10/14/24 Flashcards
Industrial smog involves burning ________ coal (or oil)
sulfur-rich
Describe the process of smog
Sulfur-rich coal → SO2 - respiratory, cardiovascular;
SO2 → sulfuric acid (acid ppt)
Ammonium sulfate → (eutrophication)
CO2 (GHG)
CO - respiratory
London’s 1952 “Killer Smog”
December 1952, thick smog over London
Smog from industrial pollution, fossil-fuel combustion
Killed ca. 10,000 people
Photochemical smog
From reaction of sunlight with pollutants (VOCs, ozone)
“Brown-green air smog”
What are the biggest threats in developing nations in regards to indoor pollution?
Cigarette smoke: first and secondhand smoke
Indoor fires
What are the biggest threats in industrialized nations in regards to indoor pollution?
Cigarette smoke: first and secondhand smoke
Radon: naturally occurring radioactive gas
Describe radon gas
Radioactive
Colorless, odorless
Occurs naturally
Where does radon gas come from?
Uranium ores
Granite, gneiss, and schist
Atmosphere
Layer of gasses surrounding planet
What is the atmosphere’s function to humans?
- Absorbs solar radiation (esp. UV)
- Transports & recycles water (and other materials)
- Determines climate
Invariant gasses
78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
1% argon
What is meant by invariant gasses?
Gasses that are the same everywhere always
Variable gases (greenhouse gases):
Water vapor
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Ozone
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Climate
long term pattern of atmospheric conditions
Global warming
increase in Earth’s average surface temperature
Factors that Influence Climate
- Sun - energy source; provides heat for Earth
- Atmosphere - absorbs, reflects, transmits energy
- Oceans - stores, transports energy
- Moderates heat
What did John Tindall find?
atmospheric gasses trap heat
What did Eunice Foot find?
CO2 could absorb heat
What was Svante Arrhenius trying to answer and what did he find?
“Why were there a number of ice ages?”
if CO2 dropped by 50%, Europe would be 4-5C colder on average
Greenhouse gasses are responsible for trapping heat
Global warming potential
relative ability of one molecule of a greenhouse gas to contribute to global warming over 100 years
GWP of carbon dioxide
1
GWP of methane
23
GWP of nitrous oxide
296
GWP of hydrochlorofluorocarbon HFC-23
12,000
What are the take-home messages of CO2 and surface temperature?
Since humans in the industrial revolution began contributing to atm CO2, concentration has spiked significantly
- Greater increase over a shorter period compared to over thousands of years before human modification
-Current: highest CO2 in past 800,000 years
-CO2 continues to rise
-Temperature lags behind CO2
Pre-industrial: CO2 and average global surface temperature are relatively constant with each other prior to the industrial revolution
- CO2 and global temperature are tightly linked/coupled
- CO2 absorbs heat energy
Global surface temperature and CO2 concentration varied naturally before humans modified the atmosphere
Temperature has varied about 10 C (no human contribution)
Carbon dioxide increase due to
Fossil fuel burning
Rainforest clearing
- Introduces CO2 into atmosphere by burning trees
Methan is an ______ process
anaerobic
How much has methane increased since 1750?
155%
What caused the increase of methane since 1750?
Fossil fuel extraction
Landfills (oxygen is absent)
Rice paddies (oxygen is absent)
Cattle (gas digestion)
- Release methane into atmosphere
How much has nitrous oxide increased since 1750?
17%
What caused an increase in nitrous oxide since 1750?
Auto emissions
Feedlots
Agriculture
chemical industrial release
________ cuts CH4 emissions by 40%
Oregano
Acidification
Ocean is becoming more acidic
Half of CO2 emitted in atm gets dissolved into ocean
CO2 reacts with water
