Chapters 19-20 Test Flashcards
How is lichen beneficial in monitoring air quality
they absorb air for nourishment, so they warn if it’s bad quality
What happened to the Chernobyl deer?
Had to be killed bc they ate highly radioactive lichens
How can lichen help track pollution to its source?
They’re widespread, long lived, and stationary
How do the layers of the atmosphere differ?
Temperature, pressure, compositions
In what layer is the ozone layer?
The stratosphere
What does the ozone layer do?
Filter out most of the sun’s harmful radiation
Layers of the atmosphere in order
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
Is the thermosphere hot or cold?
Hot
What rays of the sun does the ozone absorb
UVB and UVC (heats up layer)
What are secondary pollutants
Pollutants created w/ aid of sunlight and atmospheric water
The Clean Air Act greatly reduces outdoor air pollution from:
Oxides (CO, NOx, SOx), Ozone, suspended particulate matter, and Lead
What is not included in the list of gases omitted in the Clean Air Act?
CO2 (also other dioxides)
What are primary pollutants
Chemical that has been added directly to the air (nat. events or humans)
What are secondary pollutants
formed when a primary air pollutant reacts with normal air components or other air pollutants.
About what % of CO2 comes from anthropogenic sources?
7%
What % of CO2 comes from the carbon cycle
93%
How does CO2 form
Incomplete combustion of carbon containing materials
Where does CO2 reside (in terms of atmosphere layers)
Troposphere
Sources of NOx
Automobile engines, coal burning plants, lightning, soil bacteria
What is a problem of NOx
Can form nitric acid(HNO3) if it reacts with water
How much of SO2 is naturally formed through the sulfur cycle
1/3
How does the human-sourced Sulfur form?
Combustion of sulfur containing coal, oil refining, and smelting of sulfide ores
How is SO2 harmful
Can convert. To H2SO4 which is a component of acid rain
What does Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) consist of
solid particles and liquid droplets small + light enough to be suspended in the air
What is the source of PMs?
Burning wood + petroleum fuels, lead
What are the most harmful PMs?
Fine (PM10) ultrafine (PM2.5)
How many deaths per year do PMs cause in the US?
60,000
What is the most common cause of respiratory disease in developing countries?
PMs (Particulate matter)
Is ozone reactive or nonreactive
reactive
What are some potential problems caused by ozone
cause/aggravate respr illness; aggravate heart disease; damage plants, rubber, fabrics, paints
What does VOC stand for?
Volatile organic compound
Where do most VOCs come from?
Methane from cars, leaves (plants)
How much of VOCs come from human resources
2/3
What is photochemical smog
A mix of air pollutants made by NOx and volatile organic hydrocarbons under sunlight
What cities in the US often suffer from photochemical smog?
Mexico City and Los Angeles
What are PANs?
Peroxacyl Nitrates; respiratory irritant
What is the main difference between photochemical and industrial smog?
Photochemical is NOx, Industrial is SOx
What is the Black Triangle?
Germany, poland, and the Czech republic (one of the most polluted places in the world)
What is the cause of the Black Triangle?
brown coal usage w/ high sulfur content
What is radon?
natural radioactive gas found in soil and rock
What is a problem of radon?
Can seep into homes and buildings above radon deposits
What are the major causes of anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and NOx
On-road vehicles
What is the anthropogenic cause of SOx emissions?
Electricity generation
Anthropogenic cause of PM emissions?
Vehicle/Road dust
What is a temperature inversion and how is it formed?
Cold, cloudy weather surrounded by mountains can cause a warm air “cap”
What is the natural pH of rainwater
5.6
What’s a harm of acid rain
respiratory illness, can leach toxic metals from rock and soil into acid lakes
What bodies of water are more buffered to acid rain
lakes and streams
how can acid lakes be treated
Adding limestone
What are the four most dangerous indoor air pollutants
Tobacco smoke, formaldehyde, radon-222 gas, PMs
What is more harmful to humans, indoor or outdoor gases?
indoor
Who are the most susceptible to indoor air pollution
Children under 5
Who are the least susceptible to indoor air pollution
Adult males
What is asbestos?
fibrous silicate material used for insulation
What are problems of asbestos
Can cause respiratory problems
What is the source of CO?
malfunctioning exhaust systems on heaters
How is CO a health risk
CO attaches to hemoglobin and causes oxygen deprivation
What is the most toxic kind of VOC
Formaldehyde
Where are VOCs used
Building materials, furniture, glues, paints
What % of US buildings are classified as sick?
15%
What is “sick building syndrome”
Thebuiildup of toxins in inside air is more dangerous than the outside
Which is more harmful, PM2.5 or PM10?
PM2.5 (smallest particle)
Advantage of electrostatic precipitators
Can remove 99% of particulate matter
What do Electrostatic precipitators do?
Attract negatively charged particles in smoke to a collector
What is a flaw of electrostatic precipitators?
They do not filter hazardous ultrafine particles
Because of the clean car act, a car now produces ____ less pollution than pre-1970s cars
75%
What happens when you have a motor vehicle with no pollution control device?
burning of leaded gasoline (which can cause nerve damage)
Which is more heavily regulated, outdoor or indoor pollution?
Outdoor
What was the effect of mt Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991?
temporary cooling of the earth over a 15 month period (0.5*C)
Which layer of the atmosphere experiences the effects of global warming the most?
Troposphere
What has happened to global temperature over the last 150 years?
Increased 0.8*C
What are some ways to analyze temps from 1000s of years ago?
Troposphere comp (airbubbles in ice), temp trends, greenhouse gas concentration; solar, snowfall, forest fire activity.
How do you determine what global temps are like today?
CO2 and therm readings
There is a _____ trend between carbon dioxide and temperature
Direct
Country with highest CO2 emissions
China (We produce just as much)
Which country produces the highest per capita amount of CO2
Australia
What is the greenhouse effect?
Earth’s cycle of rising and falling CO2 levels over a long period of time due to greenhouse gases
What are the 3 factors that shape the earth’s climate?
Sun, greenhouse effect, oceans storing CO2 (naturally cools)
What is the ocean’s role in the earth’s climate?
Storing CO2, regulating temp, evaporating and receiving water
What are the greenhouse gases?
Water vapor, CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide
true/false: Greenhouse gases were always there and just fluxuated in presence
True
How much (in ppm) CO2 is in the atmosphere?
390 ppm
How much more potent is nitrous oxide compared to Co2?
Nitrous oxide is 300x more potent than CO2
What is the global warming potential of methane?
25
How have humans contributed to the greenhouse effect?
Burning of fossil fuels, agricultural practices, landfills, industrial production, CFCs
Source of methane
Agricultural soils
Source of nitrous oxide
agricultural soils (fertilizer), denitrification
What pollutants could be cooling or warming the atmosphere?
aerosol and soot
What is the CGCM of the earth’s climate?
a model that determines the avg temp and greenhouse gas content of the troposphere
Out of methane, nitrous oxide, and CO2, which is the only gas that has not leveled off in its production?
CO2
Source of carbon dioxide
Volcanic eruption, fossil fuels, iron and steel production, cement manufacture
What pollutants warm the atmosphere?
Is CO2 production a positive or negative feedback loop?
positive
What is a problem of global warming?
Could alter ocean currents and cause excessive cooling and heating
Why is dealing with global warming a difficult issue
Global, long term effects, costs and benefits controversial
Mitigation
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Adaptation
Recognize that some effects are unavoidable, so reduce harmful effects
What is the benefit of stratospheric ozone
Keeps UVC and UVB rays from reaching earth’s surface
What kind of UV Ray passes through ozone layer
UVA (causes sunburns)
What has been lowering the ozone concentration in the atmosphere?
CFCs, Chlorofluorocarbons
Global concentrations of ozone have depleted ___ %
10%
Ozone depletions are greatest at:
The poles
What does ozone depletion cause an increase of?
UVB radiation
Montreal protocol
Ban on substances that deplete the ozone layer (aerosols + CFCs)
Kyoto protocol
Greenhouse gas emission reduction (CO2, CH4, N2O)
Why was the Kyoto Protocol signed but not ratified by the US?
Developing countries weren’t included (developing countries are a primary source of greenhouse emissions)
Which pollutant can cause neurological damage?
Lead particulates
A once lush green area that experiences climate change drought and turns brown is a…
Positive feedback
The United Nations organization that studies global climate conditions is the…
IPCC
What is trapped within the permafrost in the arctic region?
CH4
CFC’s are a problem because..
Last for many years reducing O3
What does IPCC stand for?
International Panel on Climate Change
What are the layers of a septic tank
Sludge, wastewater, scum
What does the inclusion of septic tanks help reduce
Point source pollution
Where is organic matter broken down in an on site septic disposal system
Bacteria in the tank and the field
