How does acid rain damage monuments

Considered to be the penultimate masterpiece of Islamic architectural art in India, it was built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and both are interred in it in a simple crypt. In an effort to control the deleterious effects of pollution, tourist traffic is not allowed near the site, with most visitors riding in by electric bus from nearby carparks.

The once brilliant-white Taj has been losing its luster, dulling into a sickly pale shade. With around a million carvings across square kilometers, these engravings constitute the largest corpus of rock art in the world. Some of the most ancient carvings date to tens of thousands of years into the past, when people first settled Australia, and depict sacred spirits, rituals, and animals — including several that are extinct Tasmanian Tigers or are no longer found in the region Emus.

Iron Mining in Dampier, This mine directly abuts important rock art sites, and produces emissions that contribute heavily to acid rain that is degrading them. Much of the heaviest mining and petrochemical industry is located immediately adjacent to some of the most sensitive collections of artwork.

Acid rain from this has begun to erase many of the carefully, but often shallowly, engraved rock surfaces, and studies by archaeologists and geologists have postulated that most of the rock art will disappear completely by the middle of the 21st century. Accompanying inscriptions bear more than , Chinese characters and are a treasure trove of historical and linguistic data. Longmen Grottoes in Photo by James Jin Through the centuries, natural and manmade factors have damaged the niches, sculptures and paintings.

Crevices across the rock base are causing instability and have resulted in the collapse of some niches and the destruction of their contents. But there is a way that you can help! Mount Auburn is always looking for volunteers to join its Monument Inscription Program. This program uses special techniques to document as many monument inscriptions as possible before they are lost forever.

If you are interested in joining the Monument Inscription Program or would like more information about it, please contact Jessica Bussmann. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. By Friends of Mount Auburn. Tagged: Eternally Green , preservation. This loss of nutrients makes it easier for infections, insects, and cold weather to damage trees and forests. Acid Rain Damages Lakes and Streams Without pollution or acid rain, most lakes and streams would have a pH level near 6.

Acid rain, however, has caused many lakes and streams in the northeast United States and certain other places to have much lower pH levels. In addition, aluminum that is released into the soil eventually ends up in lakes and streams. Unfortunately, this increase in acidity and aluminum levels can be deadly to aquatic wildlife, including phytoplankton , mayflies, rainbow trout, small mouth bass, frogs, spotted salamanders, crayfish, and other creatures that are part of the food web. This problem can become much worse during heavy downpours of rain or when the snow begins to melt in the spring.

These types of events are known as episodic acidification.