Where does acid rain occur in the world?

Acid rain occurs in any area where polluting acidic materials enter the atmosphere and mix with water to form a solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The acid comes from sulfur dioxide, ammonia and nitrogen oxides, which result from the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and are expelled by car exhausts.

These acids can be blown in the wind and enter atmospheres in neighboring states and even across national borders hundreds of miles away. According to Texas A&M University, the majority of acid rain occurs downwind from power plants, and in the United States, many of these plants are found in the Midwest and throughout the eastern coast regions.