chapter 10 environmental practice questions
What is acid deposition? What causes it?
when acidic or acid-forming pollutants in the atmosphere deposit on the surface of Earth, and this can occur from any precipitation (such as rain, snow or sleet), but also from fog, gases and dry particles.
Define primary and secondary air pollutants
A primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source. A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere.
What is the ratio of direct costs and benefits of the clean air act? What costs are mainly saved?
Costs are electricity, non utility industrial, on road vehicles and fuel, non-road vehicles and fuel, area sources, local controls, with vehicles and electricity being the greatest. Benefits include decrease in pollutants in most categories by half, and the reduction in risk to Bronchitis, heart disease, and lost work days. The ratio is that benefits outweigh the costs by an exponential amounts.
What is an atmospheric inversion, and how does it trap air pollutants?
During an inversion, warmer air is held above cooler air; the normal temperature profile with altitude is inverted. An inversion traps air pollution, such as smog, close to the ground. An inversion can also suppress convection by acting as a "cap"
Give one example of current air quality problems and one success in controlling pollution in a developing country.
In Delhi, India to control a major problem with smog, such that it was the equivalent of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, they installed catalytic converters to decrease the emissions from cars, and the only fighter was the rising income and more cars going on the road.
Which of the conventional pollutants has decreased most in the recent past and which has decreased least?
Lead decreased by 98% and NO2 is the greatest from human production
What is long-range air pollution transport? Give two examples.
Long-range air pollution transport is when air pollutants are transported through the atmosphere within a moving air mass for a distance greater than 600 kilometers. Two examples of this would be carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide.
What are the six "criteria: pollutants in the clean air act? Why were they chosen? Why were they chosen? What are some additional hazardous air toxins have been added to the list regulated by the Clean Air Act?
Particulate materials, lead, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide These six were chosen because they contributed the largest volume of air quality degradation and are considered the most serious threat to human health and welfare Additional toxins are asbestos, benzene, mercury, and PCBs
What is the difference between ambient and stratospheric ozone? What is destroying stratospheric ozone?
The ambient ozone is a criteria air pollutant that impacts both human morbidity and mortality while the stratospheric ozone absorbs the sun's UV radiations. stratospheric ozone is being destroyed by chlorine-based aerosols
What pollutants in indoor air may be hazardous to your health? What is the greatest indoor air problem globally?
What is the greatest indoor air problem globally? Chloroform, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, formaldehyde, and styrene care among the pollutants in indoor areas that are higher concentrated, up to 70 times greater in indoor air than outdoor, along with molds, pathogens, and other biohazards.
