air pollution Flashcards
primary vs secondary pollution
primary-(harmful) directly added to atmoshpere
secondary-(nonharmful) chemical reaction occurs
what is the main cause of primary pollutant
transportation (carbon monoxide)
how is ozone measured
dobson unit
what dobson unit is considered a hole
below 200
how does ozone depletion occur
CFC’s from aersols and refigants dont get broken down, they move to the startoshpere and UV rays break them down into chlorine atoms , reaction between chlorine and ozone breaks down the ozone. chlorine remains in atmos. and the pattern contniues
why is ozone depletion greatest over antarctica
low temperature allows for the formation of the polar vortex and polar stratospheric clouds
what is the polar vortex
strong winds encirce the poles
what are polar stratospheric clouds
clouds that form in very cold conditions, speeding up the process of breaking down ozone.
describe the impacts of ozone depletion
increases UV will enter the atmoshphere leading to: human health risks (skin cancer), decreased crop yeilds, decrease in biodiversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem,
describe the montreal protocol
regulates the use of ozone depleting chemicals. Developed countries took more time because they needed reasources
outline the impacts of using alternative substances to ozone depleting ones
produce GHGs, contributing to climate change, hydrochlorofluorocarbons and fluorinated gasses
outline the importance of expirmental evidence (Rowland Molina)
inital hypothesis required more research because it wasnt backed by evidence (unatainable to perform in a lab), further data proved hypothesis correct
define acid deposition
a mix of air pollutants that deposit from the atmosphere as acidic wet/dry deposition
what are the two types of acid deposition
wet- snow, rain, hail, fog
dry-dust and gasses
 outline the formation of acid deposition
fossil fuels(sulfur), sulfur dioxide gas from fossil fuels, nitrogen monoxide from vehicle emissions, nitrogen monoxide forming nitric acid
