Föreläsning 7 Air, noise, landscape Flashcards
Mention the different pollutant sources
- Domestic
– Heating, cooking, cleaning, gardening, painting
– Main pollutants: CO, CO2; Nox, organic solvers - Commercial
– Activities: dry cleaning, restaurants, schools,…
– Main pollutants – associated with the type of waste
and waste treatment - Agriculture
– Slaughterhouses and livestock facilities, pesticides,
burnings, …
– Main pollutants: particles, CO,CO2 - Industrial
– Nox and SOx – combustion
– H2S – paperindustry, oil refineries - Transports (mobile sources)
– 1/3 of Nox emissions,
– Pb
– 2/3 of CO emissions
What is the impacts from pollution?
– Global effects: climatic changes, ozone layer,
acidification
– Human health (acute and chronic)
* Lungs and breathing system
* Lung cancer, nose cancer
– Vegetation
* changes on photosynthesis (NOx, SOx, particles)
– Edifications
* Metal corrosion, marbles, walls (SOx, Clx, Nox)
– Landscape
Mention some mitigation measures to reduce pollunant
- To reduce eolic erosion in open areas:
– Humidify
– chemical stabilizers
– Revegetation - To control pollutant emissions in transports:
– Alternative fuels - Emissions control in industries
– Gas purification systems
Which are the main atmospheric pollutants?
- Particles
- Suphur dioxide (SO2)
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
- Ozone (O3)
Mention the factors that affect sound propagation
- Distance;
- Soil type
- Atmospheric absorption;
- Morphology and altimetry;
- Existence of obstacles (such as wall, buildings);
- Meteorological conditions (wind direction and
speed, variations of temperature and relative
humidity, snow, fog, rain…).
What are the noise effects and mention some examples of noise reduction measures
- Noise effects:
– Health and hearing
– Work interference
– Communication interference
– Privacy
– Irritation
Example of noise reduction measures:
– Traffic planning;
– Spatial planning;
– Noise source technical measures;
– Selection of less noisy sources;
– Reduction of noise transmission;
– Regulating or economic measures or incentives.
In more detail:
* Acoustic barriers: pre-fabricated, earth, …
* Trees; bushes
* Building orientation
* Double glasses
* Type of activities (ex. In construction sites)
* Pavement type (roads)
* Vehicle speed
* Types of vehicles
* Obstacles
* Sound barriers
* At airports: takoff specific procedures to reduce
power
What are the three landscape major factors?
- Visibility(visibility from one single point, exposure)
- Quality of landscape (based on factors such as scenic quality,
rarity, representativity, character) - Fragility/ Resilience
(absorption capacity of the landscape)
How can landscape and the perception of landscape be characterized?
- Topography, solar orientation
- Spatial occupation and seasonal variations
- Human activities (tourism, recreation, material heritage
(e.g. monuments) or immaterial (e.g. Religious festivals) - Outstanding objects
- Protected landscape areas
- Historical values
- Visual barriers, landscape view points
- Frequency and type of observers, and seasonal occurrence
What are the direct and indirect impacts on landscape?
Direct Impacts (positive or negative):
- Introduction of new elements into the landscape, such as construction works, buildings, vehicles, noise, smells, and light, or the removal of existing elements.
- Changes in the perception of the landscape.
- Example: Negative
impacts resulting from
urban growth.
Indirect Impacts:
- Potential for spatial changes.
Describe Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
Life cycle costing (LCC) is a financial forecasting method that evaluates building performance by considering construction, operation, and maintenance costs over time. It calculates the total cost as a net present value (NPV), representing the amount needed today to cover all future costs over the selected study period. LCC can include monetized externalities to reflect the building’s performance in monetary terms.
Investments in energy-saving improvements are typically cost-effective when energy cost escalation outpaces inflation. LCC is useful for regulatory formulation and long-term projects, such as those where the owner will keep the building for 20 years or more. This technique has been applied to optimize thermal insulation levels and other investments exceeding basic code requirements.
What is the definition of cumulative impacts?
“the impact on the environment which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable
future actions regardless of what agency (Federal or
non-Federal) or person undertakes such other
actions
* (…) Cumulative impacts may result from minor
individual actions that are collectively significant over
a certain period of time”
How do the principles of cumulative effects analysis (CEQ, 1997) address the aggregate impacts of all actions on specific resources, ecosystems, and human communities?
- Cumulative effects are caused by the aggregate of past, present
and reasonably foreseeable future actions. - Cumulative effects are the total effect, including both direct and
indirect effects, on a given resource, ecosystem and human
community of all actions taken, no matter who has taken the
action. - Cumulative effects need to be analyzed in terms of the specific
resource, ecosystem and human community being affected.
What are the challenges of analyzing cumulative effects?
It is not practical to analyze the cumulative effects of an action on the universe; the list of environmental effects must focus on
those that are truly meaningful.
* Cumulative effects on a given resource, ecosystem, and human
community are rarely aligned with political or administrative
Boundaries.
* Cumulative effects may result from the accumulation of similar
effects or the synergistic interaction of different effects
What are the four phases regarding the technical approach of cumulative imapcts
- “Scoping”
- VEC - Valued Ecossystem Components: resources,
ecosystems, human communities. What are the relevant VEC affected by the project?” - “Prediction”
“What other human activities (past, present and future) may affect these VEC? - “Mitigation”
“The effects of the proposed projects should be predicted
combined with the effects of the remaining past, present and future actions and its significance should be assessed.” - ” Post-evaluation (monitoring, assessment and
management)”
“ Different management forms of cumulative effects should be identified.
