I.  Global Sulfur pools

Almost all sulfur is stored in crust, with minor amounts in sea water, atmosphere, biosphere

Global Sulfur emissions to land:
(1 Terragram=1015 grams, or approximately 2 billion tons)

Source                                                                Size (in Tg/year)

Volcanoes                                                                    12
Sea Spray                                                                    300
Marsh and Marine Decomposition                                  5
Di-Methyl Sulfide (DMS) produiction                            39
Volitization from land                                                     64
Wind erosion                                                                 20
 
Total natural emssions                                                   440

Human fossil fuel combustion in the
     Northern Hemisphere                                              120

Thus,  approximately 20% of the total sulfur emssions on the planet are due to the people of North America and Eurasia!

Sulfur is not one of the major nutrients required for life.  However, it is necessary is small amounts.

Sulfur is used to to create di-sulfide bonds in proteins and enzymes.  These bonds help hold these molecules in the shapes which their functions require.  Without Sulfur, these molecules would not function.
 

NOTE:  Read pages 349-351 in your book to learn more about this issue!

In an anerobic environment, Sulfur will combine with Hydrogen to form Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), which smells like rotten eggs.  This creates the bad smell characteristic of wetland areas.

When Sulfur is burned in an aerobic environment, it creates a number of different sulfur oxides (SO, SO2).  These compounds will eventually be converted into SO3 by sunlight.  SO3 can combine with water to form Sulfuric Acid:
 

SO3 + H2O = H2SO4
This strong acid will dissolve in cloud and rain droplets, and then be carried to the ground.

Beacuse of Carbonic Acid, rainwater has always been slightly acidic (pH=5.6).  But, this is a weak acid.  Adding sulfuric acid into rain causes the pH to fall greatly (around 4.6 in E. Wisconsin to 4.2 in the northeast).

As the pH scale is logarithmic, this means the rainwater of eastern Wisconsin is now 10 times more acidic than normal, with areas in the northeast being over 50 times more acidic.

The increased acidity of rainwater will often lead to increased acidity of surface and groundwater.  This is not as bad of a problem in areas underlain by Calcium-rich rocks, as the calcium will interact with carbonic acid to form Calcium Bicarbonate, which is the antacid found in Tumstm:
 

Ca+2 + 2H2CO3- = Ca(HCO3)2 + 2H+
In areas underlain by acidic granite, the acid will not be counteracted, and the lake acidity will rise to the level of rainwater.

This is important, as at high water acidity, many fish will not reproduce and soil leaching will be greater, washing metal ions (such as Aluminum) into surface and ground water.  This may also impare the ability of aquatic species to live.