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Acid rain is water in the form of rain, snow or fog that is contaminated by acid present in polluted air and which damages the environment. The two most common air pollutants that can acidify rain are the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen.  These oxides form weak concentrations of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and nitric acid (HNO₃) when combined with the water and oxygen in the atmosphere. 
The sulfur and nitrogen contaminants are released into the atmosphere from a number of sources: industrial plants, automobiles, power plants, etc.  It is often difficult to determine the exact cause of acid rain because when these compounds are released into the atmosphere, the wind can spread them over great distances before they return to earth in the form of acid rain, snow, or fog. When the environment cannot neutralize the acid being deposited, damage occurs.
            One of the most visible results of damage caused by acid rain is the pitting of old marble statues.  Over long periods of time even very low concentrations of acid can erode the facial features of statues and other details until simple forms are all that remains.  The stronger the acid concentration the faster the damage will take place. 
In today’s experiment you will be making a quantitative study of the effects of acid rain by exposing several pieces of marble to different concentrations of sulfuric and nitric acid and making observations regarding their effects.