The Atmosphere - Chapter 5: Air Pollution Flashcards
Give some examples of “natural” air pollution
ash from volcanic eruptions, salt particles from breaking waves, pollen and spores released by plants, smoke from forest and brush fires, windblown dust
What is a natural consequence of clearing the land of its natural vegetative cover?
Soil is exposed and blown into the air
5 examples of human created pollution
Combustion processes Chemical processes Nuclear or atomic processes Roasting, heating, refining processes Mining, quarrying, farming
Airborne particles and gases that occur in concentrations that endanger the health and well being of organisms or disrupt the orderly functioning of the environment
Air pollutants
Two types of pollutants
Primary
Secondary
Primary pollutants are…
emitted directly from identifiable sources
What is the great contributor to the primary pollutant category?
Vehicles
What are secondary pollutants?
They are produced in the atmosphere when certain chemical reactions take place among the primary pollutants
What is a good example of a secondary pollutant (H2SO4)?
Sulfuric acid
When is sulfuric acid produced?
Sulfur dioxide combines with oxygen, yielding sulfer trioxide which then combines with water to form an irritating and corrosive acid
Air pollution in urban and industrial areas
smog
Term for when reactions that produce secondary pollutants are triggered by strong sunlight
photochemical reactions
What is an example of a photochemical reaction?
When nitrogen oxides absorb solar radiation and initiate a chain of complex reactions
The noxious mixture of gases and particles associated with photochemical reactions
Photochemical smog
Ozone is formed by natural processes in the stratosphere and plays a vital role because….
its ability to absorb damaging ultraviolet radiation
What are two factors associated with the likelihood that pollutants and the air that hold them will be dispersed?
Strength of the wind
stability of the air
The vertical distance between the earth’s surface and the height to which convectional movements extend
Mixing depth
This represents a situation in which the atmosphere is very stable and the mixing depth is significantly restricted
Temperature inversion
What is a surface inversion?
It develops close to the ground on clear and relatively calm nights
True or false: rain IS somewhat naturally acidic
True
What do we call precipitation with heightened pH values?
Acid precipitation
Acid precipitation’s compounds are introduced into the air as by-products of ____ and _____
combustion
industrial activity
