Home › AP Environmental Science › Biology › Ecosystems › Burning coal releases sulfur compounds into the …
Burning coal releases sulfur compounds into the air. What does rain falling through them become?
AWeak sulfuric acid
BWeak nitric acid
CWeak carbonic acid
DWeak hydrochloric acid
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Weak sulfuric acid
1. Coal often contains sulfur, and burning it releases sulfur dioxide gas.
2. Rain falling through that gas dissolves it.
3. The dissolved gas turns the rainwater into weak sulfuric acid.
4. That acid rain lowers the pH of lakes and kills the animals living in them.
5. It also eats away at stone buildings and monuments over the years.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 44 and 46, section 46.3 Biogeochemical Cycles_
Related questions
The nitrogen cycle is introduced with the observation that getting nitrogen into the livinCarbon is described as which most abundant element in living organisms?Gross and net primary productivity differ by the energy that producers spend on:After a limited number of trophic energy transfers, the energy remaining may not be enoughThe recycling of inorganic matter between living organisms and their environment is calledNet primary productivity is used because organisms need to use some energy for their own:The rate at which photosynthetic primary producers incorporate energy from the sun is callProductivity within an ecosystem is defined as the percentage of entering energy incorpora