone monuments in the city show damage from decades of acid rain.

Common collocations

  • acid rain damage
  • cause acid rain
  • acid deposition
  • sulfur dioxide emissions
  • air qualityHow clean or polluted the air is, measured by the levels of pollutants such as fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide.
  • fossil fuelA fuel such as coal, oil or natural gas, formed underground over millions of years from the remains of plants and animals. Burning it releases carbon dioxide.
  • pollutionThe presence in air, water or soil of harmful substances, or of noise, light or heat, at levels that damage people's health, wildlife or the environment.
  • smogA thick haze of air pollution over a city, formed from smoke, vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions and often made worse by sunlight and still weather.

More terms: Pollution and Environmental Quality

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