Chapter 13 Flashcards
The Atmosphere, Air Quality, and Pollution Control
Atmosphere
layer of gases surrounding the planet; moderates our climate, provides oxygen, protects from meteors/hazardous solar radiation, transports and recycles water/nutrients; mostly nitrogen and oxygen
Troposphere
bottom layer of the atmosphere, containing the air we breath
Tropopause
where the troposphere stabilizes in temperature, -52 degrees C
Stratosphere
drier, less dense than the troposphere, with little vertical mixing
Ozone layer
absorbs sunlight so the stratosphere warms with altitude, protects living organisms from UV damage
Convective circulation
increased evaporation makes surface air warmer and moister, which rises and creates vertical currents, cooling as it does so so that rain falls, cooler air sinks and the cycle repeats
Weather
specifies atmospheric conditions in a location at a short time period
Climate
atmospheric conditions in a location over a long time period
Temperature inversions
a layer of cool air is trapped beneath warm air, preventing vertical mixing
Inversion layer
band of air where temperature rises with altitude (opposite normal)
Hadley cells
connective cells near the equator; rapid rising and expansion of air from sunlight produces tropical rainforests, so dry air diverges and moves north and south before cooling and descending to produce subtropical deserts
Ferrel cells and polar cells
lift air, create precipitation around 60 degrees latitude north and south, so air descends at 30 degrees latitude and at poles
Coriolis effect
deflects objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern, curving wind patterns
Doldrums
near the equator, receiving few winds
Trade winds
east to west between the equator and 30 degrees latitude
Westerlies
blow west to east between 30 and 60 degrees latitude
Air pollutants
gases/particulate material added to the atmosphere that harm climate or living things
Air pollution
release of air pollutants
Primary pollutants
pollutants released directly from a source (ash from volcanos, carbon monoxide from cars)
Secondary pollutants
primary pollutants react with each other or components of the atmosphere (ozone, for example)
Residence time
amount of time a pollutant spends in the atmosphere before settling to the ground
Clean Air Act
1963 U.S. law, amended in 1970 and 1990, that funds pollution control research, sets air quality standards, and encourages emissions standards for point sources
Sulfer dioxide (SO2)
colorless gas with a pungent odor, produced during coal combustion for energy and industry, that contributes to acid precipitation
Carbon monoxide (CO)
colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete fuel combustion, which binds to red blood cell hemoglobin and prevents oxygen transportation
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
family of compounds produced when atmospheric nitrogen/oxygen combine during combustion that contributes to smog, acid deposition, and ozone depletion
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
carbon-containing chemicals emitted by vehicle engines/solvents which produce secondary pollutants
Particulate matter
solid/liquid particles small enough to suspend in air, classified by size in microns by diameter (primary or secondary pollutants)
Lead (Pb)
heavy metal that can enter the atmosphere as a particulate pollutant due to leaded gasoline/metal smelting and accumulate in the body, causing nervous system malfunction
Scrubbers
physically remove airborne pollutants from smokestacks
Catalytic converters
contain metals that react with hydrocarbons/CO/NOx in vehicle exhaust, converting them to carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen gas
Criteria pollutants
carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, lead, two others, which risk human health
Ambient air quality standard
sets maximum allowable air concentration for criteria pollutants
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
highly reactive reddish-brown, foul-smelling gas that contributes to smog/acid precipitation
Tropospheric ozone (O3)/ground-level ozone
secondary pollutant created by NOx and VOCs in sunlight, which can injure tissues and respiratory systems
Smog
mixture of air pollutants that can accumulate due to fossil fuel combustion, especially where there is much automobile traffic
Industrial smog
specific city smog
Photochemical smog
sunlight drives chemical reactions between primary pollutants and atmospheric compounds
Ozone-depleting substances
human-made airborne chemicals that degrade the ozone layer
Halocarbons
synthetic compounds of hydrocarbons where hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine, flourine, or bromine, that deplete the ozone layer
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
specific class of halocarbon used for refrigerators/fire extinguishers/spray can propellants/electronic cleaners
Ozone hole
area of thinned ozone concentration discovered in 1985 to appear every spring over Antarctica
Montreal Protocol
1987 international treaty agreeing to halve CFC production by 1998 and restrict more halocarbons
Acid deposition
deposition of acid/acid-forming pollutants from the atmosphere to the surface
Acid rain
a precipitation form of acid deposition
Atmospheric deposition
solid/liquid material from the atmosphere is dropped onto Earth
Acid Rain Program
1990 Clean Air Act gave economic incentives to reduce emissions by setting up an emissions trading program for sulfur dioxide, allocating permits for pollution, and allowing emitters to buy/sell/trade their allowances
Indoor air pollution
indoor air generally contains a greater concentration of pollutions
Radon
colorless, odorless radioactive gas resulting from the decay of uranium in soil/rock/water, the second-leading cause of lung cancer
Sick building syndrome
building-related illness caused by an unknown microbe
