For this project demonstrating how acid rain erodes rocks, you will need two small, clear glass drinking cups, masking tape, 1 cup vinegar, a glass measuring cup and two pieces of white chalk. Chalk is a soft limestone (calcium carbonate) and quickly breaks down when exposed to acid. The effects of acid rain on the environment take place more slowly. Label one glass "water" and pour in 1 cup of water. Label the other glass "vinegar" and pour in 1 cup of vinegar. Keep half of the piece of chalk above the liquid and place a piece of chalk in each glass. Observe the chalk the following day and record the results. Continue to observe the chalk daily until the piece in the vinegar completely dissolves.
All types of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, fog) can contain acid rain. Does the form of acid rain make a difference? Find out with pH paper and a pH chart. Pure water has a pH of 7.0. Normal rain is slightly more acidic, 5.5 pH, than pure water. On days with precipitation, gather and record pH readings, the type of precipitation and the date, preferably over the course of a year. Graph the results to see what type of precipitation contains more acid rain.
To investigate how acid rain disturbs ecosystems and living organisms, you will need 3 gallons of distilled water, a measuring cup, five 6-cup plastic containers with lids, a black, fine-point permanent marker, white vinegar, a medicine dropper, a clean spoon, pH strips that show small changes between 3.0 and 6.0 or a pH meter, graph paper and a minimum of 15 of each of three varieties of aquatic organisms from the following list: small fish, such as minnows, goldfish or feeder fish; small pond snails; Daphnia (water fleas); live tubifex; aquatic plants such as duckweed and elodea; or spirulina algae. Label each of the five containers. Fill each container with 4 cups distilled water. Test the pH of container 1 and record the results. Add one drop of vinegar to container 2, mix it with the spoon, test the pH and record the results. Repeat this procedure for containers 3 through 5, adding one more drop of vinegar than the container before it. Container 5 should end up with a pH about 4.3. Distribute the aquatic organism types evenly among the five containers. Record the number, and types, of organisms in each container. Observe the containers periodically for several days. Record the time and a viability assay (how many of each organism in each container is still alive) on each container. Graph the results with the pH of the water on the x-axis and a line graph for each organism at that pH. Did all the organisms within a container respond to the pH in the same way? What seems to be the best pH for each organism? Are any of the organisms weaker or more resilient to various pH levels?
For this project, you will need several identical plants, vinegar, distilled water, a glass for each plant, a spoon and pH paper. Label the plants and a corresponding glass. Fill glass 1 with 1 cup of 100 percent distilled water. Fill glass 2 with 1 cup of distilled water mixed with one drop of vinegar. Repeat the process for each glass/plant combination, adding one more drop of vinegar to each succeeding glass. Record the process and date. Water the plants on the same days, with the same amount of water. Record the data and observations.