On which planet does acid rain occur? Acid rain: causes and consequences. Solar storms and tornadoes

People are often unhappy with the weather. Summer, autumn, winter, spring - no season can truly please earthlings. Today we will talk about the weather on other planets - and perhaps you will like the climate in your region better.

How is it known?

Observations of other planets are carried out using ground-based and orbital telescopes, including infrared and radio telescopes. Particularly a lot of data was collected using the automatic Hubble observatory, which has been operating in orbit around the Earth since 1990. To study planets in the solar system and beyond, unmanned reconnaissance vehicles are sent into space: autonomous spacecraft and stations. These modern cars They can determine space weather much more accurately than the Hydrometeorological Center on Earth.

Jupiter - planet of hurricanes

The largest planet in the solar system is characterized by giant storms, constant auroras around the poles and powerful lightning stretching for thousands of kilometers - these atmospheric phenomena on Jupiter are much larger and more spectacular than those on Earth. Air currents on the striped planet blow at the speed of a jet plane: about 600 km/h. For comparison: on Earth, the record wind speed was recorded in Australia. Barrow Island in 1996 and amounted to 408 km/h. The most mysterious places on Jupiter - a large X-ray spot, a source of pulsating X-ray radiation that has not yet been fully studied, as well as the Great Red Spot - an atmospheric formation on the planet's disk and the largest atmospheric vortex in the solar system, the changes of which humanity has been observing for almost 350 years. Jupiter emits more energy than it receives from the Sun, and due to radiation it is constantly decreasing in size: by about 2 cm per year. Temperatures in the lower atmosphere: from -130 to -145 °C.

Venus and acid rain

The climate is truly hot on Venus, an Earth-like planet that is so similar to ours in size, gravity and composition. Due to extremely dense clouds and the ozone layer, Greenhouse effect, thanks to which the temperature at the surface remains around 477 ° C around the clock. At the same time, on Venus there is a very strong Atmosphere pressure: 92 times more than on Earth. Sun rays cannot break through the cloud layer, because of this it is always twilight on Venus, but lightning flashes twice as often as on Earth (the phenomenon is called the “electric dragon of Venus”). Another phenomenon that could be scary if it happened on Earth is virga: acid rain streams from clouds of sulfuric acid, but it does not reach the surface, evaporating due to the heat. Exploration of Venus became possible only with the advent of radar methods that made it possible to penetrate clouds.

Neptune - ice giant

Neptune is the farthest planet solar system- characterized by extreme cold. Along with Uranus, Neptune is included in the class of ice giants: average temperature at the poles is -220 °C. At the same time, the strongest hydrogen-helium winds among the planets of the solar system blow here: the speed reaches 2100 km/h. Like Jupiter, the azure-colored planet produces hurricane spots: between 1989 and 1994, researchers observed a Great Dark Spot the size of Earth, with wind speeds around 2,400 km/h. Scientists from different countries have tried to understand the nature of the appearance of spots on Neptune, but so far without success. Thanks to its axial tilt relative to the Sun, the seasons change on Neptune: however, this happens once every 40 years.

Solar storms and tornadoes

Earth's tornadoes are nothing compared to solar ones. In 2012, this phenomenon was captured on video for the first time. However, no footage can convey the scale of the disaster: after all, we are talking about a tornado several times larger than the size of the Earth! Changes magnetic field The sun causes others amazing phenomena: Solar flares, sunspots and solar wind, which ultimately influence space weather throughout our system. In particular, the solar wind causes auroras, substorms and magnetic storms— the latter disrupt navigation systems, communications, and affect people’s health and well-being.

Planet HD 189733 b and glass rain

Outside the solar system at a distance of 63 light years from Earth there is an unusual planet blue color. It belongs to the class of hot Jupiters and surpasses Jupiter in mass and size. The planet with the ugly name was discovered in 2005 and has already surprised researchers with its extreme properties: its surface warms up to 930 °C. The sky in HD 189733 b resembles the red and cloudy sunset that people in polluted cities see. There are minerals in the atmosphere - silicates: instead of rain or snow, solid particles of crystals, similar to glass, “fly” from the clouds. And they don’t just fly, but are carried with wind speeds of up to 9600 km/h and, approaching the hot liquid surface, they sublimate - in a word, the same cycle is observed as on Earth, only instead of water there are silicates. The climate of this planet is determined by its proximity to the central star in the constellation Chanterelle: the distance is 30 times less than between the Earth and the Sun.

Emerald rain in the constellation Orion

What if it was raining emerald crystals on Earth? This is exactly the phenomenon that astronomers recorded on the nascent star HOPS-68, which is located north of the Orion Nebula. The observations were made using NASA's Spitzer Space Infrared Telescope, and scientists identified the mineral olivine in the crystals. “For the formation of such crystals, a temperature comparable to the temperature of boiling lava is required,” explained a rare event specialists from the University of Toledo in Ohio. “We hypothesize that these crystals originated near the surface of the forming star and were then picked up by the surrounding cloud, where the temperature is lower. After this, the crystals began to fall in the form of sparkling emeralds.”

Mercury clouds in the constellation Andromeda

The atmosphere of Alpheraz, the brightest star in the Andromeda constellation, is chock full of mercury and manganese. Astronomers from the Swedish University of Uppsala, led by Oleg Kochukhov, observed the star Alpha Andromeda for seven years, trying to unravel the mystery of the spots and the nature of their movements. The spots are characteristic of stars that have a magnetic field, which Alpha Andromeda lacks. The mystery was solved in 2007: the spots turned out to be mercury clouds, and at the same time scientists concluded that weather exists on the blue star Alferaz.

Rain

We live on Earth and are not even surprised when water starts dripping from the sky. We are accustomed to large cumulus clouds that first form from water vapor and then break up, showering us with showers.

On other planets of the solar system, clouds also form and there is rain. But these clouds, as a rule, are not made of water. Each planet has its own unique atmosphere, which causes equally unique weather.

Showers on Mercury

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is a cratered, lifeless world with daytime temperatures reaching 430 degrees Celsius. Mercury's atmosphere is so thin that it is almost undetectable. There are no clouds or rain on Mercury.

Rains on Venus

But Venus, our closest neighbor in space, has a rich and powerful cloud cover, which is pierced by zigzags of lightning. Until scientists saw the surface of Venus, they thought that it had a lot of wet and swampy places, completely covered with vegetation. Now we know that there is no vegetation there, but there are rocks and heat up to 480 degrees Celsius at noon.

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A little about the weather

Venus experiences real acid rain, since the clouds of Venus consist of deadly sulfuric acid, and not of life-giving water. But at a temperature of 480 degrees Celsius, even that kind of rain is apparently impossible. Droplets of sulfuric acid evaporate before they can reach the surface of Venus.

Rain on Mars

Mars is the fourth planet of the solar system. Scientists believe that in ancient times, Mars may have had similar natural conditions to Earth. Currently, Mars has a very thin atmosphere, and its surface, judging by photographs, is similar to the deserts of the southwestern United States of America. When winter sets in on Mars, thin clouds of frozen carbon dioxide appear over the red plains and frost covers the rocks. In the mornings there is fog in the valleys, sometimes so thick that it seems like it’s about to rain.

However, the river beds that furrow the surface of Mars are now dry. Scientists believe that water once actually flowed along these channels. Billions of years ago, in their opinion, the atmosphere on Mars was denser, and perhaps there was heavy rainfall. What remains of this abundance of water today covers the polar region with a thin layer and sparsely accumulates in rock crevices and ground cracks.

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Rains on Jupiter

Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is different from Mars in everything. Jupiter is a giant spinning ball of gas composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. There may be a small solid core deep inside, covered in an ocean of liquid hydrogen.

Jupiter is surrounded by colored bands of clouds. There are also clouds made of water, but most of Jupiter's clouds are made of crystals of frozen ammonia. There are storms on Jupiter, even strong hurricanes, as well as, according to scientists, rain and snowfall from ammonia. But these “snowflakes” melt and evaporate before they reach the surface of the hydrogen ocean.

IN Lately Quite often you can hear about acid rain. It occurs when nature, air and water interact with various pollutants. Such precipitation gives rise to a number of negative consequences:

• diseases in humans;
• death of agricultural plants;
• reduction of forest areas.

Acid rain occurs due to industrial emissions of chemical compounds, combustion of petroleum products and other fuels. These substances pollute the atmosphere. Ammonia, sulfur, nitrogen and other substances then react with the moisture, causing the rain to become acidic.

For the first time in human history, acid rain was recorded in 1872, and by the twentieth century this phenomenon had become very common. Acid rain causes the most damage to the United States and European countries. In addition, ecologists have developed a special map that shows the areas most exposed to dangerous acid rain.

Causes of acid rain

The causes of toxic rain are man-made and natural. As a result of the development of industry and technology, plants, factories and various enterprises began to emit huge amounts of nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the air. So, when sulfur enters the atmosphere, it reacts with water vapor to form sulfuric acid. The same thing happens with nitrogen dioxide; nitric acid is formed and falls out along with precipitation.

Another source of air pollution is exhaust gases from motor vehicles. Once in the air, harmful substances oxidize and fall to the ground in the form of acid rain. Nitrogen and sulfur are released into the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of peat and coal at thermal power plants. Huge amounts of sulfur oxide enter the air during metal processing. Nitrogen compounds are released during the production of building materials.

Some of the sulfur in the atmosphere is natural origin For example, after a volcanic eruption, sulfur dioxide is released. Nitrogen-containing substances can be released into the air as a result of the activity of certain soil microbes and lightning discharges.

Consequences of acid rain

There are many consequences of acid rain. People caught in such rain can ruin their health. Given atmospheric phenomenon causes allergies, asthma, cancer. Rain also pollutes rivers and lakes, making the water unfit for consumption. All residents of water areas are in danger; huge populations of fish may die.

Acid rain falling on the ground, they pollute the soil. This depletes the fertility of the land and the number of harvests decreases. Because the precipitation fall over large areas, they negatively affect trees, which contributes to their drying out. As a result of influence chemical elements, metabolic processes in trees change, and root development is inhibited. Plants become sensitive to temperature changes. After any acid rain, trees can suddenly shed their leaves.

One of the less dangerous consequences toxic precipitation is the destruction of stone monuments and architectural objects. All this can lead to the collapse of public buildings and homes of a large number of people.

The problem of acid rain needs to be seriously considered. This phenomenon directly depends on human activities, and therefore the amount of emissions that pollute the atmosphere should be significantly reduced. When air pollution is reduced to a minimum, the planet will be less susceptible to harmful precipitation such as acid rain.

Solving the environmental problem of acid rain

The problem of acid rain plagues the planet global character. In this regard, it can only be solved if we combine the efforts of a huge number of people. One of the main methods to solve this problem is to reduce harmful industrial emissions into water and air. All enterprises must use cleaning filters and facilities. The most long-term, expensive, but also the most promising solution to the problem is the creation of environmentally friendly enterprises in the future. All modern technologies should be used taking into account the assessment of the impact of activities on the environment.

They cause a lot of harm to the atmosphere modern views transport. It is unlikely that people will give up cars anytime soon. However, today new environmentally friendly technologies are being introduced vehicles. These are hybrids and electric cars. Cars such as Tesla have already gained recognition in different countries peace. They work on special batteries. Electric scooters are also gradually gaining popularity. In addition, we should not forget about traditional electric transport: trams, trolleybuses, metro, electric trains.

We should not forget that air pollution is caused by people themselves. You don’t need to think that someone else is to blame for this problem, and it doesn’t depend on you specifically. This is not entirely true. Of course, one person is not capable of releasing toxic and chemicals into the atmosphere in large quantities. However, regular use passenger cars leads to the fact that you regularly release exhaust gases into the atmosphere, and this subsequently becomes the cause of acid rain.

Unfortunately, not all people are aware of such an environmental problem as acid rain. Today, there are many films, articles in magazines and books about this problem, so everyone can easily fill this gap, recognize the problem and begin to act to solve it.

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Imagine that at this very second, while you are reading the text, a glass storm is approaching somewhere or diamond rain is falling. Sounds like the beginning of a science fiction movie, doesn't it? But these are not the most amazing natural phenomena that are found on other planets.

This year, winter on Earth did not please almost anyone and was distinguished by all sorts of cataclysms, so website I decided to find out how things are with the climate on other planets, after which I fell in love with our earthly frosts and bad weather outside the window.

1. Glass storms

The beautiful azure exoplanet HD 189733b is located just 63 light-years from the Sun, so scientists have learned a lot about it. The temperature on this planet is 930 °C on the light side and 425 °C on the dark side, and the winds rush at a speed of 2 km per second. But the most unusual thing a natural phenomenon on this exoplanet - showers consisting of pieces of glass.

2. Stone showers

The exoplanet COROT-7b was discovered in 2009, and is 2 times the size of Earth. On the light side of the planet there is a vast ocean of lava, and the dark side is covered with a huge layer of ordinary water ice. Temperature at sunny side- approximately 2,500 °C, which creates unique precipitation. This exoplanet also has a circulation, but not of water, but of molten rock.

It is the weather on COROT-7b that inspires many science fiction writers and artists.

3. Green Crystal Rain

The most beautiful It is raining not on a planet, but on the protostar HOPS-68, which is located 1,350 light years from Earth. Olivine, which is used on Earth to make jewelry, showers this star with an incredibly beautiful shower of sparkles.

4. Dry snow storms

Not only on Earth there is snow storms, but Mars also falls asleep in the middle of the night with snow. These overnight storms have another name, “ice microbursts,” and are often compared to small storms on Earth. Snowstorms on Mars are made of dry ice, and clouds are made of frozen carbon dioxide.

Winter on this planet is cold, with an average temperature of -63 °C. Therefore, if you are planning to fly to Mars, then do it in the summer - the temperature at this time is about 20 ° C, which is quite comfortable for earthlings.

5. Plasma rain

Even on the Sun there are rains, albeit plasma ones. This phenomenon is better known as a solar flare, or coronary rain, and is a consequence of powerful explosion radiation.

What's unique is that the plasma rain cools quickly as it approaches the Sun's surface. And the star's outer atmosphere is much hotter than its surface. Scientists have not yet been able to figure out the reason for this phenomenon.

6. Swirling Storms

Scientists have found that a flash of radiation is caused by an explosion in part of the atmosphere, and it, in turn, generates a wind reaching a speed of 4 km per second.

7. “Sun-protective” snow

The exoplanet Kepler-13Ab is unique in that it has “sun-protective” snow, although only on dark side. The fact is that there is titanium dioxide on the planet, which is an active ingredient in sunscreens. That's why scientists joke and recommend dialing sunscreen on the dark side before tanning on the light side.

8. Earth-sized storms

Brown dwarfs are difficult to detect because they don't have enough mass to burn like other stars. Therefore, unique telescopes were built to study the weather on brown dwarfs. Thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, scientists were able to observe storms the size of Earth on the surface of the dwarf. It was also possible to study clouds that consist of unusual materials such as sand and drops of molten iron.

9. Freezing rain for other planets

Enceladus is a moon of Saturn with geysers that regularly spew icy water, sending approximately 250 kg into space every second. One part of the sediment is lost in space, and the other falls on the rings of Saturn, and therefore there is an assumption that this particular satellite is the source of matter in one of the rings of Saturn. On Enceladus alone, liquid water, carbon, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and an energy source have been discovered, and the existence of an ocean under the surface of the moon has been suggested.

10. Hail Storm

NGC 1333-IRAS 4B is part of the Solar System, the central star of which is a cocoon of gas and dust. At the center of this cocoon is a dense disk of materials that looks more like a hail storm. The amount of water that spills onto the central disk could fill the Earth's oceans 5 times. The disk is warmer than the cloud of material surrounding it, so when chunks of ice reach the cloud, they evaporate. And when the steam freezes, then perhaps a new comet will be born. Thanks to the Spitzer telescope, people received more knowledge about how planetary systems form.

Acid rain is usually called any precipitation (rain, snow, hail) containing any amount of acid. The presence of acids leads to a decrease in pH levels. pH value

Acid rain is usually called any precipitation (rain, snow, hail) containing any amount of acid. The presence of acids leads to a decrease in pH levels. Hydrogen index (pH) is a value that reflects the concentration of hydrogen ions in solutions. The lower the pH level, the more hydrogen ions in the solution, the more acidic the environment.

For rainwater, the average pH value is 5.6. When the pH of precipitation is less than 5.6, it is referred to as acid rain. Compounds that lead to a decrease in the pH level of sediments are oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen chloride and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Causes of acid rain

Acid rain, by nature of its origin, is of two types: natural (arising as a result of the activities of nature itself) and anthropogenic (caused by human activity).

Natural acid rain

Causes of acid rain naturally A little:

activity of microorganisms. A number of microorganisms, in the process of their life activity, cause the destruction of organic substances, which leads to the formation of gaseous sulfur compounds, which naturally enter the atmosphere. The amount of sulfur oxides formed in this way is estimated at about 30-40 million tons per year, which is approximately 1/3 of the total amount;

Volcanic activity supplies another 2 million tons of sulfur compounds into the atmosphere. Together with volcanic gases, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, various sulfates and elemental sulfur enter the troposphere;

decomposition of nitrogen-containing natural compounds. Since all protein compounds are based on nitrogen, many processes lead to the formation of nitrogen oxides. For example, the breakdown of urine. It doesn't sound very pleasant, but that's life;

lightning discharges produce about 8 million tons of nitrogen compounds per year;

burning of wood and other biomass.

Anthropogenic acid rain

Since we are talking about anthropogenic impact, there is no need to have great mind, to guess that we will talk about the destructive influence of humanity on the state of the planet. A person is used to living in comfort, providing himself with everything he needs, but he’s not used to “cleaning up” after himself. Either he hasn’t grown out of the sliders yet, or he hasn’t matured enough in his mind.

The main cause of acid rain is air pollution. If thirty years ago as global causes, causing the appearance of compounds in the atmosphere that “oxidize” rain were called industrial enterprises and thermal power plants, today this list has been supplemented by road transport.

Thermal power plants and metallurgical enterprises “donate” about 255 million tons of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to nature.

Solid fuel rockets have also made and are making a significant contribution: the launch of one Shuttle complex results in the release of more than 200 tons of hydrogen chloride and about 90 tons of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.

Anthropogenic sources of sulfur oxides are enterprises producing sulfuric acid and oil refining companies.

Exhaust gases from motor vehicles account for 40% of nitrogen oxides entering the atmosphere.

The main source of VOCs in the atmosphere is, of course, chemical production, oil storage facilities, gas stations and gas stations, as well as various solvents used both in industry and in everyday life.

The final result is as follows: human activity supplies the atmosphere with more than 60% of sulfur compounds, about 40-50% of nitrogen compounds and 100% of volatile organic compounds.

From a chemical point of view, there is nothing complicated or incomprehensible about the formation of acid rain. Oxides entering the atmosphere react with water molecules, forming acids. Sulfur oxides, when released into the air, form sulfuric acid, and nitrogen oxides form nitric acid. One should also take into account the fact that in the atmosphere above major cities always contain particles of iron and manganese, which act as catalysts for reactions. Since there is a water cycle in nature, water in the form of precipitation sooner or later falls on the earth. Acid also gets in with the water.

Consequences of acid rain

The term "acid rain" first appeared in the second half of the 19th century and was coined by British chemists working on the pollution of Manchester. He noticed that significant changes in the composition of rainwater are caused by vapors and smoke entering the atmosphere as a result of the activities of enterprises. As a result of the research, it was discovered that acid rain causes discoloration of fabrics, metal corrosion, destruction of building materials and leads to the death of vegetation.

It took nearly a hundred years before scientists around the world sounded the alarm about the harmful effects of acid rain. This problem was first raised in 1972 at the UN conference on the environment.

Oxidation water resources. Rivers and lakes are the most sensitive. Fish die. Despite the fact that some species of fish can withstand slight acidification of water, they also die due to the loss of food resources. In those lakes where the pH level was less than 5.1, not a single fish was caught. This is explained not only by the fact that adult fish die - at a pH of 5.0, most cannot hatch fry from the eggs, as a result there is a reduction in the numerical and species composition fish populations.

Harmful effects on vegetation. Acid rain affects vegetation directly and indirectly. The direct impact occurs in high mountain areas, where tree crowns are literally immersed in acidic clouds. Excessively acidic water destroys leaves and weakens plants. The indirect impact occurs due to a decrease in the level nutrients in the soil and, as a result, an increase in the proportion of toxic substances.

Destruction of human creations. Building facades, cultural and architectural monuments, pipelines, cars - everything is exposed to acid rain. Many studies have been conducted, and they all say one thing: acid rain exposure has increased significantly over the past three decades. As a result, not only marble sculptures and stained glass windows of ancient buildings are under threat, but also leather and paper products of historical value.

Human health. Acid rain itself does not have a direct impact on human health - if you get caught in such rain or swim in a reservoir with acidified water, you do not risk anything. Compounds that form in the atmosphere due to the entry of sulfur and nitrogen oxides into it pose a threat to health. The resulting sulfates are transported by air currents over considerable distances, are inhaled by many people, and, as studies show, provoke the development of bronchitis and asthma. Another point is that a person eats the gifts of nature; not all suppliers can guarantee the normal composition of food products.

Solution

Because the this problem is global in nature, it can only be solved jointly. The real solution will be to reduce emissions from enterprises, both into the atmosphere and into water. There are only two solutions: stopping the activities of enterprises or installing expensive filters. There is a third solution, but it is only in the future - the creation of environmentally friendly industries.

The words that every person should be aware of the consequences of their actions have long been set on edge. But you can’t argue with the fact that the behavior of society is made up of the behavior of individual individuals. The difficulty is that people are accustomed to separating themselves from humanity in environmental matters: the air is polluted by enterprises, toxic waste gets into the water due to unscrupulous firms and companies. They are them, and I am me.

Household aspects and individual solutions to the problem

Strictly follow the rules for disposing of solvents and other substances containing toxic and harmful chemical compounds.

Give up cars. Maybe? - hardly.

Influence the installation of filters, implementation alternative ways Not everyone can produce, but compliance ecological culture and raising the younger generation to be environmentally literate and culturally aware is not only possible, it should become the norm of behavior for every person.

No one is surprised by the many books and films devoted to the results of man’s technogenic impact on nature. The films depict the dead surface of the planet, the struggle for survival and various mutant life forms in a colorful and frighteningly realistic manner. Fairy tale, fiction? - a very real prospect. Think about it, not so long ago space flights seemed like fiction, engineer Garin’s hyperboloid (modern laser systems) seemed like science fiction.

When thinking about the future of planet Earth, it is worth thinking not about what awaits humanity, but about the kind of world in which children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live. Only personal interest can motivate a person to take real steps.