Final answer:
Acid rain resulting from air pollution caused by human activities dissolves limestone and marble due to a chemical reaction with calcium carbonate in the rocks, leading to environmental degradation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human activities that lead to air pollution, such as the burning of fossil fuels, release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. These pollutants can cause rainwater to become acidic, forming acid rain. When this acid rain falls on carbonate-rich rocks like limestone (composed mainly of calcium carbonate, CaCO3), the following chemical reaction occurs: CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → CaSO4 (s) + H2O (l) + CO2 (g). This reaction dissolves the limestone, one of the many negative impacts of acid rain on the environment.
Anthropogenic (human-caused) acid rain mainly arises from emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) due to activities such as the combustion of coal. The resultant acid rain has a corrosive effect on limestone and marble structures, reducing the societal value of cultural objects and buildings, altering aquatic ecosystems by lowering the pH, and causing damage to vegetation.