Urban Air Quality Flashcards
What are particulates?
Tiny pieces of solids and tiny droplets of liquids floating in. the air
WHat is the difference between particulates in urban areas and rural areas
There are more in urban areas and their concentration is a lot higher
What are the 4 types of particulates.
- Vehicle Exhausts
- Burning of refuse, cigarettes and fuel
- Construction, Minning and Quarrying
- Plants and Moulds
Explain vehicle exhausts
They produce fine particulates. About 80% of fine particulates in urban areas are from vehicle exhausts
Explain burning of refuse, cigarettes and fuel
This produces both fine and coarse particulates like sulphates, nitrates, soot and ash
Explain construction, mining and quarrying
These activities produce coarse particulates like tiny fragments of rock, brick and cement dust
Explain plants and moulds
Generate coarse particulates eg - pollen and mould sporea
Why are particulates bad?
They cause health problems. Coarser particulates are usually filtered out by the nose or throat, however finer particles can enter the lungs
Why are PM10 bad?
Can cause or make worse problems like asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease
What are examples of pollutants?
Nitrogen and sulphur oxide and hydrocarbons they come from burning fossil fuels
What happens when pollutants come into contact with sunlight?
The UV light causes them to break down into harmful chemicals which form photochemical smog
Where is photochemical smog a problem?
In cities like LA and Barcelona. It i more common in places with hot and sunny climates as there’s more sunlight
Why is photochemical smog a problem in warmer places?
As they have a temperature invasion which keeps pollutants at ground level
What is a temperature invasion?
A layer of warm air trapped below denser cooler air
What is photochemical smog linked to?
Health Problems - Breathing difficulties, respiratory problems and headaches
What 4 schemes have been put in place to reduce pollution by reducing traffic
- Congestion Charge
- Predestination
- Public transport improvements
- Other schemes for reducing traffic
Explain the congestion charge
People are charged if they use their vehicles in certain places at certain times
WHat has the congestion charge done in. its first year of operation
It reduced traffic and emissions by around 16%
How much is the congestion charge?
£13.50 - £15
Whats the negatives of the congestion charge?
People travel around the edge of the zone to avoid being charged increasing the traffic in these areas
WHat is Predestination
Vehicles are restricted from entering certain places at certain times. Reducing pollution by road traffic
What cities use Predestination
London, Liverpool and Cardiff
What can Predestination lead to?
Shops receiving fewer customers as people can only get there by foot
What does Public Transport Improvements aim to do
Encourages people to use public transport instead of their cars reducing pollution
Give 3 examples of Public Transport Improvements
- Improved bus services to make the journey cheaper faster and more efficient like bus lanes
- Park and Ride schemes making public transport easier
- Trams and Light railway services run on lines so don’t get caught on road congestion.They pollute less then buses
Where has public transport improvements been successful
Links city centre to suburbs. In Bury it has taken 2.6 million cars off the roads
How much did the metrolink cost?
£1 billion
What problems did park and ride cause?
Shifted traffic to rural areas
What has Mexico city done to reduce traffic?
Banned from using their cars q weekday a week, based on the last digit of their number plate - Some rich households get around this by buying 2 cars
WHat have Birmingham and Bristol and London done?
Run a car sharing scheme to encourage people making the same journey to share a car. Some people find car sharing inconvenient or worry about sharing a car with a stranger
What 2 schemes have been put in place large scale to tackle pollution?
Legislation (Laws) and Alternative fuels
What did the UK do in 1956 and 1968?
UK clean air act - reduced domestic pollution by introducing smoke control areas where only smokeless fuel can be burned and reduced industrial pollution by introducing the use of tall chimneys
WHat are cars doing on a large scale to reduce pollution?
The Road Vehicles Regulations reduce exhaust emissions by ensuring cars pass an emissions test in an MOT
What has Scotland done to reduce pollution?
Legislation allows local authorities to do roadside emission tests, where they issue fines if vehicles fails. Throughout the UK, local authorities can issue fines to people who leave their engines running unnecessarily
WHat can petrol and diesel be replaced by?
Biofuels (Bioethanol and Biodiesel) produced from plants
Why are biodiesels good?
They directly replace petrol and. diesel and have lower particulate emissions. However, growing crops needed to make biofuels can reduce biodiversity
What is LPG?
Liquified Petroleum gas produced from fossil fuels that have lower emissions than petrol or diesel. However, cars have to be converted to use LPG and service stations have to be adapted to distribute it
Why are electric vehicles better
Lower emissions because they run off batteries, rather than conventional fuel. Electrical vehicles need recharge points and producing and disposing of the batteries can cause environmental problems
