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 device that measures the concentration of pollutants in a specific area of the ocean.
 B. 
A device that measures the amount of chemicals released into the air by a factory.
 C. 
A tool that identifies the types of chemicals that transpire from plants.
 D. 
A tool that identifies the types of trash entering bodies of water.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The best option to determine the amount of acid rain that might occur in the hydrologic cycle of an area would be:

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

Measuring the pollutants released into the atmosphere, particularly sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), can provide insights into potential acid rain formation, as these chemicals can lead to the development of acidic precipitation.