Acid rain is precipitation that has become acidic over time. It is caused by pollution from human activities. Acid rain is harmful to aquatic environments and forests. Which of these could be used to determine the amount of acid rain that might occur in the hydrologic cycle of an area?

Question

Acid rain is precipitation that has become acidic over time. It is caused by pollution from human activities. Acid rain is harmful to aquatic environments and forests. Which of these could be used to determine the amount of acid rain that might occur in the hydrologic cycle of an area?
 A. 
A tool that identifies the types of chemicals that transpire from plants.
 B. 
A tool that identifies the types of trash entering bodies of water.
 C. 
A device that measures the concentration of pollutants in a specific area of the ocean.
 D. 
A device that measures the amount of chemicals released into the air by a factory.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

To determine the amount of acid rain that might occur in the hydrologic cycle of an area, the most relevant option would be:

D. A device that measures the amount of chemicals released into the air by a factory.

This is because the primary contributors to acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), which are pollutants released into the atmosphere by industrial activities, vehicles, and other sources. Measuring the emissions of these chemicals would provide insight into the potential for acid rain formation in the area.