APES Air pollution

Which of the different components of smog depicted in the graph are most likely released from automobile exhaust?

A and B

In addition to a nearby mountain range, which of the following environmental conditions would be required for the process in the diagram to occur?

A cool sea breeze and a high pressure system

Which of the following is most responsible for the change in the emissions of volatile organic compounds ( ��� ) from 1970 to 2020 as shown in the graph?

An increase in air emission standards that began in 1970 that regulated corporate average fuel economy ( ���� ) standards.

Which of the following would be the strongest evidence in support of a scientist's contention that a local area was experiencing acid deposition?

An increase in the concentrations of soluble heavy metals in a local pond

Composed of fibers known to cause lung disease

Asbestos

Which of the curves on the graph depicts the concentration of ozone, which requires sunlight to form?

C

Catalytic converters reduce which of the following pairs of pollutants in car exhaust?

Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons

Which type of electricity-generating power plant releases radioactive materials as well as toxic metals such as lead and arsenic under normal operating conditions?

Coal-burning

The data that were used to create this graph were collected in the winter. Which of the following best describes how the graph would be different if the data were collected in the middle of the summer?

Concentrations for component C would be higher throughout the graph.

In the figure above, the letters A, B, and C represent the different thermal layers present in an inversion. Which of the following shows the correct sequence of thermal layers as one moves vertically upwards from the surface of Earth?

Cool sea breeze → Warm → Cool

Which of the following is most likely responsible for the indoor air pollutant shown in the graph?

Cracks in the basement foundation

Which of the following best describes the efficiency of dry scrubbers at removing particles that are less than 2 micrometers in diameter?

Dry scrubbers are less than 10% efficient at removing particles less than 1�m in size.

Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture

Formaldehyde

Which of the following claims is best supported by the evidence provided by the article?

Frog populations may decrease in size as a result of males changing the pitch of their calls.

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data presented in the graph?

In moderately developed regions such as China and Latin America, an individual's health is more or as likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor pollution.

Which of the following would be the most effective plan for the manager to propose to the city?

Install electrostatic precipitators at the plant.

Scientists have discovered that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from trees can contribute to photochemical smog formation. Data in the table above were collected in 2006 and 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Isoprene is a VOC released by some tree species. Impact factor refers to the percentage of ozone attributed to the isoprene. Which of the following claims is best supported by the data shown in the table?

Isoprene's contribution to ozone levels in Berlin was greatest in July of both years.

Which of the following is true of the Clean Air Act?

It established a cap-and-trade program for SO2 in 1990.

The graph shows the average distance traveled by individuals in a population in an urban area in the southwestern United States. Based on the data, which of the following months most likely experiences the highest levels of photochemical smog?

July

Was once widely used in the United States as a gasoline additive

Lead

Which of the following best describes the process shown in the diagram above?

Less-dense, warm air creates a temperature inversion between more-dense layers, trapping pollutants near the ground.

The presence of which of the following in soil is most likely to neutralize acid rain?

Limestone

Which of the following conclusions can best be drawn from the data in the graph?

Location A has the greatest need for remediation because the radon levels in the building are the highest and exceed the EPA action level.

Of the following cities, which regularly experiences the worst levels of photochemical smog that is enhanced by thermal inversions?

Los Angeles, California

Which of the following best describes how a scientist could accurately study the effects of soil buffering on plant growth in a region that is affected by acid deposition downwind of a coal-burning power plant?

Measure the changes in plant height over a year in two different groups of trees the same distance from the power plant; one group is in topsoil and one group is in topsoil with limestone added.

Which of the following devices is correctly paired to the air pollutant it would be used to measure?

Measuring Device Gas sensor

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following insulation options is ineffective at insulating a home and greatly contributes to indoor air pollution?

Mineral fiber batt

Which of the following methods would best identify changes from acid deposition in an area over time?

Monitoring the long-term chemical and biological parameters of an ecosystem

Which of the following best describes why the authors claim that reducing noise exposure is currently more of a public policy problem than a scientific problem?

Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s.

(Graph) Which of the following best explains the pattern in NO concentration?

NO is produced by rush-hour traffic and is quickly oxidized in the atmosphere.

Which of the following components of photochemical smog is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent odor?

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

Which of the following best describes why the authors claim that noise exposure will be a major health problem in the twenty-first century?

Noise exposure is on the increase in both industrialized nations and in developing regions.

Based on the author's claim in the article, which of the following statements best describes the effect of noise pollution on wildlife?

Noise pollution has a negative effect on wildlife activities such as mating, establishing territories, and predator-prey interactions.

Scientists have discovered that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from trees can contribute to photochemical smog formation. Data in the table above were collected in 2006 and 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Isoprene is a VOC released by some tree species. Impact factor refers to the percentage of ozone attributed to the isoprene. Which of the following best describes the relationship between variables in the data table?

Ozone maximum is correlated to average and maximum temperature.

An engineer is assigned the task of reducing the air pollutants being released from a power plant that generates electricity by burning coal. The engineer performs a variety of computer simulations to determine which techniques and methods would be most effective at reducing air pollution generated by the plant. The air pollutant that computer simulations would likely show as being the most reduced by the installation of electrostatic precipitators in exhaust systems

Particulate matter

Scientists have been monitoring CO2 in the atmosphere from Mauna Loa in Hawaii since 1958. Which of the following units is used by scientists to measure CO2 in the atmosphere?

Parts per million

Which of the following points on the graph best illustrates the location where pollutants are most likely to accumulate as a result of a thermal inversion?

Point D

What is one potential impact of increased noise pollution in national parks that is supported by the article?

Prey populations are likely to increase in national parks because predators have a decreased ability to hear prey sounds.

Which of the following is the most likely reason for the trend shown in the graph of fluctuating indoor radon levels over the course of a year?

Radon levels tend to increase in the colder months because of the difference in temperature inside and outside the home, which creates a vacuum pulling radon into the home at a higher rate.

Which of the following is an appropriate remediation strategy for removing radon gas from the home?

Seal and ventilate places where radon enters the living space.

Based on the layers in the diagram, which of the following best explains why a thermal inversion tends to concentrate pollutants in the air layer closest to the Earth's surface?Based on the layers in the diagram, which of the following best explains why a thermal inversion tends to concentrate pollutants in the air layer closest to the Earth's surface?

The air layer closest to the Earth's surface is denser than the layer above it.

Which of the following best describes the impact of modifying the slurry by increasing the amount of limestone?

The amount of sulfur dioxide released will decrease.

Which of the following best describes how their choice of control group could affect the results of their experiment?

The coal-burning power plant would not appear to have a large impact because the �� levels of the two lakes would be similar.

Scientists have been collecting atmospheric CO2 data for many years to monitor changes over time. Which of the following best describes why an island location, such as the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, is an ideal location to measure global CO2 concentrations?

The location is far from any continent, providing atmospheric air samples that are less likely to be affected by industry and transportation.

Canada has proposed an action plan to address climate change and air pollution. The action plan will reduce the impact of greenhouse gases and pollutants on the environment and human health. Which of the following claims about the Canadian action plan is best supported by the data in the graph?

The plan supports phasing out traditional coal power plants and transitioning to sources like hydroelectricity, wind, and solar power.

Which of the following best describes why the authors do not claim that noise exposure induces birth defects in humans?

There is insufficient evidence to support that noise exposure induces birth defects in humans.

A student is setting up a model to study the carbon cycle and natural sources of carbon dioxide. They create a microenvironment that contains soil, leaf debris, an earthworm, heterotrophic bacteria, and a sun lamp. What natural source of carbon dioxide and major metabolic process was left out of the model?

There is no representation of photosynthesis in the model environment.

Air pollution from a power plant is being monitored for levels of nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone. The levels are measured daily at the same time. Which of the following best predicts the impact of a dark and cloudy day on the readings for the levels of air pollutants measured?

There will be an increase in the level of nitrogen dioxide and a decrease in the level of ground-level ozone.

Which of the following is true about the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 ?

They allowed power plants to buy and sell SO2 pollution allowances.

Which of the following best explains the cause of the trend shown in the graph for lead emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2011 ?

Unleaded gasoline was first introduced in 1974, and amendments to the Clean Air Act required cars with the model year 1975 or later to use only unleaded gasoline.

Which of the following best explains the cause of the trend shown in the graph for lead emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2011?

Unleaded gasoline was first introduced in 1974, and amendments to the Clean Air Act required cars with the model year 1975 or later to use only unleaded gasoline.

Which of the following activities would most likely account for the levels of indoor air pollution in India and sub-Saharan Africa, as shown in the graph?

Use of biomass fuel sources such as wood and charcoal for cooking

Which of the following sources should be examined in a study to determine the impact of a geologic source on levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Volcanoes

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following methods would be most effective at removing the greatest amount of particulate matter from coal-burning power plant emissions?

Wet scrubbers using a flow rate of 450Lmin are best suited to remove large particles.

Which of the following is used to reduce SO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants?

Wet-scrubber units

An air pollution expert set up a monitoring program to determine the amount of particulate matter (PM) leaving a farmer's field after crops were harvested and the soil was bare. She set up high-volume air samplers 10 meters from each edge of the square field and collected samples weekly for two months. When she looked at her data, she was surprised by how much the PM levels varied, both from site to site on a given date and over time at each site. Which of the following parameters would have been best to measure to help explain the variation in her results?

Wind direction and speed

Smoke from forest fires is most likely to affect air quality over larger areas for many days when

a persistent atmospheric inversion exists in the region

The three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollutants in the United States are

industry, transportation, and energy production

A researcher wants to determine if ponds and lakes downwind of a coal-burning power plant are affected by the plant's emissions. Which of the following would be the best parameter from the water in the ponds and lakes to measure in order to determine the effect of the plant's emissions on the aquatic ecosystems?

pH

Which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition?

reducing use of fossil fuels

If the air layers in the diagram were relabeled to illustrate normal atmospheric conditions, the correct labeling from the air layer closest to the Earth's surface to the one farthest from the Earth's surface would be

warm air, cool air, cooler air

The danger from radon gas would most likely be greatest in

well-insulated homes