Article: "Acid Rain Nourishing Oceans"

[CookieJar]

I found this article and it was interesting in that it contradicts the common perception that acid rain = bad, at least in how the study said the iron from acid rain 'benefits' the plankton and CO2 removal in the ocean. My opinion is I don't believe acid rain and the added iron is necessarily an overall good as I've always believed the more humans 'tinker' with the environment, the more screwed up it gets, even if you can't see the immediate affects there are usually consequences that will show up somewhere else or down the road.

http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/News-acid-clouds-nourish.ocean-100509.aspx#

 

[sfsuphysics]

Didn't realize there was iron in acid rain. Guess it depends what lowered the pH of the rain, although strictly speaking acid rain is H2CO3 IIRC.

 

[GreshamH]

Pretty sure your right on that one Mike. I also doubt the rain could deliver much iron that way, and there isn't really a lack of iron in seawater to begin with. the iron part heated up when Bush wanted to dose to oceans to make phyto bloom big time and use up co2. He didn't account for what happens when phyto dies and the problems a massive bloom would create!

 

[Gomer]

Didn't realize there was iron in acid rain. Guess it depends what lowered the pH of the rain, although strictly speaking acid rain is H2CO3 IIRC.

nope
SO2 and NO2 form sulfuric and nitric acid through hydrolysis, ozone and hydroxyl radical reactions.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Ok you just blew my mind Tony... all I know is what I teach my kiddies about Earth's early oceans soaking up the CO2, H2O + CO2 = H2CO3 and then precipitate that out into things like limestone to lock it away FOREVER!!! MWUAHAHAHAA ok without the sinister laugh at the end

 

[Gomer]

you evil person!!!!


But you aren't wrong! Carbonic acid is a major acid source. SO2 and NO2 increases from industrialization just increases the acidity. I'm pretty sure I've seen studies showing it affecting fluora even in remote regions and I'm pretty sure that SO2/NO2 are responsible for the destruction of marble structures such as the old greek statues/buildings etc.

I'm unsure how much SO2/NO2 affect ocean chemistry from an acidity standpoint. CO2 very well may dominate by huge amounts.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Ok regardless of what type of acid dominates, I still don't see any Fe in any of them, so where does the iron come from?

 

[Gomer]

The only thing I can imagine is that Fe is liberated in higher acidity from whatever form it was in prior. I'm curious about this too, so I may go digging.