Chapter 20: Air Pollution, Chapter 21: Climate Change and Ozone Loss
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laurennc94 on March 1, 2012
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50 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Atmospheric pressure | a measure of the mass per unit area of air. It caused by the bombardment of a surface by the molecules in air. The pressure of the atmosphere increases as the density of air increases because a volume of air with a high density has more gas molecules than a volume with a lower density. Thus, atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude. |
| Troposphere | the atmosphere's innermost layer; made up mostly of nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide; about 75-80% of the earth's air mass is found here. |
| Stratosphere | the atmosphere's second layer which extends from about 17 to 48 km (11-30 miles) above the earth's surface. Although the stratosphere contains less matter tan the troposphere, its composition is similar, with two notable exceptions: its volume of water vapor is about 1/1,000 as much and its concentration of ozone (O3) is much higher. |
| Air pollution | the pressure of chemicals in the atmosphere in concentrations high enough to affect climate and harm organisms and materials. The effects of airborne pollutants range from annoying to lethal. |
| Primary pollutants | those emitted directly in to the troposphere in a potentially harmful form. Examples are soot and carbon monoxide. |
| Secondary pollutants | a new pollutant formed when primary pollutants react with one another or with the basic components of air while in the troposphere. |
| Why scientists classify carbon dioxide as an air pollutant | 1. In high enough concentrations any chemical in the air can become a pollutant. 2. We have been increasing the concentration of CO2 in the troposphere by burning fossil fules and clearing CO2-absorbing trees faster than they are growing back in many areas. 3. The troposphere is warming and there is considerable evidence that the additional CO2 (a greenhouse gas) added to the troposphere by human activites plays a role in this change. |
| Global warming | enhancement of the earth's natural greenhouse effect-- can change where and how much precipitation falls, affect where we can grow food, and flood some areas of the world because of the rising sea levels. |
| Photochemical smog | a mixture of air pollutants formed by the reaction of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic hydrocarbons under the influence of sunlight... any chemical reaction activated by light. |
| Brown-air smog | caused by NO2, source of the brown-ish haze that hangs over many cities during the afternoons of sunny days. Photochemical smog is sometimes called brown-air smog. |
| Photochemical oxidants | Collectively, NO2, O3, and PANs (peroxyacyl nitrates). |
| Industrial smog | a mixture of sulfur dioxide, droplets of sulfuric acid, and a variety of suspended solid particles emitted by burning coal and oil. |
| How outdoor air pollutioncan be reduced | Precipitation, sea spray, and winds and increased by urban buildings, mountains, and high temperatures. |
| Temperature inversion | when a layer of warm air sitting on top of a layer of cool air near the ground that can prevent outdoor pollutants from rising and dispersing. |
| Acid deposition | the falling of acids and acid forming compounds from the atmosphere to earth's surface. Acid deposition is commonly known as acid rain, a term that refers only to wet deposition of droplets of acids and acid-forming compounds. |
| Effects of acid deposition | can cause or worsen respiratory disease, attack metallic and stone objects, decrease atmospheric visibility, and kill fish. |
| Effects of acid deposition on plants and soils | can deplete some soil nutrients, release toxic ions into the soil, and weaken plants so they become more susceptible to other stresses. |
| Four most dangerous indoor air pollutants in developed countries | cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, radioactive radon-222 gas, and very small fine and ultrafine particles. |
| Formaldehyde | a colorless, extremely irritating gas widely used to manufacture common household materials... building materials, furniture, drapes, upholstery, adhesives in carpeting and wallpaper, urethane-formaldehyde insulation, fingernail hardener, and wrinkle-free coating on permanent-press clothing. |
| Radon-222 | a radioactive gas found in some soil and rocks, can seep into some houses and increase the risk of lung cancer. |
| Ways respiratory system protects from pollutants | hairs in nose filter out large particles, sticky mucus in lining of respiratory tract captures smaller particles and dissolves some gaseous pollutants, sneezing and coughing expel contaminated air and mucus when pollutants irritate your respiratory system, cilia that line upper respiratory tract. |
| Clean air acts in 1970, 1977, and 1990 | the federal government established air pollution regulations for key pollutants that are enforced by each state and by major cities. |
| HAPs | hazardous air pollutants that may cause serious health and ecological effects. |
| How much the six major outdoor air pollutants decreased | Lead-93%, Carbon monoxide-41%, VOCs-40%, Suspended particulate matter-34%, Sulfur dioxide-33%, NO2-15% |
| Emissions trading policy | enables the 110 most polluting power plants in 21 states (primarily in the Midwest and East) to buy and sell SO2 pollution rights. |
| Earth's climate | determined mostly by its average temperature and average precipitation; not fixed. |
| Glacial and interglacial periods | (between ice ages) prolonged periods of global cooling and global warming. |
| Ice cores | pieces of ice used to track earths past weather. |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; established by the U.N. and the World Meteorological Organization to document past climate change and project future climate change. The IPCC is a network of over 2,000 leading climate experts from 70 nations. |
| Greenhouse effect | a natural process that warms the earth's lower troposphere and surface. |
| The two major greenhouse gases | water vapor and carbon dioxide. |
| How human activites have affected tropospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases | burning fossil fuels, clearing and burning forests and grasslands, raising large numbers of livestock such as cattle, planting rice, and using inorganic fertilizers. |
| Global climate change | a broader term than global warming that refers to changes in any aspects of the earth's climate, including temperature, precipitation, and storm intensity. |
| Albedo affect | reflectivity of different parts of the earth's surface/ ability of a surface to reflect light. |
| How changes in cloud cover affect troposphere's temperature | warmer temperatures create more clouds that could warm or cool the troposphere, but we do not know which effect might dominate. |
| How outdoor air pollution can affect the troposphere's temperature | aerosol pollutants and soot produced by human activities acan warm or cool the troposphere, but such effects will decrease with any decline in such outdoor air pollution. |
| Effect of increased CO2 levels | increased CO2 in the troposphere could increase plant photosynthesis, but several factors can limit or offset this effect... also can remove more CO2 from the air. |
| How warmer troposphere can affect methane emission | warmer air can release methane gas stored in bogs, wetlands, and tundra soils, causing a feedback loop that makes the air warmer. |
| How warmer troposphere can affect organisms and ecosystems | a warmer troposphere will change the distribution and population sizes of wild species, shift locations of some of the world's ecosystem's, and threaten some protected reserves and coral reefs. |
| Effects of rising sea levels | flood low-lying coastal wetlands and islands, coral reefs, and parts of some of the world's coastal cities. |
| How we can reduce threat of global warming | improve energy efficiency, rely more on carbon-free renewable energy resources, and find ways to keep much of the CO2 we produce out of the troposphere. |
| Soil sequestration | plants such as switchgrass are used to remove CO2 from the air and store it in the soil. |
| How governments can reduce threat of global warming | tax greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, increase subsidies and tax breaks for saving energy and using renewable energy, and decrease subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels. |
| Kyoto Protocol | required 39 developed countries to cut emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O to an average of about 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. |
| Reducing CO2 emissions | Drive a fuel-efficient car, walk, bike, carpool, and use mass transit. Use energy efficient windows. Use energy efficient appliances and lights. Heavily insulate your house and seal all air drafts. Reduce garbage by recycling and reuse. Insulate hot water heater. Use compact fluorescent bulbs. Plant trees to shade your house during summer. Set water heater no higher than 49 degrees celsius. Wash laundry in warm or cold water. Use low-flow shower head. Etc... |
| Why global warming and climate change are difficult problems to deal with | global warming and climate change are hard to deal with because they have many causes (some poorly inderstood); their effects are long-term and uneven, and there is controversy over how they should be addressed. |
| Threat from ozone depletion | less ozone in the stratosphere will allow more harmful UV radiation to reach the earth's surface. |
| What causes ozone depletion | widespread use of a number of useful and long-lived chemicals has reduced ozone levels in the stratosphere. |
| Chemicals that deplete stratospheric ozone | CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), halons and hydrobromofluorocarbons, hydrogen chloride, and cleaning solvents such as carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, n-propyl bromide, and hexachorobutadiene. |
| Why we should be worried about ozone depletion | increased UV radiation reaching the earth's surface from ozone depletion in the stratophere is harmful to human health, crops, forests, animals, and materials. |
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