Chapter 13
Based on information in the graph in Part A and what you know about the sources of various pollutants, which of the following recommendations might you offer to the congresswoman? graph
-Although SO2 concentration dropped significantly relative to national standards following the CAA, maintaining or furthering this reduction requires continued enforcement of regulations on fossil fuel combustion by industries and power plants. - -Future regulations should target reductions of ground level ozone with strategies that might include subsidizing public transportation and limiting the use of vehicles in dense urban areas during summer months. -Efforts to achieve reductions in the concentrations of air pollutants such as CO, PM2.5, and PM10, should include strategies to prevent and control wildfires.
Based on the success of the Pollution Potential Index in China, it is implemented in parts of Africa to study air pollution and climate change. Which of the following will be needed to calculate the PPI?
Air temperature gradient anomalies and surface wind speeds.
You enjoy travelling. Where are you likely to be exposed to the highest concentration of PM 2.5?
India
What are the effects of carbon monoxide?
Suffocation in mammals
Which of the following statements properly describes the cause of a temperature inversion or its effects?
Temperature inversions can trap air pollution in one place for many days.
John Walke supports government regulation as the most effective approach for reducing air pollution. Which of the following statements expresses one of his reasons? viewpoints
There is little or no economic incentive for polluters to pay pollution costs.
Which of the following has contributed to longer life spans in the United States?
all listed are correct
The most obvious cause of industrial smog is ________.
burning fossil fuels
Which of the following chemicals is NOT a VOC (volatile organic compound)?
carbon monoxide
In general, China's air pollution __________.
decreases rainfall in California
How does China's air pollution get to the United States? China's air pollution __________.
is moved by the jet stream to the west coast of the United States
In developed countries, the two most deadly sources of indoor pollution are ________.
radon and cigarette smoke
Rank the biomes in terms of how much you expect plant growth to increase as a function of increased CO2 in the atmosphere.
ranked from smallest to largest increase in growth: desert grassland temperate forest tropical rain forest
A(n) ________ is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.
scrubber
Point sources of air pollution are __________.
specific spots--such as a factory's smokestacks--where large quantities of pollution are discharged
In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone layer found?
stratosphere
The primary causes of acid deposition are ________.
sulfur and nitrogen oxides
In the troposphere ________.
temperature decreases nearly linearly with altitude
Occasionally, a layer of cool air forms under a layer of warmer air in the troposphere. This change from the normal temperature profile in the troposphere is called a ________.
temperature or thermal inversion
Which of the following results in increased levels of pollution caused by automobile exhaust?
the construction of new highways
Snow and ice accumulations in California's mountains are carefully monitored because __________.
they contribute to the main water source for most of the residents of the state
The Chinese winter monsoon continues to push east. What can people in Korea and Japan expect?
a cold winter
Indoor air pollution receives less attention than outdoor air pollution, yet it exerts severe health impacts on millions of people. Poverty worsens indoor air pollution in the developing world; high-technology products and chemicals contribute to it in the developed world; and certain lifestyle choices can affect all of us. Fortunately, many solutions are within reach to address the causes and lessen the consequences of this environmental health risk. Solutions
-Conversion to more efficient clean-burning cook stoves -purchase of low- or no-VOC paints , carpeting, and furniture -measurement of radon
Indoor air pollution receives less attention than outdoor air pollution, yet it exerts severe health impacts on millions of people. Poverty worsens indoor air pollution in the developing world; high-technology products and chemicals contribute to it in the developed world; and certain lifestyle choices can affect all of us. Fortunately, many solutions are within reach to address the causes and lessen the consequences of this environmental health risk. Causes
-inefficient indoor cookstoves -radon seepage into homes -VOCs from paints, carpeting, and furniture
vIndoor air pollution receives less attention than outdoor air pollution, yet it exerts severe health impacts on millions of people. Poverty worsens indoor air pollution in the developing world; high-technology products and chemicals contribute to it in the developed world; and certain lifestyle choices can affect all of us. Fortunately, many solutions are within reach to address the causes and lessen the consequences of this environmental health risk. Consequences
-respiratory disease in developing countries -people ill from sick-building syndrome -lung cancer; 20,000 deaths
What was the percent change from 1970 to 2006 for vehicle miles traveled?
175
If the U.S. population in 1970 was approximately 200 million people, what was the approximate population by 2006?
300 million
Energy consumption and aggregate emissions have also changed over time. Whereas the ratio of energy consumption to emissions was 1:1 in 1970, by 2006 the ratio was _________.
3:1
In an effort to further reduce emissions, a government panel is considering several policy options. For the trends on the graph, which of the following policies could have the biggest long-term impact on lowering emissions?
A mandated switch to electric cars with a solar and wind-powered electrical grid to "fuel" the cars
Which of the following is likely to have the highest concentration of PM 2.5 in China?
A steel manufacturing province.
Using what you learned about the equation for photosynthesis and McCarthy's hypothesis, make predictions for the tree growth at each site.
Ambient x dry: low growth High x dry: medium growth High x wet: high growth
A haze hangs over the East China plains in winter. Which of the following will most likely disperse this haze?
An extended blast of cold air.
Based strictly on increases in air pollution over the past few decades, where would we expect to see the greatest decrease in life spans? We would expect to see a decrease in life span in __________.
Beijing, China
Which of the following pollutants has the longest residence time?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
What process depends on the cyclical, vertical movement of air currents: sinking cold, dense and rising warm, less dense air masses?
Convective circulation
Doing which of the following would reduce deaths from PM 2.5 in China by the most?
Eliminate the use of coal.
Which of the following conditions would most likely lead to extreme winter haze in the East China plains? article
Heavy snow in Siberia and low levels of Arctic sea ice.
Suppose you are helping McCarthy choose her sample sites. You have the resources to conduct the study at only 4 sites. Pick the 4 sites that allow all 4 possible treatment combinations, while controlling for sunlight. Drag a check mark to each site you would use, and drag Xs to the sites you would not use. You should end up placing 4 check marks and 8 Xs. Labels can be used more than once.
High CO2: - 2 suns, 1 water - 2 suns,3 water Ambient CO2: - 2 suns, 3 water - 2 suns, 1 water
Taylor mentions the reduced demands on natural resources due to both reduced use of natural resources and the shift away from manufacturing economies to service economies. Imagine how Walke might respond to Taylor's statements in a debate. viewpoints
I disagree; the shift to a service economy simply means that manufacturing has moved to other countries. Because air pollution does not respect borders, we will still need pollution regulation.
Over the time period shown on the graph, both population and vehicle miles traveled have changed. Describe the relationship between the two factors.
I dunno
One key to the puzzle of Los Angeles's smog is the fact that ________.
Los Angeles and its suburbs are all ringed by mountains
Which gas makes up 78% of the molecules in the atmosphere?
N2, nitrogen
How does radon originate?
Natural decay of uranium
Jerry Taylor considers better air quality a luxury good. What evidence does he give for this reasoning? viewpoints
Once per capita income reaches a certain level, concentrations of pollutants begin to decline as rapidly as they had increased.
What happens when acids from acid deposition hit topsoil?
Plants and soil organisms are harmed.
The authors of the two essays are quite opposite in their views, with Walke pro-regulation and Taylor anti-regulation. If you had to select a type of regulation that both authors would approve, which of the following might work? viewpoints
Regulatory incentives that award subsidies to companies demonstrating technological changes in their processes that measurably reduce pollution
Based on the graph, which of the criteria air pollutants declined the most significantly relative to the most recent national standard between 1980 and 2015? graph
SO2
Why do pollution and smog often become trapped in Los Angeles and other similar urban areas?
The combination of temperature inversions (because of being surrounded by mountains) and extended periods of sunlight result in the buildup of smog in Los Angeles.
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere is responsible for the weather that we experience on the surface of Earth?
Troposphere
Which of the following countries likely has the highest level of premature deaths due to PM 2.5?
Turkey
What would do the most to reduce indoor air pollution in the developing world?
Using solar energy to heat homes
Both authors refer to voluntary actions and their effect on pollution control. Which of the following statements best describes one author's viewpoint? viewpoints
Walke; Voluntary programs are unsuccessful. For example, in a voluntary EPA program, only one-fourth of the participants committed to reducing emissions.
Which of the following U.S. states experiences the lowest levels of acid rain?
Wyoming
On average, it appears that over the past 25 years, improved air quality in the United States has resulted in __________ in the lifespan of the average individual.
an increase of about five months
By how much did the reduction of PM10 concentration exceed the reduction of PM2.5 concentration by 2015?
approximately 30
Carbon monoxide ________.
blocks oxygen transport in human blood
What is largely responsible for the ozone hole?
chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants
Which piece of legislation set strict standards for air quality and pollution control in the United States?
clean air act
What drives long-term climate patterns, such as the Hadley Cells at the Equator, over large geographic scales?
convective air currents
Which of the following describes the greatest health risk posed by air pollution? Air pollutants __________.
damage blood vessels in human lungs
What is one of the greatest sources of pollution in Mexico City that has persisted even after the government successfully lowered overall pollutant levels?
emissions from automobile exhaust
One of the problems that occur as a consequence of CFC pollution is ________.
increased rates of skin cancer in humans
vIn the stratosphere, ________.
increases of temperature and ozone levels are strongly correlated
How do dust particles from the vast deserts in China affect weather patterns? The dust __________.
increases the chances of rainfall in California
The Coriolis effect ________.
is caused by Earth's rotation
Tropospheric ozone ________.
is produced through the interaction of heat and UV light, with nitrogen oxides and carbon-containing compounds
If all of the stratospheric ozone suddenly disappeared, ________.
most life on Earth would cease to exist because of the amount of UV radiation penetrating the atmosphere
The Acid Rain Program established under the Clean Air Act of 1990 has been successful in reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and ________.
nitrogen oxides
In 1970, ________ was/were the source of most of the airborne lead emissions in the United States.
not coal burning
Air near Earth's surface tends to be ________.
warmer and wetter; then it rises, expanding and cooling
Currently, issues related to which of the following cause the most premature deaths worldwide?
water
What sorts of constituents do atmospheric pollutants (such as sulfates and nitrates) react with to initiate the process that results in acid deposition?
water, oxygen, and oxidants
The huge dust storms that took place in the United States in the 1930s ________.
were the result of poor farming techniques