chapter 20, 21 EXAM Flashcards

1
Q

montreal protocol

A

1987: cut emissions of cfc’s by about 35% between 1989 and 2000.

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2
Q

IPCC

intergovernmental panel of climate change

A

a group of scientists that document past climate change in order to protect future climate change

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3
Q

forest fires

A

natural source of air pollution because it releases carbon dioxide and particulate matter into the atmosphere

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4
Q

natural causes for the depletion of the stratosphere

A
  • volcanic eruptions
  • sun spots
  • stratospheric winds
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5
Q

anthropogenic causes for the depletion of the stratosphere

A

CFC’s:

  • air conditioning
  • refrigerators
  • aerosol cans
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6
Q

ground level ozone / tropospheric ozone

A
  • O3
  • powerful respiratory irritant (HURTS US)
  • precursor to secondary air pollutant
  • formed with nitrogen oxides, heat, sunlight and VOCs
  • MAJOR component of smog
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7
Q

global climate change

A

any change in the climate of the earth

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8
Q

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

A
  • 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.
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9
Q

Carbon Dioxide

A

-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)

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10
Q

Carbon Monoxide

A
  • 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
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11
Q

Mercury

A
  • 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
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12
Q

Ozone

A
-O3 SECONDARY POLLUTANT 
troposphere ozone:
-BAD 
-respiratory irrtant 
-ground level HARMS

stratospheric ozone:

  • GOOD
  • protects from UV rays
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13
Q

Nitrous Oxide

A
  • (N20)
  • human sources: fossil fuel burning, fertilizers, livestock wastes and nylon products
  • Average time in troposphere: 114-120 yrs
  • greenhouse gas that exists naturally
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14
Q

Nitrogen Dioxide

A
  • formed when nitrogen and oxygen react as a result to high temperatures (combustion engines)
  • secondary pollutant
  • component of smog and acid precipitation
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15
Q

Nitrogen

A
  • 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
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16
Q

Oxygen

A
  • 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

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17
Q

Asbestos

A
  • fibrous material
  • resistant to heat and fire
  • used in industries
  • INDOOR POLLUTANT
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18
Q

Radon

A
  • radon-222
  • a radioactive gas found in some soil and rocks, can seep into some houses (INDOOR POLLUTANT) and increase the risk of lung cancer
  • you can’t see, taste, or smell
  • produced by the natural radioactive decay of uranium-238
19
Q

lead

A
  • Pb
  • smelting
  • trace metal in rocks and soil
  • formerly put in paint and gas to improve performance
  • travels air worldwide
  • biomagnified
  • affects nervous system (mental)
  • one of the air pollutants specified under the Clean Air Act
20
Q

Which are the 6 criteria air pollutants as specified under the Clean Air Act?

A
  1. carbon monoxide : CO
  2. lead : Pb
  3. ozone : O3
  4. nitrogen dioxide: NO3
  5. sulfur dioxide: SO2
  6. particulate matter
21
Q

formaldehyde

A
  • chemical that causes most people in developed countries difficulty
  • found in a variety of common materials and household products, can cause a number of health problems
  • colorless, extremely irritating gas widely used to manufacture common household materials
  • causes chronic breathing problems, dizziness, rash, headaches, sore throat, sinus and eye irritation, wheezing, and nausea from daily exposure to low levels
  • in building materials , furniture, drapes, upholstery, adhesives in carpeting and wallpaper, urethane-formaldehdye insulation, fingernail hardener, wrinkle free coating or permanent-press clothing (INDOOR POLLUTANT
22
Q

Sulfur Dioxide

A

-SO2
-high odor, colorless, suffocating and corrosive gas
-respiratory irritant
-results from combustion of coal and oil, metal smelting and paper pulping
-scrubbers are placed in coal-burning plants to reduce the amt.
-
-emitted into the troposphere when metal sulfide ores are roasted or smelted to convert a metal ore to a free metal
-it can adversely affect plant tissue

-indoor pollutant: gas heaters, improperly vented gas ranges and tobacco smoke

23
Q

Particulate matter

A
  • Pm
  • solid or liquid particle in air
  • combustion, road dust, forest fires
  • respiratory irritants
  • one of the air pollutants specified under the CAA

examples: soot, sulfate aerosols

24
Q

Polar Bears

A
  • affected from global warming due to the increase of sea levels and decrease of ice caps and glaciers
  • large amounts are dying off because habitat destruction
  • Global warming poses the greatest threat to polar bears
25
Q

air pollution

A

the presence of chemicals in the atmosphere in concentration high enough to affect climate and harm organisms and materials

-excess heat and noise are considered air pollution

26
Q

troposphere

A
  • innermost layer of the atmosphere
  • made up if nitrogen and oxygen (small amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapor)
  • chemical cycling of nutrients
  • weather conditions (climate and short-term weather)
  • heated by infrared radiation
  • o3 here is an irritant “bad ozone”
  • 2 smog
27
Q

stratosphere

A
  • ozone located here (protects form harmful UV rays)

- filters “good ozone”

28
Q

mesosphere

A
  • extends 50-85 km from earth (53 miles)

- meteors burn here

29
Q

thermosphere

A
  • thinnest gas layer
  • ionization and absorption of particles
  • radio waves!
30
Q

exosphere

A

-outermost layer of the atmosphere

31
Q

acid deposition

A
  • sulfur dioxide + nitrogen oxide -> sulfur and nitric acid -> acid precipitation
  • regional air pollution problem where there are coal-burning facilitates and a large amount of vehicles (ohio valley, USA)

effects :

  • human respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis
  • toxic metals (lead and copper) leach from pipes into drinking water
  • damages statues, monuments and buildings
  • acidity in water causes fish population to die
  • build-up of sulfur and nitrogen ions in soil
  • increasing aluminum in soil and water
32
Q

photochemical smog

A
  • forms in hot, sunny, urban areas
  • NOx, VOCs and ozone
  • LA and Athens, Greece
33
Q

anthropogenic causes of greenhouse gases

A
  • burning fossil fuels
  • agricultural practices: overirrigation and feedlots produce methane
  • deforestation: releases methane from decomposition and carbon dioxide
  • landfill: decomposition = methane
  • industrial productions = cfcs
34
Q

natural causes of greenhouse gases

A
  • volcanoes: carbon dioxide
  • decomposition: methane
  • denitrification: NOx
  • water vapor
35
Q

thermal inversion

A

-a warm layer of air is ABOVE a cold , dense layer, trapping pollutants under it.

emissions accumulate beneath it (LA and Mexico City)
-sign of thermal inversion: city between two mountains

36
Q

smog (industrial smog / gray smog)

A
  • London
  • causes tuberculous, heart failure and bronchitis
  • formed with CO and CO2 are combined with particulate matter (sulfur dioxide can also be part of this)
37
Q

heat island effect

A
  • result of THERMAL POLLUTION
  • urban areas that have the heat absorbing ability because of the buildings, concrete and asphalt which radiate the heat they absorb

-increases the rates of photochemical reactions which results in photochemical smog

38
Q

noise pollution

A

-any noise that causes stress or has the potential to damage human health

  • U.S Noise control act: EPA set up emission standards
  • Quiet Communities Act: federal research and activities to research noise pollution
39
Q

antartica and ozone levels

A

-holes in stratosphere over the poles which increases the amount of U.V rays reaching the surface (ozone levels high)

results in:

  • melting of polar ice caps
  • rising of sea levels
  • loss of habitat for organisms such as polar bears
40
Q

consequences of global warming

A
  • melting of glaciers, ice caps and permafrost
  • rising sea levels
  • thermal expansion of water
  • heat waves
  • cold spells
  • increased storm intensity
  • shift in ocean currents
  • growing seasons shift
  • animals and humans may need to relocate
  • mosquito-borne diseases
  • economic consequences
41
Q

effects of air pollution

A
  • lowering the pH in surface waters
  • decreases diversity of marine organisms
  • mobilizes metals into surface water
  • damages statues, monuments and buildings
42
Q

ways to prevent air pollution

A
  • removing sulfur dioxide from coal
  • catalytic converters on cars
  • scrubbers on smokestacks
  • baghouse filters
  • electrostatic precipitators
43
Q

ozone depletion

A

decrease in the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere

44
Q

ozone layer

A

layer of gaseous ozone in the stratosphere that protects life on earth by filtering out most harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun