final ppnt air pollution Flashcards
Tropospheric ozone/photochemical smog
Major types of Atmospheric Pollution 1
Acid deposition
Major types of Atmospheric Pollution 2
Carbon oxides
Major types of Atmospheric Pollution 3
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) & halons
Major types of Atmospheric Pollution 4
What are CFC and Halons?
Cfc is refrigerants, halons used for fire suppression
What are Nitrous oxides?
automobile emissions, burning wood, electrical generation
What are Hydrocarbons/VOCs?
biogenic sources, Automobiles
What is in the Tropospheric Ozone?
Nitrous oxides, Hydrocarbons/VOCs, and Sunshine
Tropospheric ozone is a primary
component of
photochemical smog
Effects of Tropospheric Ozone
Decrease pulmonary function, Airway inflammation, Increase sensitivity to other toxicants, Increase susceptibility to infection, Crop damage, greenhouse effect
Acid Deposition
Mainly produced by
burning coal high in
sulfur
coal high in sulfur is also called
soft coal
Sulfur oxides combine readily with water to produce
sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
Biggest air pollution problem
CO, CO2
Natural sources of CO
Forest fires, lightning
CO is primarily result of
incomplete combustion
How does CO replace oxygen
binds to hemoglobin in bloodstream, prolonged exposure increased amount
Symptoms of CO Poisoning
Cardiac arrhythmia, cherry red skin
Atmospheric CO2
levels are at their
highest levels in 800,000 years
Suess Effect
relative concentration of 14C has progressively declined
10 of the warmest years on record have occurred since
2005
Earth’s temperature has risen by
0.14° F (0.08° C) per decade since
1880
Arctic sea ice extent is now declining at a rate of
13.4% per decade
Evidence of climate change
sea surface temperature warming, increase in global average air temp
what is used to reconstruct temperature
before thermometers existed
proxies
examples of proxies
tree rings and isotopic
measurements on marine fossils, cave
formations
Arctic sea ice extent in September 2012
was the lowest in the satellite record
Artic ice
Once 3m thick in winter, now ~1m
Arctic ocean may be ice free in summer within
the next three
decades
CFCs & Halons
Determined to be most at fault for diminishing of
the ozone layer
Organic compounds containing lots of bromine
and/or chlorine
CFCs & Halons
Bromine and chlorine are removed in the upper
atmosphere by
reaction with UV light
Bromine and chlorine then destroy stratospheric ozone
through
free radical reactions
each Cl atom can
destroy up
to 10,000 molecules of O3
Less ozone layer means
more skin cancer, cataract damage, harm to
animals and plants, and also melting of ice caps/global warming