Science Unit 6 Lesson 4 Flashcards
What is the Earth’s atmosphere made out of?
- Earth’s atmosphere is made up of 78 percent nitrogen
- 21 percent oxygen
- 0.9 percent argon
- and 0.1 percent other gases, like carbon dioxide and methane.
What does fossil fuel emissions mean?
gases that are released when fossil fuels are burned
How do power plants generate electricity?
By burning fossil fuels
How do cars, trucks, ships, and planes operate?
By burning fossil fuels
What is the most abundant chemical emitted by fossil fuels?
Carbon dioxide
What happens when CO2, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide meet water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere.
When these chemicals meet water, oxygen and other chemicals in the atmosphere, smog, acid rain, and harmful particulate matter is formed.
What is the definition of greenhouse gases?
Gases that trap heat from the sun in Earth’s atmosphere
Which industries produce the greatest proportion of canon dioxide emission in the United States?
Electricity production and transportation produce the greatest proportion of carbon dioxide emissions, followed by industrial uses.
Wha happens when people inhale nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide?
When people inhale these gases, they may experience respiratory issues. Long-term exposure can increase the risk of asthma.
What is formed when nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide react with other chemicals?
Particulate matter
What is particulate matter?
A form of pollution consisting of solid or liquid particles in the air; Particulate matter can range from soot or smoke to particles less than 2.5 micrometers wide, and it contributes to breathing problems.
Describe greenhouse gases?
The greenhouse effect keeps Earth warm enough to support plant and animal life. However, as more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, they trap more and more heat from the sun. Because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, the increase in greenhouse gases causes global temperatures to rise over time.
What is the definition of smog?
A severe type of air pollution, originally named for a mixture of smoke and fog.
What are 2 key components of smog?
nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide
How is most nitrogen dioxide formed?
Most nitrogen dioxide in the air comes from vehicle and power plant emissions
How is most sulfer dioxide formed?
sulfur dioxide is produced by power plants and industries
How do sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide effect the environment?
Both chemicals can contribute to the formation of acid rain but sulfur dioxide is particularly damaging to plants and trees.
What are the 2 types of ozone?
- Ozone in the upper atmosphere
- ozone at ground level
What does ozone do in the upper layer?
Ozone in the upper atmospheremhelps protect Earth from ultraviolet rays
from the sun. This ozone occurs naturally
Why is ozone at ground level problamatic?
This type of ozone is produced when nitrogen dioxide reacts with other
compounds and with sunlight. Groundlevel ozone is a major component of
smog, a severe type of air pollution. Respiratory problems can result from
inhaling ground-level ozone.
How is ozone at ground level produced?
This type of ozone is produced when nitrogen dioxide reacts with other
compounds and with sunlight.
Ozone at ground level is the main compnent of what?
Groundlevel ozone is a major component of smog, a severe type of air pollution.
What type of problems could you get by inhaling ozone at ground level?
Respiratory problems can result from
inhaling ground-level ozone.
The International Energy Agency estimates that people worldwide use __________ barrels of oil every day.
93 million
How does acid rain form?
After sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (like nitrogen dioxide) enter the atmosphere, they react with other substances to form acids. These acids mix with water and return to the ground as acid rain. (Other forms of precipitation, like snow and fog, can also become acidic.)
How does the pH of acid rain compare to that of typical rain?
Typical rain has a pH of 5.6, but acid rain’s pH ranges from 4.2–4.4.
What affects does acid rain have on plants and soil?
- The acidic water leaches aluminum from the soil, which affects the health of nearby waterways and the animals that live there.
- Acid rain strips soil of nutrients that plants need, and it can also damage the foliage on trees.
How does Ground-level ozone affect plants and crops?
Ground-level ozone is another pollutant that can injure plants
- Affected leaves may turn brown or red or develop spots.
- For crops that are sensitive to ozone, like soybeans and cotton, high concentrations of ozone in the atmosphere can significantly reduce crop yield.
What happens to the Ph of the ocean when it absorbs carbon dioxide?
the pH decreases
How can the decreasing ph of the ocean affect marine life?
As the pH decreases, the amount of carbonate in the water also decreases. Carbonate is one of the building blocks of a lot of the shells that are in marine organisms. For example, all the mollusks, the snails, the sea urchins, all of these use calcium carbonate to make their shells.
Pteropods, such as sea butterflies, a type of sea snail, are among the creatures that form the base of a food chain in the Ross Sea that includes predators, such as Antarctic cod, penguins, Weddell seals, and orca whales.
They say these changes could have serious implications on the future survival of other creatures throughout the Ross Sea.
To monitor the changes if the pH what did scientists do?
To monitor these changes, lead researcher Gretchen Hoffman and her team have been deploying automated ocean sensors around McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, since 2010, giving them the longest continuous data set of ocean pH in the region.
What is the sea fett?
It is used to measure the pH of the ocean.
What is the definition of cryosphere?
Areas of ice and snow on Earth
What is the definition of albedo?
The amount of radiation reflected from a surface
How does the use of fossil fuels affect the cryosphere?
Higher levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause sea ice to melt.
