Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

ESS not by james > mocks cramming - topic 6 - Atmospheric Systems and Society > Flashcards

mocks cramming - topic 6 - Atmospheric Systems and Society Flashcards

1
Q

Causes of atmospheric changes

A

Abiotic Factors - mainly temperature and precipitation.
Biotic Factors - plants and animals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Where is ozone found

A

in two layers of the atmosphere

  • the stratosphere where it is good
  • and the troposphere where it is considered to be ‘bad’.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

UV radiation damaging effects on living organisms

A
  • Increase in mutation rates in DNA causing cancer
  • Can cause eye cataracts
  • Can damage the ability to carry out photosynthesis in plants and phytoplankton
  • Reduces primary production and therefore total productivity
  • Damage to immune system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - what happens

A
  • Breakdown of CFCs: When CFCs are exposed to UV radiation in the stratosphere, they break down, releasing chlorine atoms (Cl).
  • Catalytic Ozone Destruction: Chlorine atoms catalytically destroy ozone molecules (O3). A single chlorine atom can destroy multiple ozone molecules, leading to an ozone depletion chain reaction.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

gases in air pollution - primary pollution

A
  • carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
  • carbon dioxide
  • unburned hydrocarbons
  • nitrogen oxides
  • especially nitrogen dioxide, a brown gas, but also nitrous oxide and nitric oxide
  • sulphur dioxide from coal with high sulphur content
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

gases in air pollution - secondary pollution

A
  • tropospheric ozone 
  • particulates produced from gaseous primary pollutants 
  • peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN)

Sometimes this is a photochemical reaction in the presence of sunlight.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

effects of ozone on plants

A
  • tropospheric ozone is absorbed by plant leaves. In the leaves, ozone degrades chlorophyll so photosynthesis and productivity are reduced.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

effects of ozone on humans

A
  • irritates eyes
  • causes breathing difficulties
  • increases susceptibility to infection
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Acid deposition - secondary pollutants

A
  1. Smog from industries/cars (sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) enters atmosphere
  2. oxides converted to sulphuric and nitric acids
  3. in clouds can travel a longggg way from sources and is deposited through acid rain into waterways, affecting ecosystems
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Geographic distribution of acid deposition

A
  • Regional as opposed to global climate change/ozone depletion
  • rarely travels further than a few thousand km
  • downwind areas most severely affected
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

acid rain

A

a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

natural sources of acid rain

A
  • volcanoes
  • decaying vegetation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

man-made sources of acid rain

A

emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) resulting from fossil fuel combustion.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

atmosphere inputs ….

A
  • Water (evaporation and transpiration)
  • CO2, sulfate and nitrogen dioxide from combustion
  • Ammonium from livestock
  • Solar radiation
  • oxygen through photosynthesis
  • CO2 from respiration
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

atmosphere outputs

A
  • precipitation
  • solar radiation
  • oxygen
  • CO2
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

main gases and proportions

A

Nitrogen - 78%
Oxygen - 21%
Argon - 0.9%
Carbon Dioxide - 0.03%
Water Vapor - 0.0 to 4.0%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

nitrogen in atmosphere

A
  • Dilutes oxygen and prevents rapid burning at the earth’s surface.
  • Living things need it to make proteins.
  • cannot be used directly from the air.
  • The Nitrogen Cycle is nature’s way of supplying the needed nitrogen for living things.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

oxygen in atmosphere

A
  • Used by all living things.
  • Essential for respiration.
  • necessary for combustion or burning.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

carbon dioxide in atmosphere

A
  • Plants use it to make oxygen.
  • Acts as a blanket and prevents the escape of heat into outer space.
  • the burning of fossil fuels (eg. coal and oil) are adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

how is human activity altering composition of the atmosphere

A

increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Greenhouse gases (5)

A
  • carbon dioxide
  • methane
  • nitrous oxide
  • cloroflourocarbons (CFCs)
  • ozone
22
Q

Where is the troposphere

A

0-10 km above sea level

23
Q

where is stratosphere

A

10-50 km above sea level

24
Q

order of atmosphere layers

A
  1. troposphere
  2. stratosphere
  3. mesosphere
  4. thermosphere
  5. exosphere
25
Q

Troposphere - what happens?

A
  • With altitude - temperature declines, wind speeds increase
  • Most of the atmospheric mass is found.
  • Most weather occurs.
  • Greenhouse gases (GHG) help to regulate the temperature of the earth.
26
Q

stratosphere - what happens?

A
  • air is dry
  • ozone layer @ top of stratosphere
27
Q

Greenhouse effect

A

most heat energy from the sun passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, while a smaller proportion is reflected back into space. Without a greenhouse effect, radiation from the Sun (mostly in the form of visible light) would travel to Earth and be changed into heat, only to be lost to space

28
Q

Role of greenhouse gases

A
  • Maintain global temperature
  • Normal and necessary condition for life on Earth
  • allow short wavelengths of radiation such as visible light and UV too pass through to the Earth’s surface, but they trap the longer wavelengths such as infrared radiation
29
Q

role of ozone

A

in stratosphere it reflects UV radition, protecting humans from dangerous levels of exposure

30
Q

formation of ozone

A
  1. solar ultraviolet radiation breaks apart one oxygen molecule (O2) to produce two oxygen atoms (2 O)
  2. each of these highly reactive atoms combines with an oxygen molecule to produce an ozone molecule (O3).
31
Q

(some) ozone depleting substances

A
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs or freons) - propellants in spray cans, foam, refrigerants
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) - replacements for CFCs
  • Halon - fire extinguishers
  • Nitrogen oxides - bacterial breakdown of nitrites and nitrates in the soil, supersonic aircraft
32
Q

How ozone is depleted by CFCs:

A
  1. UV radiation breaks off a chlorine atom from a CFC molecule.
  2. The chlorine atom attacks an ozone molecule (O3), breaking it apart and destroying the ozone.
  3. The result is an ordinary oxygen molecule (O2) and a chlorine monoxide molecule (ClO).
  4. The chlorine monoxide molecule (ClO) is attacked by a free oxygen atom releasing the chlorine atom and forming an ordinary oxygen molecule (O2).
33
Q

Reasons for the illegal trade in ozone depleting substances (ODS):

A
  • ODS substitutes are often costlier than CFCs
  • Updating equipment to enable use of alternative chemicals is expensive
  • The lifetime of CFC containing equipment is long
  • Penalties in may countries are small.
34
Q

Primary pollutants from the combustion of fossil fuels

A
  • carbon monoxide
  • carbon dioxide
  • black carbon (soot)
  • unburned hydrocarbons
  • oxides of nitrogen
  • oxides of sulfur
35
Q

nitrogen monoxide

A
  1. released from burning of fossil fuel
  2. reacts with oxygen
  3. forms nitrogen dioxide
36
Q

sources of ozone

A
  • Transport
  • Cooking
  • Dust from construction sites and roads
  • Heating
  • Power generation
37
Q

The frequency and severity of photochemical smogs in an area depend on:

A
  • local topography - low lying areas
  • climate - high air pressure areas
  • population density - number of vehicles
    -fossil fuel use
38
Q

thermal inversions

A
  • occur when cold air is trapped under warm air
  • causes concentrations of air pollutants to build up near the ground
39
Q

slash-and-burn agriculture

A
  • trees are cut down and then burned to clear the land for farming.
  • pollutants are much the same as from burning fossil fuels
  • releases CO2 stored in the biomass
  • removing the forest means it cannot store CO2 in the future
40
Q

air pollution management strategies - cause

A
  • Cars, buses and taxis - Reduce demand for private cars through public transport, promote cycle and bus lanes, restrictions and tolls for car entry to urban areas, promote cleaner fuels and hybrid or electrical models
  • Electricity - Reduce consumption of electricity through building design, small scale green power on city buildings e.g. solar, wind, locale power stations away from urban areas.
  • Enforcement - greater enforcement of emissions standards
  • Clean-up - re-forestation, re-greening, conservation areas
  • Public information
41
Q

air pollution management strategies - Things to consider in evaluation:

A
  • Most urban pollution comes from transport , particularly private cars
  • Diesel engines in trucks and buses produce more particulates
  • There may be cultural resistance to public transport
  • Monitoring and regulating is complicated and expansive
  • Groups like WHO set international standards but national standards vary
42
Q

dry deposition

A
  • ash
  • dry particles
43
Q

wet deposition

A
  • rain
  • snow
44
Q

possible effects of acid deposition on soil/water/living organisms

A
  • direct effects- acid on aquatic organisms and coniferous forests
  • indirect toxic effect—for example, increased solubility of metal (such as aluminium ions) on fish
  • indirect nutrient effect—for example, leaching of plant nutrients.
45
Q
A
46
Q

acid rain effects on water

A
  • directly affects the chemical and pH balances in ground water.
  • The excess aluminum created by acid rain makes aquatic environments toxic.
  • The animals that can withstand the imbalance of the water’s natural minerals lose their food source as the weaker creatures die off.
47
Q

acid rain effects on forest ecosystems

A
  • damages leaves as it falls.
  • runoff from the trees and forest floors infiltrates the forest’s water supplies
  • runoff that doesn’t enter the water supply is absorbed by the soil.
48
Q

why the impact of acid deposition can occur far from the source of pollution and be a cross border issue

A

most areas are downwind of pollution sources
- eg. Canadian forests damaged by coal-fired power plants in USA

49
Q

Pollution management strategies for acid deposition - altering human activity

A
  • reducing use of fossil fuels
  • international agreements and national governments may work to reduce pollutant production through lobbying
50
Q

Pollution management strategies for acid deposition - altering human activity

A

the use of scrubbers or catalytic converters that may remove sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen from coal-burning powerplants and cars.

51
Q

acid rain cleanup - limestone

A
  • spreading ground limestone in acidified lakes
  • Adding lime into acidic surface waters balances the acidity
  • expensive :(
  • has to be done repeatedly
  • short term solution
52
Q

NOx

A

shorthand for nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution.

ESS not by james (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions