( Source: http://fli.hws.edu/sos/images)
Figure. The process of the formation of acid rain and acid snow.
Hi, my name is Aseem Sharma. I am a grade 8 student at Greystone Heights Elementary School, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I have done an experimental project on the impacts of acid rain on germination of three main crops grown in the Canadian Prairies; wheat, dry field peas and canola. I named my project "Acid Rain: A Potential Peril", because of acid rain occurrences in main industrialized areas in USA and in Canada's northern lakes, and harmful effects it may impart on the food chain. Acid rain is harmful to all life, including plants. Acid rain may deteriorate soil quality in agricultural lands, thereby affecting crop production potential. Acid rain, if strong and frequent, may render soil acidic to the extent where soil nutrients essential for normal plant growth and development may leach out, and benificial soil microrganisms may die. High acidity in the soil leads to dormant toxins being activated and the stunting of the growth of the plant, leading to mutations in some cases.
My scientific question was; “How does acid rain affect the germination of the three main crops?” In a quest to find out the answer to my question, I designed a experiment to test the effects of acid rain on plant germination. I did my experiment on whatman #3 filter paper, because filter paper is neutral in pH. Therefore, it would not skew the acid rain treatments.
I liked doing this project, because I love hands-on-learning. While conducting my experiment, I saw first hand the effect of root growth stunting, where the shoot had emerged before the root! This would be the same as having a blade of grass not attched to the soil! This would have drastic effects on plant production, and yield per unit area, which would raise the already growing price of grains, for instance. In conclusion, my project inspired me to learn about the effects of human activity on our own ability to grow food.
I hope you will enjoy browsing through my website!
If you get stuck on a term, feel free to look at the Glossary section, where I have tried to define difficult terms used in my project.