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air pollution > midterm > Flashcards

midterm Flashcards

1
Q
  • What are the three main atmospheric elements?
A

o Nitrogen (78%)
o Oxygen (20.9%)
o Argon (0.93%)

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2
Q
  • Do nitrogen levels vary a lot in the environment?
A

o No, nitrogen levels remain consistent in the environment

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3
Q
  • What is happening to the concentration of nitrogen in the atmosphere because of human activity?
A

o Nitrogen concentrations are increasing

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4
Q
  • What is the role of nitrogen in the environment?
A

o Limited direct role but serves as a precursor molecule of nitrate which is used by plants to synthesize molecules essential to life

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5
Q
  • Why is having too much nitrogen in the atmosphere bad?
A

o Too much nitrogen results in algal blooms which suffocates the water

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6
Q
  • Why is oxygen important?
A

o Vital to almost all life
o Precursor for O3 which absorbs high energy UV light

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7
Q
  • What is argon?
A

o An inert gas

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8
Q
  • What are the trace gases that make up the rest of the atmosphere composition?
A

o Carbon dioxide
o Water vapor

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9
Q
  • What is the source of carbon from which all life is based?
A

o Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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10
Q
  • What chemical compound is the basis for the Global Warming Potential (GWP)?
A

o Carbon dioxide

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11
Q
  • What is the Global Warming Potential (GWP)?
A

o The potential of any chemical to add to the global warming problem

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12
Q
  • What does it mean if methane has a GWP of 28?
A

o 1 molecule of methane contributes as much as 28 molecules of carbon dioxide

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13
Q
  • What compound is the most important greenhouse gas?
A

o Carbon dioxide

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14
Q
  • Why is carbon dioxide the most important greenhouse gas?
A

o Carbon dioxide accounts for the greatest portion of warming by anthropogenic activities

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15
Q
  • T/F. Carbon dioxide levels are steady in the environment?
A

o False, carbon dioxide levels are increasing

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16
Q
  • When did carbon dioxide levels begin to rise?
A

o 1870, the industrial revolution

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17
Q
  • Why do we have a huge increase in carbon dioxide levels beginning in 1960?
A

o The development of cars becoming cheaper

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18
Q
  • What is the most variable atmospheric component?
A

o Water

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19
Q
  • What is vapor pressure?
A

o The partial pressure of water vapor
o Humidity

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20
Q
  • What are the two types of humidity?
A

o Absolute
o Relative

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21
Q
  • As temperature increases, what happens to the ability of air to hold water?
A

o Air can hold more water at higher temps

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22
Q

What happens to relative humidity as the temperature increases

A

o Relative humidity decreases as temperatures increase
o Since air can hold more water at higher temperatures

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23
Q
  • What are the components of the Psychrometric chart pictured on the right?
A

o Dry bulb
o Wet bulb
o Specific humidity
o Dew point
o Relative humidity
o Saturation line
o Humidity ratio

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24
Q
  • How do you get the dry bulb temperature?
A

o Hang a thermometer

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25
Q
  • Where is the wet bulb temperature on the psychrometric chart?
A

o The top curved line

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26
Q
  • How do you get the wet bulb temperature?
A

o They take a thermometer and cover it with a wet cloth and as the water evaporates it cools off

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27
Q
  • What is the wet bulb temperature in comparison to the dry bulb temperature?
A

o Wet bulb temperature is always less than the dry bulb temperature

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28
Q
  • Where is the specific humidity on the psychrometric chart?
A

o Right side
o Shows the humidity ratio in pounds of water per pounds of air

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29
Q
  • What is grains of water?
A

o Specific humidity
o How many grains of water you have in the pound of air

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30
Q
  • What is dew point?
A

o 100% humidity

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31
Q
  • Where is the dew point depicted on the psychrometric chart?
A

o Same line as wet bulb

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32
Q
  • Where is relative humidity depicted on the psychrometric chart?
A

o The curved line

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33
Q
  • At 100% relative humidity, what is the the relative humidity similar to?
A

o The wet bulb line

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34
Q
  • If you have a dry bulb temperature of 95 and a wet bulb temperature of 78, what is the relative humidity?
A

o The curve line at the intersection
o Look at the yellow dot
o 47%

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35
Q
  • What is the humidity ratio?
A

o From the yellow line, move directly ro the right to get 0.017

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36
Q
  • What is the specific humidity?
A

o 0.017 x 7,000 = 119

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37
Q
  • What is the dew point?
A

o Go straight across to the elft from the yellow dot
o 72 degrees F

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38
Q
  • What is the maximum amount of water that can be held at this point?
A

o We want the maximum amount of water that can be held at this 78 wet bulb
o From the tip of the left blue line at the 78 wet bulb point, go directly to the right to get 0.022

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39
Q
  • If our dry bulb temp is 85 and the wet bulb temp is 73, what is the relative humidity? Humidity ratio? Specific humidity? Dew point? Maximum water held at 100% relative humidity?
A

o Relative humidity: 55%
o Humidity ratio: 0.013
o Specific humidity: 0.013 x 7,000 = 91
o Dew point: 65
o Maximum water held: 0.017 x 7,000 = 119

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40
Q
  • What comprises the solar radiation the earth receives?
A

o Infrared: 49%
o Visible light: 42%
o UV radiation: 8%

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41
Q
  • What does the amount of solar radiation received depend on?
A

o The angle of inclination of earth

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42
Q
  • Does the solar radiation at the poles vary?
A

o The poles get the same amount of radiation all the time

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43
Q
  • What do the differences in radiation cause?
A

o Differences in thermal energy

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44
Q
  • What pressure results from warm air?
A

o High pressure

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45
Q
  • What pressure results in storms?
A

o Low pressure

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46
Q
  • In what air pressure is air more unstable?
A

o Low pressure

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47
Q
  • What causes climates?
A

o The movement of pressure from high to low
o Warm currents move poleward
o Cold currents move towards the equator

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48
Q
  • What are the vertical temperature gradients?
A

o Troposphere
o Tropopause
o Stratosphere
o Mesosphere
o Thermosphere
o Ionosphere

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49
Q
  • What are the characteristics of the troposphere?
A

o Unstable, leads to bad weather
o In the troposphere, the temperature decreases with increasing altitude

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50
Q
  • What are the characteristics of the tropopause?
A

o Isothermic: the temperature pauses
o Stable

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51
Q
  • What are the characteristics of the stratosphere?
A

o Temperature increases with altitude due to UV absorption by ozone
o Relatively stable

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52
Q
  • What are the characteristics of the Mesosphere?
A

o Temperature deceases with altitude
o Rapid vertical mixing as a result of cold temperature

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53
Q
  • Which sphere has the coldest temperatures?
A

o Stratosphere

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54
Q
  • What are the characteristics of the thermosphere?
A

o High temperatures due to absorption of short wavelength radiation

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55
Q
  • What is the characteristics of the ionosphere?
A

o Layer of atmosphere with ionic version of oxygen and nitrogen molecules

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56
Q
  • What happens to atmospheric pressure as the temperature increases?
A

o Atmospheric pressure increases due to the kinetic energy of the molecules

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57
Q
  • What is standard atmosphere?
A

o 760 mm Hg
o 1.01325 x 105 Pa

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58
Q
  • What kind of weather does high pressure lead to?
A

o Warmer, dry weather

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59
Q
  • What kind of weather does low pressure lead to?
A

o Colder, more unstable weather

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60
Q
  • What is air pollution?
A

o The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment

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61
Q
  • What is natural air pollution?
A

o Pollution that occurs as a result of natural processes like volcanic activity, fires, decomposition, and ocean spray

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62
Q
  • T/F. Natural pollution is the greatest pollutant.
A

o True, but the effect as a pollutant is minimal

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63
Q
  • What are some causes of anthropogenic air pollution?
A

o Deforestation
o Industrial revolution

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64
Q
  • What is haze?
A

o Particles suspended in air, reducing visibility by scattering light

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65
Q
  • What is fog?
A

o Water droplets suspended in the atmosphere in the vicinity of the earth’s surface that affect visibility

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66
Q
  • What is smog?
A

o Fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants

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67
Q
  • What is a primary pollutant?
A

o Pollutants from transportation, industry, waste disposal, etc.

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68
Q
  • What are the two types of primary pollutants?
A

o Mobile
o Stationary

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69
Q
  • What are mobile pollutants?
A

o Pollutants that move such as automobiles, train, and planes

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70
Q
  • What are stationary pollutants?
A

o Pollutants that do not move such as power plants and industrial factories

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71
Q
  • What are the two types of sources for pollutants?
A

o Point source
o Area source

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72
Q
  • To limit air pollution, what did the CAA require?
A

o The development of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

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73
Q
  • What is the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS)?
A

o The standard that sets limits on 6 “criteria” air pollutants

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74
Q
  • What are the 6 criteria air pollutants se by NAAQS?
A

o CO
o NO2
o Pb
o O3
o PM10
o PM2.5
o VOC

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75
Q
  • Even though we are significantly reducing emissions, why do we still see an increase in current emissions?
A

o Increase in population
o Increase in power use
o Increase in cars on the road

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76
Q
  • What are the anthropogenic sources of CO2¬?
A

o Fossil fuel use
o Land conversion

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77
Q
  • What is land conversion?
A

o The shift of vegetation into the ground

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78
Q
  • What are some examples of CO2 sinks?
A

o Deep sea
o Ocean sediment
o Fossil fuel reserves

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79
Q
  • Why do sinks contribute to the pollution problem?
A

o When the sinks are disturbed, CO2 is brought into the atmosphere

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80
Q
  • Where do emissions of carbon monoxide come from?
A

o Biomass burning
o Combustion

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81
Q
  • What type of combustion results carbon monoxide release into the atmosphere?
A

o Incomplete combustion

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82
Q
  • How does incomplete combustion result in carbon monoxide release into the environment?
A

o During combustion, CO reacts with oxygen to produce CO2
o If there is insufficient O2, then there is excess CO

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83
Q
  • Which has higher levels of carbon monoxide ambient concentrations or background levels in urban areas due to vehicle usage?
A

o Ambient concentrations

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84
Q
  • How do carbon monoxide sinks occur?
A

o Uptake by soil
o Conversion to O3 in the troposphere

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85
Q
  • How does methane emission occur?
A

o Digestion of cellulose by livestock
o Decomposition of organic material
o Coal
o Refineries

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86
Q
  • How do methane sinks occur?
A

o Methane conversion to water and a methyl group when there is a reaction with a hydroxyl group

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87
Q
  • What happens if there is too much carbon monoxide in the presence of methane?
A

o Carbon monoxide also uses hydroxyl groups that will reduce the ability for methane to react with it, increasing methane concentrations

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88
Q
  • How are sulfur compounds emitted into the environment?
A

o Volcanoes
o Combustion of fuel and biomass
o Sulfur-containing metal ores

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89
Q
  • Why has sulfur concentrations decreased over the years?
A

o Control technologies on industries
o Reduction of coal use

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90
Q
  • What are scrubbers?
A

o Attached to industrial buildings
o This is a limestone and water mixture that combines with sulfur to produce Gypsums which can then be recycled

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91
Q
  • Why can nitrogen be bad in the atmosphere if it is naturally found in high concentrations?
A

o The precursor molecules leads to various NOX which can cause ozone depletion, global warming, and oxidation of biogenic VOCs like isoprene

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92
Q
  • What is aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED)?
A

o This is how we get the nomenclature for PM
o A method of standardization since all particles come in different shapes and sizes
o AED is based on the diameter of a spherical particle with a density of 1 g/cm3
o Particles with an AED of PM2.5, regardless of actual shape will settle at the same velocity as a spherical particles with 2.5 diameter

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93
Q
  • What are the two classes that atmospheric particles can be divided in?
A

o Coarse particles
o Fine particles

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94
Q
  • How are coarse particles generated?
A

o Mechanical means such as jack hammering and erosion

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95
Q
  • What kind of compounds tend to make up ultrafine particles?
A

o Sulfate and organic compounds

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96
Q
  • What is Aitken range?
A

o Produced by combustion, coagulation, and condensation of gas-phase particulates

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97
Q
  • What is dispersion?
A

o Pollutants mixing with air resulting in lower ground-level concentrations (dilution)

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98
Q
  • What is transport?
A

o Process by which air motions carry pollution from one region to another

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99
Q
  • What is deposition?
A

o Transfer of gas and particulate-phase substances to vegetation, water, and other surfaces (removal)

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100
Q
  • When pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere from a point or area source, what happens?
A

o Pollutents are dispersed (diluted) by air moving horizontally and vertically
o Transported from one location to another

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101
Q
  • Why is transport important?
A

o Transport enhances dilution and can allow mixing of various pollutants from otherwise distant sources

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102
Q
  • Where does dispersion and transport occur?
A

o Planetary boundary layer (PBL)

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103
Q
  • What are the four scales of motion?
A

o Microscale
o Mesoscale
o Synoptic scale
o Global scale

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104
Q
  • What is the microscale?
A

o Local, no more than 24 hs
o Tornados, rainbos, soil temperature, tracking of air pollution
o What you see

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105
Q
  • What is the mesoscale?
A

o A few days
o Includes thunderstorms, convective processes

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106
Q
  • What is synoptic scale?
A

o Many days
o Thousands of kilometers
o Hurricanes, fronts, high and low pressure systems

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107
Q
  • What is the global scale?
A

o Weeks to months
o Large areas of the globe
o Polar jet streams, trade winds, El Nino

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108
Q
  • What is the mixing of the planetary boundary layer?
A

o The PBL is relatively well-mixed on a large scale

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109
Q
  • What is the mixing on the local (microscale)?
A

o Not great mixing
o Air emissions can lead to harmful health conditions based on prevailing atmospheric conditions

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110
Q
  • What conditions affect mixing?
A

o Wind
o Turbulence
o Stability
o Inversions

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111
Q
  • What is wind speed affected by?
A

o Temperature and surface roughness

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112
Q
  • What is the wind surrounding urban areas?
A

o Urban areas tend to have lower velocity winds than suburban and rural due to more surface roughness

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113
Q
  • Why do we like large wind velocities?
A

o Greater wind velocities allow for more air volume to aid in dispersing of contaminants

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114
Q
  • What is the rule of thumb for wind and dilution?
A

o Dilution is inversely proportional to wind speed
o If wind speed doubles, concentration of pollutants is cut in half

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115
Q
  • What is turbulence?
A

o Eddies that are produced by mechanical or thermal forces

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116
Q
  • What is turbulence on the micro scale?
A

o Air movement over shorter time scales

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117
Q
  • What is turbulence on the meso scale?
A

o Air movement by wind

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118
Q
  • What causes mechanical turbulence?
A

o Turbulence caused by wind moving around structures and vegetation

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119
Q
  • What causes thermal turbulence?
A

o Heating and cooling of air near the surface

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120
Q
  • When does turbulence tend to occur?
A

o Both forms of turbulence occurs during daylight

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121
Q
  • How does turbulence affect dispersion?
A

o Turbulence enhances dispersion and decreases concentration of pollutants

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122
Q
  • How does stability affect dispersion?
A

o As stability increases, dispersion decreases

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123
Q
  • What is lapse rate?
A

o The rate of temperature change with height

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124
Q
  • What is the tropospheric lapse rate?
A

o -6.5 C/km

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125
Q
  • What is adiabatic lapse rate?
A

o Theoretical change of temperature with height when no heat energy is transferred to air
o -10 C/km

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126
Q
  • What are the characteristics of a near adiabatic lapse rate?
A

o Small decrease in temp with height
o Air cools as it expands but still close to adiabatic lapse rate
o Found in cloudy or windy conditions
o Dispersion is relatively good

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127
Q
  • What are the characteristics of a super adiabatic lapse rate?
A

o Greater decrease in temp with height than A
o Parcel of air will rise rapidly
o Very unstable, strong vertical air motion
o Found on clear days with light winds
o Dispersion is excellent

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128
Q
  • What are the characteristics of an isothermal layer?
A

o Temperature does not change with heigh
o Parcel of air rises slowly
o Stable atmosphere
o Moderate dispersion

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129
Q
  • What are the characteristics of an inversion layer?
A

o Temperature increases with heigh
o Inverted temperature changes
o Very stable atmosphere with no vertical air motion
o Found on clear nights with light winds
o Dispersion is poor

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130
Q

What happens during an inversion?

A

o When lapse rates are positive
o Temperature increases with height

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131
Q
  • What are the four types of inversions?
A

o Frontal
o Advective
o Radiational
o Subsidence

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132
Q
  • What is a frontal inversion?
A

o Warm front flows over cold front
o Limited effect on air quality

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133
Q
  • What is an advective inversion?
A

o Refers to horizontal transfer
o Warm air flows over cold surface
o Advective is day to day inversion

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134
Q
  • What causes radiational inversions?
A

o Colling of the ground

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135
Q
  • When do radiational inversions form?
A

o On clear nights

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136
Q
  • When do radiational inversion break up?
A

o As the sun starts to warm up the ground and air

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137
Q
  • T/F. Radiational inversions on flat terrain greatly impact the air quality.
A

o False, it has limited impact

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138
Q
  • What type of inversion has the greatest impact on river valleys?
A

o Radiational inversions
o More important in valleys than in flat terrain

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139
Q
  • What parts of a stack impact air quality?
A

o Height of stack

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140
Q
  • What causes subsidence inversion?
A

o Subsidence of air from widespread high pressure system

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141
Q
  • Where is subsidence inversion common?
A

o Northern regions and subtropical areas

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142
Q
  • When do subsidence inversions affect air quality?
A

o When close to the ground

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143
Q
  • What do point source plumes release?
A

o A combination of gas-vapor particulates

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144
Q
  • Which part of the plum will settle close to the source?
A

o Particulates >20 micrometers

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145
Q
  • Which particulates will disperse similarly to gases and vapors from a plume?
A

o AED<1

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146
Q
  • How do pollutants move?
A

o From high concentrations to low concentrations and dispersion may occur by diffusion

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147
Q
  • What direction do plumes spread?
A

o Vertically and horizontally

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148
Q
  • What part of the stack is dispersion affected by?
A

o Physical height
o Plume rise

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149
Q
  • What is plume rise?
A

o The distance from the top of the stack to the center of the plume (horizontal plume)

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150
Q
  • What is effective stack height?
A

o Height from the base of the stack to the center of the plume

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151
Q
  • What happens when you increase stack height?
A

o Dispersion increases

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152
Q
  • How do high winds affect stack height?
A

o High winds can decrease the effective stack height by decreasing plume rise, and the distance to where the contaminant may be brought to the ground

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153
Q
  • What are the three major types of plumes?
A

o Coning
o Fanning
o Looping

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154
Q
  • When does a coning plume form?
A

o Lapse rates are neutral to isothermal
o Cloudy or windy days, or at night
o Slightly unstable air

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155
Q
  • When do fanning plumes form?
A

o Stable conditions
o Little vertical movement, but can have great horizontal movement

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156
Q
  • When do looping plumes form?
A

o Lapse rate is superadiabatic
o Calm winds
o Looping motion comes from rise and fall of air currents

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157
Q
  • What is dry deposition?
A

o Direct transfer of substances to water, vegetation

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158
Q

What are the 3 methods of dry deposition?

A

o Impaction
o Sedimentation
o Uptake by plants

159
Q
  • What affects deposition?
A

o Deposition velocity

160
Q
  • What increases deposition velocity?
A

o High for coarse particles and nitric acid

161
Q
  • What is wet deposition?
A

o Transfer to earth via aqueous form (rain, snow, dew)

162
Q
  • What do sinks do to pollutants?
A

o They remove them

163
Q
  • Sinks do not perfectly remove pollutants from the environment, what can occur if pollutants remain in the environment?
A

o Long and short term changes to the environment

164
Q
  • What are the long and short-term changes of chemicals composition in the environment dependent on?
A

o Concentration of contaminants
o Half-lives of pollutants
o Dispersion
o Transport

165
Q
  • What scale are the long and short-term changes?
A

o Local
o Regional
o Global

166
Q
  • What is the most recognizable effect of air pollution?
A

o Visibility reduction

167
Q
  • What are natural sources of visibility reduction?
A

o Volcanic eruptions
o Haze

168
Q
  • What are anthropogenic reductions in visibility?
A

o Smog
o Ozone
o Particulate formation

169
Q
  • What causes reduction in visibility?
A

o Absorption and scattering of light by particulates and gases

170
Q
  • What part of the EM spectrum can we see?
A

o 400-700 µm portion

171
Q
  • Why do we see white colors?
A

o All the colors are reflected off a substance

172
Q
  • Why do we see black colors?
A

o All the colors are absorbed
o All the wavelengths are absorbed

173
Q
  • Why do we see one color?
A

o All the other colors have been absorbed and only the one color is being reflected back to us

174
Q
  • What is the brightest object perceived as?
A

o White because it reflects the most light
o All other colors are perceived in comparison

175
Q
  • If you are in a room and shine only a red light onto blue pants, what color will the pants be?
A

o Black

176
Q
  • When does Rayleigh scattering occur?
A

o When light waves interact with atmospheric particles that are smaller in size than the wavelength of the light

177
Q
  • How does Rayleigh scattering occur?
A

o As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, it scatters off objects such as air molecules, dust, gases and vapors, and other particulate matter
o Light will then scatter in all direction
o The light will bounce of small particles
 Smaller than the wavelength (400-700 nm range)

178
Q
  • Why do we mostly see a blue sky?
A

o Blue and violet have the shortest wavelength and most particles are smaller than 400 µm
o Due to the small size of the atmospheric matter, particles will tend to scatter the wavelengths of light that are closer in size
o Well blue is at the bottom of the light spectrum at 400 µm
o Because blue light is preferentially scattered, we perceive the sky as blue

179
Q
  • What happens when you look at an area with different molecules in the atmosphere or where that molecules are larger in size like a volcanic eruption?
A

o The particles tend to be large, closer to the 700 µm range
o Because light scatters at a wavelength closer to particle size, larger particles will scatter more red and orange light due to the higher wavelength

180
Q
  • What happens to Reyleigh scattering as the atmospheric density decreases?
A

o Reyleigh scattering decreases
o Only the smallest wavelengths tend to be scattered because there’s fewer molecules

181
Q
  • How does altitude effect Reyleigh scattering?
A

o Although the horizon at sea level will look blue it may seem lighter because the light has to pass through more of the atmosphere and is scattered more
 As the sun gets to sea level, it has to travel through the atmosphere
 There is more small particulate matter at the top to scatter

182
Q
  • What wavelengths are scattered at high altitude?
A

o Only the smallest wavelength because higher altitude have smaller particles

183
Q
  • Why is space black?
A

o Space has no air and particles to scatter light

184
Q
  • What makes the blue ridge mountains blue?
A

o The large number of conifers releasing isoprene, a natural hydrocarbon and pollutant
o Not all mountains look like this because not all mountains have these trees

185
Q
  • T/F. Rayleigh scattering only comes from artificial pollutants.
A

o False, the blue ridge mountains are an example of natural scattering

186
Q
  • What has caused the uptick in pollution?
A

o Human activity

187
Q
  • What is plume blight?
A

o The stuff that come from the plume

188
Q
  • What kind of human activity has resulted in increased pollution and decreased visibility?
A

o Smog
o Plume blight
o Haze

189
Q
  • What caused an increase in pollution in pristine areas over the arctic circle and southeast Asia?
A

o Pollution that has transported

190
Q
  • How does smog affect visibility?
A

o It reduces it

191
Q
  • What does the air quality index measure?
A

o Ground level ozone
o Particulate matter pollution
o Carbon monoxide
o Sulfur dioxide
o Nitrogen dioxide

192
Q
  • What warning does the AQI provide?
A

o The air quality index is divided into 6 categories that is used to warn populations of air pollution levels and possible health issues that can result

193
Q
  • What is arctic haze?
A

o A form of air pollution that is found in pristine areas

194
Q
  • What causes the arctic haze?
A

o Anthropogenic pollution, specifically the burning of coal and petroleum products (sulfur and carbon, some metals)
o Due to limited removal process (snow and rainfall) the pollutants can remain in the atmosphere for a longer time period

195
Q
  • When is the arctic haze found?
A

o In the spring months due to the limited removal process
o No rain or snow in the atmosphere so the pollutants stick around longer

196
Q
  • What is arctic haze an example of?
A

o An atmospheric effect from pollution in an area where you would not expect to see it

197
Q
  • What is turbidity?
A

o A measurement of the vertical extinction of light scattering
o As the sun moves, it has a lot of space to travel with the air getting denser

198
Q
  • How does turbidity affect sunlight that reaches the ground?
A

o Light scattering gets extinguished so this leads to decreased sunlight at ground level

199
Q
  • What causes turbidity in the troposphere?
A

o Human activities and aerosol pollution

200
Q
  • What leads to turbidity in the stratosphere?
A

o Natural processes such as volcanic activity

201
Q
  • How does turbidity in the stratosphere affect global temperatures?
A

o Turbidity in the stratosphere can decrease global temperatures

202
Q
  • What is a heat island?
A

o An urban area which has elevated temperatures when compared to surrounding areas

203
Q
  • What causes heat islands to form?
A

o Decreased air movement from increased surface roughness of buildings
o Solar energy absorption
o Heat storage
o Energy utilizing processes

204
Q
  • How do heat islands effect the weather?
A

o Less fog and snow
o Lower relative humidity
o Fewer nocturnal inversions
o More rain downwind

205
Q
  • What is the scientific name for acid rain?
A

o Acid deposition

206
Q
  • Why is acid deposition used instead of acid rain?
A

o Because the phenomenon includes wet and dry deposition, acid fog, clouds and dew
o This name encompasses all acidic deposition

207
Q
  • Why is rain acidic with a pH of 5.65 if water has a pH of 7?
A

o The CO2 will equilibrate with water and become more acidic

208
Q
  • In the northern US, what has caused the acidic deposition?
A

o Sulfur and nitric acid from power plants, boilers, smelters, and cars

209
Q
  • Over the past years, sulfur emissions have not increased but are the sulfer in the air has, why?
A

o Cars producing NOx
o This precursor molecule causes photochemical changes which become H2SO4 and HNO3
o This is why we still have to worry about NOx

210
Q
  • What has caused acidic deposition in the western US?
A

o Nitric acid from cars

211
Q
  • How has acidic deposition affected the lakes?
A

o Acidic deposition has led to chronic acidification of lakes and streams

212
Q
  • What element is a major contributor of aquatic acidification?
A

o Sulfur from acidic deposition

213
Q
  • Where is aquatic identification found?
A

o Northeast and Florida

214
Q
  • What happens to the pH of an aquatic acidification area as distance from the source to receiving water increases?
A

o Neutralization will increase
o The water will move through the environment and rock and become less acidic

215
Q
  • How does acidification affect the soil?
A

o By leaching base cations and toxic metals

216
Q
  • What are the anthropogenic sources of nitrogen?
A

o NOx from fossil combustion
o NH3 from fertilizers and animals

217
Q
  • Where are nitrate depositions commonly found?
A

o Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states

218
Q
  • Where are ammonia depositions found?
A

o Farming states

219
Q
  • How do human emissions of NOx compare to natural emissions?
A

o Human NOx emissions are 3 times higher than natural emissions

220
Q
  • How does nitrogen affect the ecological environment?
A

o Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient
o Algal blooms will result from too much nitrogen increasing growth and suffocating everything else

221
Q
  • Why is Mercury a major public health concern?
A

o Bioaccumulation
o Mercury is bioaccumulated and can be thousands of times greater in fish and birds in their prey

222
Q
  • Where is mercury naturally found?
A

o Rocks and minerals

223
Q
  • What human activity has increased mercury deposition?
A

o Combustion of coal, medical, and hazardous waste
o Thermometer and barometers
o Manufacturing process (electrical equipment, chlorine)

224
Q
  • T/F. Elemental mercury does not travel far from the source.
A

o False, elemental mercury is very mobile and can travel great distances

225
Q
  • How soluble is ionic mercury?
A

o Very soluble

226
Q
  • What is ionic mercury transformed to by microorganisms that make it toxic?
A

o Methyl mercury

227
Q
  • Why are pesticides, PCBs, dioxins, and furans concerning in the environment?
A

o These compounds are highly persistent in the environment with half live ranging from 10 to 20 years
o Very mobile due to high vitalization
o Bioaccumulate in the food chain

228
Q
  • What are the health concerns of pesticides, PCBs, dioxins, and furans?
A

o Neurotoxins, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors
o Dioxin is a teratogen

229
Q
  • Are PCBs found in the US?
A

o PCB are banned in the US

230
Q
  • How were PCBs, dioxins, and furans released into the environment?
A

o PCBs and pesticides were manufactured internationally
o Dioxin and furans are by products

231
Q
  • Why what the super sonic transport and nuclear testing questioned?
A

o Emission of NO molecules destroy O3

232
Q
  • Where is the reaction of NO of most concern?
A

o In the stratosphere
o In the troposphere, NO does not make it to the stratosphere due to the short half-life

233
Q
  • Why was there a global phase out of CFCs?
A

o Scientist noticed it resulted in an increase in the ozone hole

234
Q
  • Why is the ozone hole over antarctica?
A

o The polar vortex prevents Antarctic air from mixing with Earth’s atmosphere
o The extreme cold causes frozen clouds which form an electrostatic attraction with CFC and other molecules

235
Q
  • What is directly correlated with the size of the ozone hole?
A

o Strength of the polar vortex

236
Q
  • What is the primary source of CFCs?
A

o They are anthropogenic

237
Q
  • What is the cycle of ozone in the stratosphere?
A

o Ozone is constantly being created and destroyed resulting in a net zero reaction

238
Q
  • T/F. The ozone layer is even around the planet.
A

o False, it varies spatially and temporally over the planet

239
Q
  • If more ozone is produced in the tropics, why are ozone levels higher in the poles?
A

o Transport

240
Q
  • What signifies the production and destruction of ozone?
A

o The Chapman cycle?

241
Q
  • What is the Chapman cycle?
A

o A photon of light initially reacts with oxygen to produce 2 free radical oxygens
o The free radical can react with molecular oxygen to produce ozone
o Step 3 is the sink. Ozone is being naturally destroyed

242
Q
  • What is the source of ozone?
A

o When a free radical oxygen reacts with oxygen to create ozone

243
Q
  • What is the sink of ozone?
A

o When a photon reacts with ozone to eliminate ozone

244
Q
  • Where are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) found?
A

o Refrigerants
o Air conditioners
o Aerosol sprays
o Paints
o Chemical solvents

245
Q
  • Why are CFCs extremely dangerous?
A

o Ther are extremely stable and can stick around long enough to be transported to the stratosphere
o They do not get broken down in the troposphere

246
Q
  • What is the CFC ozone destroying cycle?
A

o Chlorine is a catalyst that destroys ozone molecules
o One chlorine can destroy thousands of molecules
o CFCs act as a catalyst

247
Q
  • What does nitrogen do in the stratosphere?
A

o Act a catalyst

248
Q
  • What does nitrogen do in the troposphere?
A

o Half life is too short to be transported to the stratosphere

249
Q
  • What is expected as a result of the reduction in ozone depleting substances emissions?
A

o The ozone layer is expected to almost completely recover by the middle of the century
o The length of time is due to the natural sink processes for current ODS in the stratosphere
 Natural sink process takes a very long time

250
Q
  • What does global warming refer to?
A

o Average global temperatures

251
Q
  • Why are we in global warming?
A

o Average global temperatures have increased by 1.1 degrees C since pre industrial era

252
Q
  • What does climate change refer to?
A

o The changes in global weather patterns leading to an increase in length of hurricane season, more intense fires, tornadic actions, loss of winter
o We are now dealing with weather extremes

253
Q
  • What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
A

o Global warming is the gradual increase of earth’s surface temperature
o Climate change is the long-term change in global weather patterns

254
Q
  • T/F. Global temperatures have remained steady over the last 2,000 years.
A

o False, global temperature have risen faster over the last 50 years than anytime in the last 2000 years

255
Q
  • What was the hottest month and year ever recorded?
A

o 2023 was the hottest year
o August 2023 was the hottest month ever

256
Q
  • When have the 10 warmest years on record occurred?
A

o Between 2014 to 2023

257
Q
  • What is the 2 degree threshold?
A

o It is a general scientific consensus that reaching a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature will lead to irreversible changes to our atmosphere and planet and is considered a critical threshold

258
Q
  • What has the 2 degree threshold been lowered to?
A

o 1.5 degrees C

259
Q
  • What is radiative forcing?
A

o The change in the net, downward minus upward, radiative flux (expressed in W/m2) due to a change in an external driver of climate change

260
Q
  • What does positive forcing do to the earth?
A

o Heats it

261
Q
  • What does negative forcing do to the earth?
A

o Cool it
o More outgoing than incoming

262
Q
  • What are contributors to radiative forcing?
A

o Greenhouse gasses
o Aerosols
o Sulfor dioxide
o Organic carbon
o Black carbon

263
Q
  • What do aerosols cause?
A

o Cooling

264
Q
  • What is radiative effectiveness similar to?
A

o Global warming potential
o Carbon dioxide is 1 and everything else is compared to it
o The numbers are pretty close to each other

265
Q
  • What are the effects of global warming?
A

o Economic collapse
o Marshall island vanishing
o Food and water security will lead to more conflict
o Long periods of extreme heat
 Nights are not cooling off
o Vector borne illness ranges will shift northward as habitats change

266
Q
  • What is episodic air pollution?
A

o These are characterized by short-term increases in air pollution that are significantly greater than normal daily levels

267
Q
  • What can the episodic air pollution lead to?
A

o Scientific documentation has provided solid evidence that these episodes can lead to illness, both acute and chronic, even death

268
Q
  • When can interaction effects occur?
A

o During transportation and deposition of pollutants, there is opportunity for the mixture of gases and particulates to interact and change the physiological effects of each other

269
Q
  • What are the types of interaction effects?
A

o Additive
o Antagonistic
o Synergistic

270
Q
  • What are additive effects?
A

o Doubling the effect of the pollutant

271
Q
  • What are antagonistic effects?
A

o Decrease in the effect in the presence of a second chemical

272
Q
  • What are synergistic effects?
A

o Increase in the effect in the presence of another chemical that is greater than the sum
o This can be instances such as making the effect go faster

273
Q
  • T/F. Pollutants affects every part of the body.
A

o False, pollutants are primarily organized to have impacts on specific organs

274
Q
  • What are the two types of effects pollutants can have on the body?
A

o Direct
o Indirect

275
Q
  • What are some examples of direct effects of pollutants on the body?
A

o Particles impacting surface of the eye and causing irritation, redness, etc.

276
Q
  • What are some examples of indirect effects of pollutants on the body?
A

o Pollutants that are initially inhaled but then are pulled into the bloodstream and deposited in other organ systems

277
Q
  • Why do we care about PM 2.5?
A

o Particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 can penetrate all three respiratory systems (inhalable, respirable, and thoracic)
o PM2.5 has a high deposition fraction in the pulmonary region

278
Q
  • What are the three regions of the respiratory system?
A

o Nasopharyngeal region
o Tracheobronchial region
o Pulmonary region

279
Q
  • What happens as size of the particle increases?
A

o The area where the particle will have its effect will be different

280
Q
  • Why do we care about PM10?
A

o Deposition of PM7.5 mainly occurs the greatest in the upper region of the lung and the tracheobronchial region

281
Q
  • What is the economic cost of air pollution?
A

o $4.6 trillion globally

282
Q
  • Why do we care about air pollution?
A

o Air pollution is a major threat to human health with major disparities related to socioeconomic indicators
o PM2.5 or less has been shown to have the strongest correlation (when compared to other pollutants such as the NQAAS)

283
Q
  • How many deaths due to stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease, are due to air pollution?
A

o 1/3 of deaths

284
Q
  • What are the health risks associated with breathing dirty air?
A

o Respiratory infections
o Cardiovascular disease
o Stroke
o Chronic lung disease
o Lung cancer

285
Q
  • What are the different NAAQS (criteria air pollutants)?
A

o Carbon monoxide
o Lead
o Nitrogen dioxide
o Ozone
o PM2.5
o Particle pollution
o PM10
o Sulfur Dioxide

286
Q
  • Why are NAAQS created?
A

o They are recommendation designed to protect human health
o Due to clean air act
o Over time it has become more strict

287
Q
  • What has been the trend in pollution because of these regulations?
A

o Air quality has greatly gotten better
o Lead is the best example
o Every pollutant has gone down

288
Q
  • What is PM2.5?
A

o The atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which is about 3% the diameter of a human hair

289
Q
  • What is the WHO annual mean standard for PM2.5?
A

o 10 micrograms/m3

290
Q
  • What is the WHO 24 hour mean standard for PM2.5?
A

o 25 micrograms/m3

291
Q
  • What is the US annual and 24 hr mean for PM 2.5?
A

o Annual: 12 micrograms/m3
o 24 hour: 35 micrograms/m3
o But the US has gone down below the national standard (not every state because this is average)

292
Q
  • Why do we care about the aerodynamic diameter?
A

o Aerodynamic diameter controls where the particle settles in the body

293
Q
  • T/F. Particles are perfectly round.
A

o False, which is why we use aerodynamic diameter

294
Q
  • What happens to compact particles?
A

o They settle better

295
Q
  • What happens to particles that are spread out? Molecularly
A

o They settle higher

296
Q
  • PM pollution contributes to how much global risk factors for disease?
A

o 4 out of the 10 global risk factors

297
Q
  • Where can PM particles go?
A

o Every region of the body including lungs, heart, kidney, brain, with the highest exposure route from air (water and food are about equal)
o The smaller the particle, the farther it does

298
Q
  • What does deposition efficiency depend on?
A

o Particle size

299
Q
  • Particulate air pollution can cut global life expectancy by how many years?
A

2

300
Q
  • What are the sources of ambient particulate matter?
A

o Natural sources
o Human activity
o Vehicles
o Household wood, coal burning
o Power plants and industry

301
Q
  • What is the greatest human health risk?
A

o Air pollution surpassing smoking
o You lose 1.8 years per person due to air pollution
 This is the average and may change

302
Q
  • By reducing air pollution, what burden can countries reduce?
A

o Stroke
o Heart disease
o Lung cancer
o Acute respiratory disease
o Asthma

303
Q
  • What percent of the world population lives in places where WHO air quality guidelines are not met?
A

o Over 90%

304
Q
  • Ambient/outdoor air pollution is estimated to cause how many premature deaths worldwide?
A

o 4.2 million
o 91% occurred in low- middle- income countries

305
Q
  • Where do the greatest deaths from air pollution occur?
A

o South-east Asia
o Western Pacific regions
o Air pollution is disproportionately affecting people in Asia

305
Q
A
306
Q
  • How is indoor air pollution a problem?
A

o Indoor smoke is a health risk for 3 billion people who cook and heat their homes with biomass, kerosene fuels, and coal

307
Q
  • Loss of life due to air pollution is dependent on what?
A

o Where you live

308
Q
  • What is the global ranking of air pollution as a risk factor for death?
A

o Number 5

309
Q
  • What are the trends in air pollution based on sociodemographic index?
A

o Low income are exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 (huge variance depending on SDI index)
o Everyone breathes bad ozone

310
Q
  • What are short term effects?
A

o Effects that are temporary or immediate effects and often reversible when exposure ends

311
Q
  • What can long-term exposures to pollutants result in?
A

o Aggravated health problems

312
Q
  • What population is susceptible to air pollution?
A

o Old people
o Children
o People with diabetes and predisposing heart or lung disease
o Asthma
o People without a strong immune system
o Individuals living in urban area
o Women in developing countries

313
Q
  • Why are urban areas more susceptible to the effects of air pollution?
A

o Overpopulation and uncontrolled urbanization along with the development of industrialization

314
Q
  • In developing countries, why are women susceptible to air pollution?
A

o The women of the household seem to carry the highest risk for disease development due to their longer duration exposure to the indoor air pollution

315
Q
  • What are the major factors that affect human health with air pollution?
A

o Nature of pollutants (pollutants have different effects)
o Concentration of pollutants (low concentrations can be expelled more)
o Duration of exposure (concentration and duration when multiplied become dose)
o State of the health of the receptor (healthy people are less effected because they have good immunity)
o Age group of the receptor (old people and children

316
Q
  • What is the air pollution pyramid?
A

o A framework commonly used to describe the spectrum of health impacts from exposure to air pollution
o As severity of outcomes increase, the proportion of people affected decrease

317
Q
  • What are the common air pollutants that affect human health?
A

o Carbon monoxide
o Sulphur dioxide
o Nitrogen oxide
o Ozone
o Particulate matter
o PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons)
o Dioxins
o VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

318
Q
  • Why do we care about really small particles?
A

o They can travel to the brain

319
Q
  • Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?
A

o It is colorless, odorless, tasteless and is known as the silent killer
o Reduces RBC carrying capacity of oxygen

320
Q
  • What can release carbon monoxide?
A

o Incomplete combustion of fuel from transportation sector
o Energy production
o Residential heating units
o Industrial processes
o On-road vehicles is the greatest source (why we want electric vehicles)

321
Q
  • Effects of CO depend on what?
A

o Concentration

322
Q
  • How is sulfur dioxide produced?
A

o Burning of material with a high sulfur content
 Cola-fired power stations
 Diesel vehicles
 Oil refineries
 Shipping

323
Q
  • What are the short term health effects of sulfur dioxide?
A

o Temporary breathing difficulty (bronchoconstriction)
o Eye/nose/throat irritation
o Mucus secretion

324
Q
  • What are the long term exposure of sulfur dioxide effects?
A

o Respiratory illness
o Aggravates existing heart disease

325
Q
  • What caused the deaths of the great London Smoke?
A

o Sulfur dioxide

326
Q
  • What are the sources of nitrogen oxide?
A

o Combustion of fuel at high temperature from mobile and stationary combustion sources
 Car and truck exhausts
 Coal-fired power stations
 Industry

327
Q
  • What are the health effects from prolonged exposure of nitrogen oxide?
A

o Pulmonary fibrosis (lung thickens)
o Emphysema (COPD)
o Higher LRI in children

328
Q
  • What is ground-level ozone?
A

o Colorless highly irritating gas formed by photochemical reactions just above the earth’s surface

329
Q
  • T/F. Ozone is a primary pollutant.
A

o False, it is produced by precursors like NOX and VOCs (NOX or VOC driven)
o No precursor, no ozone

330
Q
  • T/F. We want ozone in the troposphere.
A

o False, ozone is bad in the troposphere
o We want ozone in the stratosphere

331
Q
  • What are the short term effects of ozone?
A

o Coughing, wheezing, irritation, headache, dizziness, fatigue

332
Q
  • What are the long-term effects of ozone?
A

o Respiratory disease, cardiovascular damage, harm to liver/spleen/blood, nervous system damage, cancer, birth defects, death

333
Q
  • Why is lead bad?
A

o Its widespread use caused extensive environmental contamination and health problems in many parts of the world
o Children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects

334
Q
  • What are the sources of lead?
A

o Burning of fuels with lead
o Metal processing
o Waste incinerators
o Production of lead-acid batteries
o Plumbing material and alloys

335
Q
  • What does particulate matter encompass?
A

o A mixture of solid, liquid or both particles suspended in the air

336
Q
  • What are the sources of particulate matter?
A

o Agricultural operations
o Industrial processes
o Combustion of wood and fossil fuels
o Construction
o Vehicular emission
o Entrainment of road dust into the air

337
Q
  • Why do we care about fine particles?
A

o Fine particles can invade the deepest parts of the airways and more easily reach the bloodstream
o They can have carcinogenic elements, we don’t know

338
Q
  • Order particles by size
A

o Ultrafine particles (0.0001 mm)
o Inhalable particles (0.001 mm)
o PM2.5 (0.0025 mm)
o PM10 (0.01 mm)

339
Q
  • What are the sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)?
A

o Coal and tar sediments
o Incomplete combustion of organic matter (forest fires)
o Incineration of solid waste
o Vehicular emissions and engines

340
Q
  • What are the short term effects of PAHs?
A

o Vomiting, nausea, difficulty moving, confusion, skin irritation, eye irritation

341
Q
  • What are the long-term effects of PAHs?
A

o Cataracts, reduced immunity, hemolysis, breathing problems, liver/kidney damage, pulmonary abnormalities, cancer

342
Q
  • Why are VOCs bad?
A

o VOCs such as toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene have been found to be associated with cancer in humans

343
Q
  • What are the sources of VOCs?
A

o Anthropogenic
 Energy production, industry, solvent evaporation, waste treatment and disposal, agriculture
o Biogenic
 Plants with a smell, vegetation fire, soil

344
Q
  • Where do dioxins come from?
A

o Industrial processes and natural processes (forest fires and volcanic eruptions)

345
Q
  • What are the short term effects of dioxins?
A

o Dark spots and lesions on the skin

346
Q
  • What are the long-term effects of dioxins?
A

o Developmental problems
o Impairment of the immune, endocrine, and nervous system
o Reproductive infertility
o Cancer

347
Q
  • What do the health impacts of air pollution depend on?
A

o Exposure and dose of air pollutants inhaled
o Concentrations that are harmful are dependent on pollutant

348
Q
  • What areas are more susceptible to air pollution?
A

o Urban areas due to increased urbanization and industrialization

349
Q
  • What is the purpose of air monitoring?
A

o To assess trends in global concentrations of various air pollutants

350
Q
  • What are some examples of monitored pollutants?
A

o PM2.5
o PM10
o NOx
o Sox
o Pb

351
Q
  • What are the two types of ai monitoring assessments?
A

o Qualitative
o quantitative

352
Q
  • What is the purpose of qualitative air monitoring assessments?
A

o To be used as an indicator of the presence of air pollutants
o Examples include looking at trends or just looking at the visibility

353
Q
  • Why do we need quantitative assessments?
A

o To support regulatory requirements
o This is what is used for research

354
Q
  • What is air monitoring used for?
A

o Long term trends
o Human exposure
o Epidemiological studies
o Emission reduction programs
o Effectiveness of programs
o Determining new pollutants of interest

355
Q
  • What are the 7 NAAQS pollutants?
A

o CO
o Lead
o NO2
o O3
o PM2.5
o PM10
o SO2

356
Q
  • What effects does a primary standard look at?
A

o Health effects

357
Q
  • What effects does a secondary standard look at?
A

o Environmental effects

358
Q
  • What are the two primary contributors of ozone?
A

o NOx
o VOCs

359
Q
  • Why are national air toxic trend sites developed?
A

o To monitor the hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) that are not part of NAAQS
o This can also provide as an early warning for epi studies because these pollutants might become an NAAQS later down the road

360
Q
  • What are some examples of the hazardous air pollutants monitored by the 26 national air toxic trend sites?
A

o VOCs
o Carbonyls
o PM10 metals
o PAHs

361
Q
  • Who sets air quality guidelines for the world to use?
A

o Worl health organization (WHO)
o The world health organization and IQair analyze data from over 4000 contributors, including citizens, communities, governments and private sectors

362
Q
  • T/F. Females are more susceptible to deaths attributed to ambient air pollution than males.
A

o False, males exceed the total deaths

363
Q
  • Which emissions are vehicles a major source for?
A

o VOCs
o CO
o NOx

364
Q
  • Why are NOx and VOC emissions from vehicles bad for the environment?
A

o NOx and VOC are responsible for the production of ozone in the troposphere

365
Q
  • How much of the energy from fossil fuels do vehicles use?
A

o A third of the energy from fossil are used for vehicles

366
Q
  • T/F. The fuel efficiency of cars have decreased over the years resulting in an increase in CO2 emission.
A

o False, the opposite has occurred, even though human are moving away from more energy efficient sedans, cars have become more fuel efficient resulting in a decrease in carbon dioxide production

367
Q
  • What are the two main types of engines used in vehicles?
A

o Spark ignition internal combustion engine
o Diesel combustion engine

368
Q
  • What kind of engine would you find in cars, light duty trucks, and motor cycles?
A

o Spark ignition internal combustion engine

369
Q
  • What kind of vehicles are diesel engines found in?
A

o Utility vehicles
o Farm equipment
o Ships
o Passenger vehicles

370
Q
  • T/F. Diesel engines are better for the environment that spark ignition combustion engines.
A

o False, although diesel engines release less CO2 when compared to spark ignition combustion, diesel engine release more NOx and PM

371
Q
  • What do vehicle engines emit?
A

o CO2
o H2O
o N2
o CO
o PM

372
Q
  • What is the common formula of gasoline?
A

o CxHy

373
Q
  • What is octane?
A

o C8H18, which is what we find in typical unleaded gasoline

374
Q
  • What is the gasoline air to fuel ratio?
A

o How much air (O2 and N2) is required to burn fuel

375
Q
  • What is the air to fuel ratio for octane gas?
A

o 15 (1710/114)

376
Q
  • Why do we use the fuel to air ratio?
A

o To calculate and equivalence ratio Φ

377
Q
  • What does it mean when the equivalence ratio is equal to 1?
A

o The combustion is stoichiometric
o All oxygen is consumed

378
Q
  • What does it mean when the equivalence ratio is less than 1?
A

o This indicates lean fuel conditions
o You have excess air

379
Q
  • Why do you not want lean fuel conditions?
A

o It may damage the engine

380
Q
  • What does it mean when the equivalence ratio is greater than 1?
A

o Fuel rich conditions
o You have too little air

381
Q
  • What is bad about an equivalence ratio over 1?
A

o Excess carbon monoxide will be released

382
Q
  • What is the common equivalence ratio?
A

o Greater than 1

383
Q
  • T/F. The constituents to produce gasoline in oil refineries are pretty standard across companies.
A

o False they vary

384
Q
  • Where will you find lead in gasoline?
A

o As of 2021, lead in gasoline is gone

385
Q
  • What are some examples of alternative fuels?
A

o Alcohol fuels such as methanol and ethanol
o compressed

386
Q
  • What are the emissions produced from alcohol fuels?
A

o Methanol
o Formaldehyde
o NOx

387
Q
  • Why do we care about formaldehyde emissions?
A

o Formaldehyde is photochemically reactive

388
Q
  • Which alcohol fuel is most common?
A

o E10, a 90/10 blend of gasoline and alcohol
* Look up LPG and CNG

389
Q
  • What are low emission vehicles?
A

o Vehicles that do not produce as much NOx and CO2
o These vehicle include hybrid and electric vehicles

390
Q
  • What are hybrid vehicles?
A

o Vehicles that combine EV and ICE (internal combustion engine)

391
Q
  • What is considered a zero emission vehicle (ZEV)?
A

o Electric

392
Q
A

air pollution (1 decks)

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