chapter 20, 21 EXAM Flashcards
montreal protocol
1987: cut emissions of cfc’s by about 35% between 1989 and 2000.
IPCC
intergovernmental panel of climate change
a group of scientists that document past climate change in order to protect future climate change
forest fires
natural source of air pollution because it releases carbon dioxide and particulate matter into the atmosphere
natural causes for the depletion of the stratosphere
- volcanic eruptions
- sun spots
- stratospheric winds
anthropogenic causes for the depletion of the stratosphere
CFC’s:
- air conditioning
- refrigerators
- aerosol cans
ground level ozone / tropospheric ozone
- O3
- powerful respiratory irritant (HURTS US)
- precursor to secondary air pollutant
- formed with nitrogen oxides, heat, sunlight and VOCs
- MAJOR component of smog
global climate change
any change in the climate of the earth
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
- main ozone-depleting compound (chlorine)
- organic compounds made up of atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine
- released from AC, fridge, aerosol cans, bubbles in plastic foam
- chlorine + ozone = depletion of stratosphere
- nonreactive, odorless, nonflammable, nontoxic + noncorrosive
- inexpensive (why it was used in so many products)
- lowers the average concentration of ozone in the stratosphere
- insoluble in water and chemically unreactive and can last in stratosphere for 65-365 years.
Carbon Dioxide
-CO2
-colorless, oderless
- released from combustion and respiration
-MAJOR greenhouse gas w largest concentration
-controlled by the carbon cycle
-oceans are a global sink for carbon dioxide
(oceans are releasing co2 back into atmosphere bc they can not absorb any more)
Carbon Monoxide
- CO
- colorless and odorless
- dangerous indoor pollutant
- released from vehicle emission
- attaches to hemoglobin in blood so oxygen cannot be transported though veins
- NOT A PRODUCT OF RESPIRATION! it is a product of incomplete combustion
Mercury
- Hg
- bioaccumulates in marine food chain
- in coal, oil, and gold mining
- air pollutant that is a metal and is released primarily from the combustion of coal
Ozone
-O3 SECONDARY POLLUTANT troposphere ozone: -BAD -respiratory irrtant -ground level HARMS
stratospheric ozone:
- GOOD
- protects from UV rays
Nitrous Oxide
- (N20)
- human sources: fossil fuel burning, fertilizers, livestock wastes and nylon products
- Average time in troposphere: 114-120 yrs
- greenhouse gas that exists naturally
Nitrogen Dioxide
- formed when nitrogen and oxygen react as a result to high temperatures (combustion engines)
- secondary pollutant
- component of smog and acid precipitation
Nitrogen
- N
- 78% of the air in atmosphere
- two atoms of nitrogen combine to form a gaseous molecule known as N2
- not considered a greenhouse gas
Oxygen
- 21% of air in atmosphere
- most of the oxygen gas in the atmosphere exists as O2 but a small amount (in the stratosphere) exists as O3
Asbestos
- fibrous material
- resistant to heat and fire
- used in industries
- INDOOR POLLUTANT