Acid rain is a type of precipitation that includes acidic components. Acid rain is mainly caused by natural and human activities. When it comes to natural causes, volcanoes are responsible. But acid rain is mainly caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Through the combustion of fossil fuels, compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. When these substances are released into the air, they mix and react with water, oxygen and other chemicals and form several types of acidic pollutants known as acid rain. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayNormally sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve very easily in water. Not only that, but thanks to the wind they can be transported very far. As a result, the two compounds can travel long distances where they become part of the rain, sleet, snow and fog we experience on certain days. This includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid, that falls to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry form. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even acid dust. Acid deposition can be caused by natural sources such as volcanoes, but is primarily caused by the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide during the burning of fossil fuels. When these gases are vented into the atmosphere, they react with water, oxygen, and other gases already present there to form sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate, and nitric acid. These acids then disperse over large areas by winds and fall to the ground as acid rain or other forms of precipitation. The gases most responsible for acid deposition are a byproduct of electricity production and coal combustion. Therefore, man-made acid deposition began to become a significant problem during the industrial revolution and was first discovered by a Scottish chemist Robert Angus Smith in 1852. In that year he discovered the relationship between acid rain and air pollution in Manchester, England. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although it was discovered in the 1800s, unfortunately, acid deposition did not gain significant public attention until the 1960s. Public attention increased further in the 1970s, when the New York Times published reports on problems occurring in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. Overall, acid rain is a modern environmental problem. If we don't start solving it, it will turn into a real ecological disaster, and then every person will feel the consequences of acid rain.