The Atmosphere and Human Activities Flashcards
The structure of the atmosphere + 1 feature of each layer:
- Troposphere- densest (contains weather +water vapour)
- Stratosphere- contains the ozone layer
- Mesosphere- coldest
- Thermosphere- northern lights
- Exosphere- merges into space
Composition of the atmosphere
Mainly nitrogen oxide and oxygen with small traces of carbon dioxide, methane etc.
Explain the natural greenhouse effect
- Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane in the upper atmosphere interact with the incoming and outgoing solar rays transmitted from the sun and warm the earth, making it habitable. Some radiation escapes and some is retained by the atmosphere.
- The ozone layer filters out parts of the incoming ultraviolet radiation to make sure it is not harmful enough to effect humans/plants/animals
Define smog and state some causes
Smog is a term for visible air pollution
- Coal emissions
- Photochemical reactions
- Temperature inversion
- Vehicle emissions
- Forest fires
Explain photochemical reactions
VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds that can be found in paint and petrol
Nitrogen Oxides are from vehicle exhausts and factory emissions
These combine with sunlight to form photochemical smog/ ground-level ozone
Explain temperature inversion
Normally, air temperature decreases with altitude leading to cooler air above and warmer below. During a temperature inversion, the warm air rises to create a lid that traps denser, cool air below. Pollution, photochemical smog, etc accumulate and circulates under this lid in the lower atmosphere as it is prevented from blowing away and dispersing
This is normally the case in places with high atmospheric pressure or surrounded by mountains, valleys
Impacts of smog
- Burning eyes, throat
- Risk of respiratory diseases
- Asthma attacks
- Increased risks of heart attacks
Explain acid rain
When atmospheric water mixes with sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted from vehicle pollution, factories, etc, they are turned into sulfuric and nitric acid which falls as rain. This is of concern as prevailing winds can cause the rain to shower over other countries away from the source.
Normal PH- 5
Acid rain PH- 2/3
Effects of acid rain on the environment
- Aliminium leached out from the soil, along with the sulfuric and nitric acid damages ecosystems by harming the most sensitive species and destroying food chains
- Kills adult fish, causes fish eggs to not hatch, lower body weight or smaller size
- Acidic water destroys soil nutrients and damages roots. Also reduces soil fertility with increasing acidity
CFCS
CFS= Chloroflourocarbon
Its normally found in aerosol cans, refrigerators
They react with sunlight in the atmosphere (1 atom of chlorine can break 100,000 ozone)
Impact of CFCS
They rise up into the upper atmosphere when hit by UV rays, chlorine atoms are released
These chlorine atoms interact with ozone molecules, taking an oxygen atom to form chlorine monoxide and the 2 remaining oxygen atoms make an oxygen molecule
A free oxygen atom separates the oxygen in the chlorine monoxide, so the chlorine continues destroying the ozone and forming more oxygen
Impact of UV rays on living things
- Cataracts
- Skin cancer
- Sunburn
- Damage to plant tissues and plant growth
- Damage to ecosystems and food webs
Explain the enhanced greenhouse effect
The burning of fossil fuels, vehicle emissions etc, have lead to more greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere which means more absorption of outgoing infrared solar radiation and more warming of the atmosphere.
How can you manage atmospheric pollution?
- Reducing your carbon footprint
- Taxation
- Switching to energy-efficient products
- Reduced use of fossil fuels
- Reforestation and afforestation
- Switch from CFCS to Hydrofluorocarbons
Where are CFCS found?
Refrigerators, styrofoam cups, air conditioners
