acid rain


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

acid rain

n.
Acid precipitation falling as rain.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

acid rain

n
(Environmental Science) rain that contains a high concentration of pollutants, chiefly sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal or oil
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ac′id rain′


n.
precipitation containing acid-forming chemicals, chiefly pollutants, that have been released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: ecologically harmful.
[1855–60]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

acid rain

Rain, snow, or other precipitation containing a high amount of acidity.
Did You Know? We normally think of rain as something pure and natural, but in many parts of the world it is polluted with harmful acids from the moment it forms in the sky. How does this happen? When coal, gasoline, and oil are burned as fuels, they give off the gases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. In the atmosphere, these compounds combine with water vapor to form highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids. Prevailing winds carry these acids away from the industrial areas where they originate, and they fall to earth as acid rain. Acid rain is a serious environmental problem in parts of the world where there are many factories, power plants, and automobiles close together, as in parts of the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. It harms forests and soils and pollutes lakes and rivers, killing fish and other aquatic life. It can also damage buildings and monuments by eating away the stone and metal that they are made of.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

acid rain


click for a larger image
Rain acidified by sulfuric, nitric, and other acids that form when water and sunlight react with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants released by burning fossil fuels. Acid rain can poison lakes, kill forests, and corrode buildings.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.acid rain - rain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with wateracid rain - rain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with water
air pollution - pollution of the atmosphere; "air pollution reduced the visibility"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
kyselý déšť
syreregn
happosade
kisela kiša
savas esõ
酸性雨
산성비
surt regn
ฝนที่เป็นกรด
mưa axit

acid rain

npioggia acida
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

acid rain

أَمْطار حَمْضِيَّة kyselý déšť syreregn saurer Regen όξινη βροχή lluvia ácida happosade pluie acide kisela kiša pioggia acida 酸性雨 산성비 zure regen sur nedbør kwaśny deszcz chuva ácida кислотный дождь surt regn ฝนที่เป็นกรด asit yağmuru mưa axit 酸雨
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in periodicals archive ?
Jenkins (Wildlife Conservation Society) chronicles the deposition of acids and mercury from fossil fuel combustion onto the Adirondack Mountains region, and how researchers measured the acid rain and traced it ecological effects.
Carson, a Iongtime children's book author, also explains important environmental issues related to weather, such as climate change, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Throughout each chapter are step-by-step instructions for projects such as constructing a barometer and a sundial, creating a rainbow, and whipping up a tornado in a bottle.
The primary culprits are acid rain caused by greenhouse gases, along with the ravages of climate change: drought, heat, ice storms, and insect infestation.
This, along with sulfur dioxide and other pollutants, makes acid rain. Precipitation--rain, snow, hail, or sleet--mixes with the poisons and slowly kills plants and fish.
When the gas mixes with sunlight, moisture and oxygen, it produces acid rain and volcanic smog.
Acid rain falls in Hsinchu City on 85 days out of every 100 days of rain, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Saturday.
A study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters found that acid rain from the burning of coal may have contributed to a deadly 2009 landslide in southwestern China.
A chemist, Cayetano pointed out that the sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere may become acid rain in a matter of hours, which can injure the skin and damage crops and infrastructure, as well as disrupt bodies of water.
Since the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1990, the federal government has pursued a variety of policies designed to reduce the level of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and the associated acid rain. In The Market for Sulfur Dioxide Allowances: What Have We Learned from the Grand Policy Experiment ?
Acid rain is a popular term referring to the deposition of wet poo and cats.
East of the Mississippi, where acid rain has always been the worst, the Adirondack Mountains have seen the greatest improvement in stream health.
Dad said he heard in the news that acid rain was killing some of the lakes and ponds.