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Hannah Midles
Mrs. Norris
APES
5 December, 2014
Acid Rain Lab
Collaborators: The Left Side of the room (closest to the door) students
Introduction:
In this experimental lab, my class and I analyzed the effects of acid rain on fescue plants
being grown in 2L soda bottles under light. This lab took around a couple weeks in order for my
lab collaborators and I to gain accurate results. For this lab, we first needed several healthy
fescue plants in the soda bottles to conduct the experiment. One group had three bottles, being
the control group, receiving only 50 mL water for the next few weeks. The second group was the
experimental group, which received 50mL of white vinegar (acting as the acid rain). We watered
the plants every other day with acid sunlight.
The results: My group was the group with 50mL white vinegar solution being added to
the fescue. Even though the growth went from 6cm to 9cm, there was visible death occurring.
The grass turned a brown color where the acid was more concentrated. At the end of the
experiment the grass was in very bad shape, with the final length recorded at 5cm. The other
group with just water added, the grass was flourishing and in healthy condition. It seems very
obvious that acid rain affects grass in a negative way which commonly happens in the
environment. This lab goes to identify and visualize the effects of acid rain on grass.
Problem:
How does acid rain affect the growth of fescue plants?

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Hypothesis:
If the white vinegar is added to the fescue plants over the next few weeks, then there will be
considerably less growth because the pH of the soil is lowered which affects the amount of
nutrients available to the grass.
Parts of the Experiment:

Independent Variable: Amount of white vinegar and water added to fescue plants

Dependent Variable: Amount of growth (height) and quality of the grass as a result to the
white vinegar and water

Controlled Variable: Amount of sunlight, room temperature, soil temperature, water

temperature, container planted in

Experimental Group: All of the plants watered with white vinegar

Control Group: The plants receiving only water

Materials:

9 2-L bottles containing fescue

Water

White Vinegar

Sunlight

Beakers

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Procedure:
Each will be responsible for watering 2 plants two days a week in the following methods.
Measure the height of each plant in centimeters every Monday that the plants are watered.

Yellow plants: 5 mL of H2SO4 and 45 mL of water

Red plants: 25 mL of H2SO4 and 25 mL of water
Blue plants: 50 mL of water only
Data:

Sample of Water
(pH)

Observations:
Week 1

Observations:
Week 2

Observations:
Week 3

A
(pH of 2.4)

The fescue appears to be

mainly healthy; bright
green will long blades.
The soil is damp, clumped,
and dense. Although, some
blades are somewhat
yellow.
The fescue has grown the
least from the other two
samples. The vibrant green
blades it started off with is
now turning yellow. The
soil is deteriorating from
the acid rain, allowing
least amount of growth
possible.
Grass still has a green hue
to it, not as much as
Sample A however.
Moisture still occurs.

The plant shows no sign of

deterioration, but actually
shows signs of growth
compared to the other two
samples.

The grass has healthy

growth like hypothesized.
The soil is still dense and
damp, which allows the
grass to flourish from the
other two; bright green and
moist.
Compared to sample A,
the grass has decreased in
length and the intensity of
the yellow-brownish color
is definitely present. The
roots have also turned a
brown due to spare and
dry soil.

B
(pH level of 2.4)

C
(pH level of 4)

Death is foreseen due to

the yellow color appearing
because of the acid rain.
The soil and roots are
more dry and loose losing
health and breaking the
soil into pieces.

The fescue plant is no

longer a bright green, but a
dull fading green to
yellow. The soil is no
longer dense as before and
the growth has been
delayed.

Grass blades seem weak

and unstable due to the
dry cracked soil. The
health of the grass would
be categorized more
towards Sample B than
Sample A.

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Sample B before acid rain being

applied

Sample B after three weeks with acid

rain

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Analysis and Conclusions to Lab:
How does acid rain affect the growth of fescue plants?
Through this lab, it is not hard to see that the acid rain has a negative effect on the growth
of the fescue plants. The general trend shown in the data table is that the grass with any amount
of concentration of white vinegar (acid) has some decline in growth/length/quality. Also, where
the vinegar was poured on certain points of the grass concentrated down towards the roots
making them a brownish color. When the white vinegar sinks into the soil, the lower parts of the
plants are effect.
General Analysis and Conclusions:
The hypothesis I created at the beginning of this experiment was based off prior
knowledge discussed during class. We talked about how acid rain decreases the pH of soils
because it causes soils to be more acidic. The class set out to see the effects of Nox and SO2 mix
with water vapor having on in the environment. After the experiment was concluded, my
hypothesis was correct. There was a noticeable decrease in height of the plants after applying the
acid rain, and there was also visible death occurring at the roots of the plants, due to the lowered
pH in the soil. There are possible variables that could have interrupted the experiment. Firstly,
the grass at the beginning of the experiment was not fully healthy, some being already dead.
Secondly, the white vinegar was concentrated in some areas more than others causing extreme
acidification in that spot of soil, making it appear more brown and dead. Thirdly, white vinegar
is not truly identical to acid rain caused from greenhouse emissions. This may have caused
varying results. Lastly, all the groups measured the heights differently. Grass does not grow all at
one height, making it more of an estimate of average grass length.

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This lab had to do a lot with what we learn in class. Throughout the semester we have
talked about how pollution affects the life on Earth. Acid rain is formed in the atmosphere and
falls down into vegetation. This lowers pH of soil, and mercury and lead can leach out of soils as
a result. The best way to reduce acid rain is to limit the amount of burning fossil fuels, such as
applying calcium carbonate to the soil. In an article I found on the internet, it states that a current
problem of acid rain is that acid rain is primarily from nitrogen emissions mixed with rain, rather
just sulfuric acid. If fossil fuels are not being limited, our waters on Earth will be more polluted,
creating less fresh water that is already becoming scarce.

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Works Cited
Tennesen, Michael. "Sour Showers: Acid Rain Returns--This Time It Is Caused by Nitrogen
Emissions." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/acid-rain-caused-by-nitrogen-emissions/>.

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