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Earth 122 > Chp 13 Atmosphere > Flashcards

Chp 13 Atmosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What is the most polluting fossil fuel?

A

Coal

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2
Q

SO2

A

sulfur dioxide

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3
Q

What do SO2 emissions lead to?

A

Acid rain

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4
Q

What can happen to fish in acidified lakes?

A

Die of starvation due to the loss of their food sources

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5
Q

What gases are the atmosphere made up of?

A

78% nitrogen (n2)
21% oxygen (o2
1% other (including argon)

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6
Q

How many layers of the atmosphere are there and how do they differ?

A

four different layers. differ in temperature, density and composition.

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7
Q

Define atmosphere

A

the thin layer of gases that surrounds earth

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8
Q

What is a PERMANENT gas?

A

A permanent gas in the atmosphere remains at STABLE conditions

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9
Q

What were the dominant gases in Earths early atmosphere?

A

Carbon dioxide(CO2), Nitrogen (N2), carbone monoxide(CO), and hydrogen (H2)

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10
Q

What started the change in our early atmosphere to the our atmosphere today? (2.7 bill yrs ago)

A

The emergence of Autotrophic microbes that emit oxygen as a by product of photosynthesis.

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11
Q

What is the TROPOSPHERE?

A

The troposphere is the most BOTTOM layer of the atmosphere (0-10km)
In the troposphere, temperature declines the higher you go

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12
Q

What is the STRATOSPHERE?

A

Second layer of atmosphere. 11-50 km above sea level.

More dry and less dense than the troposphere. Contains UV radiation, blocking ozone.

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13
Q

Thermo sphere

A

Highest layer of earths atmosphere, 80-500km

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14
Q

In the mesophere temperatures ________ with altitude

A

Decrease

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15
Q

What is atmospheric pressure?

A

Force per unit of area produced by a column of air.

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16
Q

Atmospheric pressure ______ with altitude(in troposphere)

A

decreases

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17
Q

Why do mountain climbers have a hard time breathing the higher they climb?

A

Air pressure decreases the higher you go up. At the halfway point of mount everest for example, 50% of air molecules are below you. At mount everests peak, you are above two-thirds of air molecules in the atmosphere.

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18
Q

The gases in the stratosphere experience little VERTICAL MIXING, that is…

A

when substances(such as pollutants) enter the stratosphere, they tend to remain there for a long time.

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19
Q

Why is the ozone layer important? Where does it lie in the atmosphere?

A

Ozone greatly reduces the amount of UV radiation(which can damage living tissue and create DNA mutations). 17-30 km above sea level.

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20
Q

What is the RELATIVE HUMIDITY of air?

A

the ratio of water vapour in a volume of air, to the maximum amount it could potentially contain at a given temperature.

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21
Q

Why does humidity make it feel hotter than it is?

A

We sweat to cool our bodies down. When humidity is high, the air is holding nearly as much water as it can. So, that means our sweat evaporates slowly and the body cannot cool itself efficiently.

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22
Q

What is air mass?

A

a large volume of air that is fairly uniform internally, in temperature, relative humidity and air pressure

23
Q

Why is it hottest at the equator?

A

Sunlight hits the equator directly(perpendicular angle), so the air absorbs less solar energy due to the shorter path through the atmosphere

24
Q

What causes the change in seasons?

A

Because the earth is tilted, during a half of the year, as it travels through its orbit around the sun, the earths northern hemisphere faces towards the sun , while the southern hemisphere faces away from the sun (this is true conversely for the other half of the year). The hemisphere that faces towards the sun experiences direct sunlight, while the half away from the sun experiences indirect sunlight (less concentrated). Equatorial region is barely effected by this.

25
Q

FRONT

A

the boundary between air masses that differ in moisture content and temperature, (where we typically experience the most active weather)

26
Q

How do cold fronts cause thunderstorms and tornadoes?

A

A cold front displaces warmer air masses. The warm air rises, expands, and cools to form clouds that produce these thunderstorms.

27
Q

Convective circulation

A

The rising of less dense, warmer air, creates vertical currents.

28
Q

What is the urban heat island effect?

A

Cities often have temperatures that are hotter than surrounding suburbs and rural areas. Results from the concentration of heat generating buildings, cars, factories and people.

29
Q

thermal inversion

A

the normal direction of temperature change is inverted. can cause air pollution to be trapped and move towards the ground, instead of diluting upwards

30
Q

Dust dome

A

When heated air becomes trapped over cities due to thermal inversion, smog and particulate air pollution it carries becomes trapped as well

31
Q

Hadley cells

A

A pair of convective air currents near the equator where surface air warms, rises, and expands. Releases moisture producing heavy rainfall

32
Q

Ferrel cells/polar cells

A

lift air and create precipitation around 60 degrees latitute north and south. These interact with the earths rotation to produce global wind patterns.

33
Q

Coriolis effect

A

When the north to south air currents of convective cells are deflected from a straight path. Effects the circulation of any freely moving fluit on the earths surface, but is not noticeable on a small scale.

34
Q

how do dust storms occur?

A

when wind sweeps over bare, arid terrain sending huge amounts of dust aloft. the scale of these storms are worsened by unsustainable farming and grazing practices

35
Q

aerosols

A

When sulfur dioxide reacts with water and oxygen, and condenses into fine droplets. Aerosols reflect sunlight back into space and cools the atmospher and the earths surface as a result.

36
Q

give example of point source and non point source pollution.

A

point source: power plants and factories

non point source: many automobiles in a city

37
Q

secondary pollutants

A

form when primary pollutants interact or react with constituents or components of the atmosphere

38
Q

FOUR CATEGORIES OF POLLUTANTS OF GREATEST CONCERN (CEPA)

A

criteria air contaminangs
persistent organic pollutants
heavy metals
toxic air pollutants

39
Q

CRITERIA POLLUTANTS

A

pollutants that are judged to pose great threats to human health

40
Q

EXAMPLES OF CRITERIA POLLUTANTS

A

SO2,NO2, PARTICULATE MATTER, CO, ammonia NH3

41
Q

PRIMARY POLLUTANTS

A

pollutants that are emitted in a form that can be directly harmful, or can react to form harmful substances

42
Q

Persistent organic pollutants

A

Last in the environment dor long periods of time. Remain in environmental reservoirs and/or take a long time to break down

43
Q

transboundary pollution

A

pollution that crosses borders

44
Q

What are scrubbers?

A

devices that chemically convert or physically remove pollutants before they are released into atmosphere by smokestacks

45
Q

what is the most common air quality problem?

A

smog

46
Q

what is smog

A

unhealthy mixtures of air pollutants , often form over urban areas

47
Q

What is the southern asian brown cloud?

A

a 3km thick layer of pollution that reduces sunlight by 10-15%, affects climate, kills thousands of ppl pr year

48
Q

what are chloroflourocarbons(cfcs)?

A

Chemicals that attack ozone, they release chlorine atoms that split ozone

49
Q

What is acid deposition

A

The deposition of acid/forming pollutants from the atmosphere onto earths surface. It is a transboundary pollution problem.
Includes acid rain, and atmospheric deposition (the wet or dry deposition of pollutants on land)

50
Q

what ph level of rain is considered acidified

A

less than 5.1

51
Q

How have so2 and NOx emissions changed? acid deposition?

A

so2 is lower
nitrous oxide is somewhat unchaged
acid deposition worse

52
Q

How is indoor air pollution worse?

A

exposure to synthetic materials (insecticides, cleaning fluids, plastics, chemically treated wood)

53
Q

What is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the developed world?

A

Radon gas

54
Q

Volatile

A

easily evaporated at normal temperatures

Earth 122 (15 decks)

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