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acid rain ![click to hear : acid rain click to hear : acid rain](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Rain that contains abnormally high concentrations of sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
sulfuric acid emission ![click to hear : sulfuric acid emission click to hear : sulfuric acid emission](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Sulfuric acid forms when sulfur dioxide combines with cloudwater.
sulfur dioxide emission ![click to hear : sulfur dioxide emission click to hear : sulfur dioxide emission](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Sulfur dioxide is produced mainly by coal-fired thermal power plants and smelters that refine ores with high sulfur content.
fossil fuel ![click to hear : fossil fuel click to hear : fossil fuel](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
The use of fossil fuels by motor vehicles and industry triggers emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
watercourse ![click to hear : watercourse click to hear : watercourse](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Natural flow of water that varies in volume, depending on the ground slope and the number of tributaries.
soil ![click to hear : soil click to hear : soil](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Surface layer of the Earth’s crust; it results from the alteration of bedrock and the decomposition of organic matter.
water table ![click to hear : water table click to hear : water table](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Vast expanse of underground water fed by rainwater filtering through the earth; it supplies springs and can be collected in wells.
lake acidification ![click to hear : lake acidification click to hear : lake acidification](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
It causes plankton depletion and creates an imbalance in the food chain, sometimes leading to the total disappearance of plant and animal life.
leaching ![click to hear : leaching click to hear : leaching](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Acid rain robs the soil of nutrients that are indispensable to plant life, such as magnesium, calcium and potassium.
acid snow ![click to hear : acid snow click to hear : acid snow](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Acid rain can take the form of snowflakes and fog.
wind ![click to hear : wind click to hear : wind](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Polluted clouds are carried by the wind, sometimes traveling thousands of kilometers; their pollutants then fall in the form of acid rain.
acid rain ![click to hear : acid rain click to hear : acid rain](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Rain that contains abnormally high concentrations of sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
atmosphere ![click to hear : atmosphere click to hear : atmosphere](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Layer of air that surrounds the Earth and is composed mainly of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%); only its lower portion is part of the biosphere.
nitrogen oxide emission ![click to hear : nitrogen oxide emission click to hear : nitrogen oxide emission](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Nitrogen oxide is discharged by motor vehicles and thermal power plants that burn fossil fuels.
cloudwater ![click to hear : cloudwater click to hear : cloudwater](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Nitric acid and sulfuric acid dissolve in cloudwater.
nitric acid emission ![click to hear : nitric acid emission click to hear : nitric acid emission](../../images/speaker-vert.gif)
Nitric acid forms when nitrogen oxides combine with cloudwater.