Effects of Acid Rain

     We generally consider acid rain to affect areas which are downwind of pollution generating sites. The northeastern United States, for instance, suffers from acid precipitation generated both locally and by coal fired plants in the mid-western states. As a result, ecosystem damage is localized. However, acid precipitation can be caused by some natural events (volcanic eruptions, erosion and oxidation of organic-rich sedimentary rocks) and some catastrophic events (bolide impact) which increase the amounts of CO2, NOx and SO2 in the atmosphere. As a result, it is important to understand the effects of acid rain on animals inorder to evaluate both possible causes for past extinction events, as well as the potential for modern ecosystem damage.