Acid Rain: A Growing Pain

Abstract

Acid rain can pull aluminum from the soil and cause nutrient deficiency. The usual pH level of acid rain is around 4.0, so we decided to test the effects of solutions at pH levels 6.0, 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0. We planted the seeds in four different trays labelled by pH level and treated each plant with dilute sulphuric acid after germination. We analyzed the results of the number of flowers over the three weeks of testing. Most of the data was non-significant, but if were to repeat this experiment, we’d make sure the plants were the same height before beginning treatment. We’d also check the pH of the soil often to make sure the solution was not being buffered by the soil.