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Acid rain dissolves and washes away nutrients in the soil, which are needed by plants. It also dissolves aluminium and mercury and pollutes water or poison plants.
It indirectly affects plants by removing nutrients from the soil in which they grow. It affects trees more directly by creating holes in the waxy coating of leaves, causing brown dead spots which affect the plant’s photosynthesis. Such trees are vulnerable to insect infestations, drought and cold.
It falls or flows as ground water to reach rivers, lakes and wetlands, causes the water acidic and thus affects the plant and animal life in aquatic ecosystems.
By adversely affecting one species, the entire food chain is disrupted, ultimately endangering the entire ecosystem.
Acid rain and dry acid deposition damages buildings, automobiles and other structures made of stone or metal. Eg: Taj Mahal in India, Parthenon in Greece.
Fish caught in the acid rain pollutes water, may be harmful for human consumption. Acid with other chemicals in the air, produces urban smog, which causes respiratory problems.
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