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Environmental Science > Atmospheric Pollutants > Flashcards

Atmospheric Pollutants Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the particulate size of smog?

A

10 microns in diameters

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2
Q

What is smog?

A

A type of visible air pollution created from smoke, fog, suspended air particulates or chemical fumes

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3
Q

What can cause fog to build up?

A

Weather conditions: Lack of wind
Temperature inversion

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4
Q

What were the causes of the London smog of 1952?

A

Very cold so more burning of coal (smoke from chimneys)
Anticyclone- little winds so air didn’t move much
Temperature inversion that trapped emissions

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5
Q

What primary pollutants were released into the atmosphere during the 1952 London smog?

A

Smoke particles
Sulphur dioxide
Fluorine
Carbon dioxide

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6
Q

What secondary pollutants were released during the 1952 London smog?

A

Hydrochloric acid
Sulphuric acid

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7
Q

What were the effects of the 1952 London smog?

A

Bronchial diseases
Asthma
Heart attacks
Rickets
Pulmonary disease (lung cancer)
Irritation in the eye
Inflammation in the tissues of the lungs (chest pain)
Colds
Pneumonia

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8
Q

Why did people develop rickets during the 1952 smog?

A

Smog blocked UV that contains vitamin D

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9
Q

How many deaths were there in the 1952 London smog?

A

12000 by the end of the winter
900 per day

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10
Q

What groups were at the greatest risk from the 1952 smog?

A

Old people
Children
People with cardiac and respiratory complications

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11
Q

How is temperature affected by smoke pollution?

A

Short term: drop in temperature (sun blocked)
Long term: Hotter (GHG emission fuelling enhanced GHG affect)

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12
Q

What affect des smoke pollution have on the stratosphere?

A

Acid rain
Tropospheric ozone

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13
Q

what act was introduced after the London smog?

A

the clean air act of 1956

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14
Q

What was the main aim of the original components of the clean air act?

A

banning the the burning of polluting fuels in “smoke control areas” across the UK

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15
Q

What rules did the original clean air act implement?

A

Factories have to build taller chimneys
Banned any fuels being burnt that produced smoke
Fines for being caught breaching rules

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16
Q

Why did factories have to build taller chimneys? (clean air act)

A

encourage the pollutants to disperse better (stronger winds higher up)

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17
Q

Why was the clean air act updated in 2009?

A

as the world had progressed since 1956 and there was different polluting sources

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18
Q

What was introduced the the clean air act in 2009?

A

DPFS had to be fitted to all new diesel cars

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19
Q

What is a DPFs?

A

Diesel particulate filter

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20
Q

What do DPFs do?

A

catch soot (black particulates)
Doesn’t catch NOx

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21
Q

How effective are DPFs?

A

capture 80% of smoke produced

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22
Q

How do DPFs work?

A

Diesel exhaust gas funnelled in
Filter captures soot and burns it
Cleaner exhaust then released through exhaust pipe

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23
Q

How effective has pollution legislation been? (clean air act 1956)

A

Over time very effective
large reduction in both smoke and sulphur dioxide production

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24
Q

What is an example of the effectiveness of pollution legislation? (smoke)

A

280 smoke per cubic meter in 1950 generally reduced to 15 in 2000

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25
Q

What smoke pollution control measures are used in industry?

A

Electrostatic precipitation
Cyclone separators
Bag filters

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26
Q

How does an electrostatic precipitator work?

A

Effluent (dirty) gas that contains smoke passed through machine and is attracted to plates which are electrically charged
After time waste accumulates so machine teemed off allowing waste to fall creating ‘fly ash’

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27
Q

What can ‘fly ash’ be used for? (linked to electrostatic precipitation)

A

can be used to produce energy in power stations

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28
Q

How does a cyclone separator work?

A

dirty flue gas is fed into a chamber
Inside the chamber a spiral vortex like a tornado is created filtering dense waste down and cleaner lighter air up

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29
Q

What do bag filters control?

A

emissions from wood/coal/lignite (dirty coal) fired boilers

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30
Q

How does a bag filter work?

A

removes particles from gases by trapping them on a fabric filter (bag)

31
Q

Why are turbo chargers used?

A

Increases an engines efficiency in burning fuels/ hydrocarbons

32
Q

What type of the suns energy creates photochemical fog?

A

UV as photo = light
Not infrared as it would be therma

33
Q

What is photochemical smog?

A

Not strictly a smog as there is no smoke or fog involved in their development rather they form from other urban pollution or temperature inversion

34
Q

What cities suffer from photochemical smog?

A

LA
Mexico city
Beijing

35
Q

What was the problem with photochemical smog in Beijing?

A

Many athletes at the 2008 Olympics said they wouldn’t compete

36
Q

How can photochemical smog be controlled?

A

Using catalysts such as platinum and palladium which oxidise pollutants (catalytic converters)

37
Q

How can unburnt hydrocarbons be managed?

A

By collecting and condensing fumes back into fuels at petrol stations (not widely used as expensive and get little fuel)

38
Q

How can control or primary pollutants stop photochemical smog?

A

if primary pollutant (NOx) is controlled the secondary pollutants (Pans or tropospheric ozone) will not be formed as the reactants will not be present

39
Q

Emissions of sulphur dioxide are responsible for how much of acid rain?

A

60-70%

40
Q

How much of the sulphur in the atmosphere is anthropogenic?

A

90%

41
Q

What types of acid are in the atmosphere?

A

Sulphuric acid
Nitric acid
Carbonic acids

42
Q

How much of the nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere are anthropogenic?

A

95%

43
Q

Why do sulphur and nitrogen cause more acid rain than carbon?

A

Even though they are less lower concentrated they are more soluble so a much greater affect on pH of precipitation

44
Q

What is tropospheric ozone?

A

Ozone (O3) is a reactive gas that exists in 2 layers of the atmosphere the stratosphere (upper layer good) and troposphere (surface to 15km bad)

45
Q

What does ozone do in the stratosphere?

A

Protects life on earth from suns ultraviolet radiation

46
Q

What is the problem with ozone in the lower levels?

A

Important GHG and air pollutant which is harmful to ecosystems and human health

47
Q

What type of pollutant is tropospheric ozone?

A

Secondary formed by interaction of uv with hydrocarbons

48
Q

What is the residence time of tropospheric ozone?

A

Short lived hours to weeks

49
Q

How is tropospheric atmosphere formed?

A

Sunlight+(methane, carbon monoxide, non methane volatile organic compound)+NOx)=O3

50
Q

What are the sources of tropospheric ozone?(human sectors)

A

Fossil fuels
Oil refineries
Agricultural soils (paddi field)

51
Q

What areas of the climate are affected by tropospheric ozone?

A

Evaporation rates
Cloud formation
Preciprative levels
Atmospheric circulation

52
Q

Where do the effects of tropospheric ozone usually occur?

A

Regions where they are emitted and so disproportionately affect northern hemisphere

53
Q

What are the effects of tropospheric ozone on human health?

A

Bronchitis
Emphysema
Asthma

54
Q

How many premature deaths occur from tropospheric ozone?

A

1 million

55
Q

Who are most at risk of tropospheric ozone?

A

Children
Elderly
Cardiovascular disease

56
Q

What are the effects of tropospheric ozone on agriculture and ecosystem?

A

Reduced crop productivity as well as uptake of atmospheric carbon by vegetation
Reduced growth, seed production and accelerated ageing

57
Q

How can tropospheric ozone be controlled?

A

Control secondary pollutants by controlling primary pollutants so reactants aren’t present
Catalytic converters, turbo, less rice and cows

58
Q

What does it mean for the ozone layer if there is tropospheric ozone?

A

Ozone layer is thinner or there is a hole allowing more uv to get through meaning monatomic oxygen and zone created in troposphere

59
Q

What are ULEZs?

A

Ultra low emission zones

60
Q

What is the aim of ULEZ?

A

improve air quality by reducing vehicular emissions in cities specifically NOx

61
Q

How are ULEZ done?

A

restrict and reduce the number of vehicles that do not meet emission standards

62
Q

How influential was public backing for the introduction of ULEZ/

A

Very significant with a YouGov survey finding 72% supported using emission charging to tackle air pollution and congestion

63
Q

What is one of the first examples of ULEZ?

A

London

64
Q

What area does the London ULEZ cover?

A

All areas between the north and south circular roads along with an expansion that occurred in 2021

65
Q

When was the London ULEZ created?

A

April 2019

66
Q

When will the ULEZ expand across all London boroughs?

A

August 2023

67
Q

What is the fine if your vehicle doesn’t meet the ULEZ restrictions?

A

£12.50 daily charge to drive in the zone.

68
Q

How many vehicles that drive in the ULEZ meet restrictions?

A

94% on an average day

69
Q

How many vehicles met the ULEZ regulations before it was implemented?

A

38% in 2018

70
Q

How much has NOx been reduced in central London?

A

1/2 reducing chances of harmful secondary pollutants being created (acid rain or tropospheric ozone)

71
Q

How much has the number of worst polluting vehicles dropped in the London ULEZ?

A

35600 to 23000

72
Q

What has research about the London ULEZ shown?

A

Imperial college London suggests the area only caused small improvements and wont be effective be itself

73
Q

How are lower income families affected by the ULEZ?

A

As if they have polluting car will have to pay fine but cant necessarily afford a lower emitting car

Environmental Science (90 decks)

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