EVR CH 13
Current Events: Coal Burning Causes the Most Air Pollution Deaths in China, Study Finds
1. Doing which of the following would reduce deaths from PM 2.5 in China by the most? - eliminate the use of coal 2. Which of the following is likely to have the highest concentration of PM 2.5 in China? - a steel manufacturing province 3. Which of the following countries likely has the highest level of premature deaths due to PM 2.5? - turkey 4. Currently, issues related to which of the following cause the most premature deaths worldwide? - water 5. You enjoy travelling. Where are you likely to be exposed to the highest concentration of PM 2.5? - india
Everyday Environmental Science: China Pollution & Weather
1. 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 2. In general, China's air pollution . . . - decreases rainfall in California 3. How do dust particles from the vast deserts in China affect weather patterns? The dust . . . - increases the chances of rainfall in California 4. 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
Current Events: Tree-Dwelling, Coconut-Cracking Giant Rat Discovered in Solomon Islands
1. Stopping which of the following would likely help protect this newly discovered rat species the most? - habitat loss 2. Which of the following is true regarding this new to science species? - It likely exists only in the Solomon Islands. 3. You are part of a research team looking at this new species. Where would likely be the best place for you to look? - trees 4. Which of the following makes this species unique? - it is larger than a typical black rat 5. Which of the following is typically true? - It is a rare occurrence for a new mammal species to be discovered.
Interpreting Graphs and Data: Concentration of Air Pollutants
1. What does the y-axis show? - concentration of pollutants, in parts per million 2. What was the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at 8:00 A.M.? - 0.35 ppm 3. What is most likely to have caused the increase in atmospheric nitrogen oxide (NO) between 4 A.M. and 7 A.M.? - exhaust from vehicles during morning rush hour 4. In which period was the concentration of photochemical smog highest? - 11am to 3pm 5. What is most likely to have caused the rapid increase in photochemical smog between 8 A.M. and 11 A.M.? - reactions of nitrous oxides (NOx) and VOCs with oxygen in sunlight 6. What is most likely to have caused the levels of ozone and photochemical smog to decline after 4:00 P.M.? - The production of smog declined as the amount of sunlight decreased. 7. Which of the following factors would be most likely to lead to an overall increase in the level of photochemical smog? - a temperature inversion
Interpreting Graphs and Data: Temperature and Relative Humidity Over Three Days
1. What information is given on the x-axis? - time in 4-hour intervals 2. What does the red line represent? - temperature 3. What was the temperature at 9:00 A.M. on Day 1? - 12 °Celsius 4. Which day had the greatest range in temperature? - day 2 5. What is the best description of the relative humidity between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on Day 1? -The relative humidity dropped from 100% to 55%. 6. In which part of Days 1 and 2 was the humidity lowest? - late afternoon/evening 7. When was it most likely to have been foggy? - Day 2, between 5 A.M and 9 A.M. 8. What is the best description of the relationship between the two variables on the graph? - As the temperature rises, it causes the humidity to fall.
Interpreting Graphs and Data: Air Pollution and the Atmosphere
1. What was the percent change from 1970 to 2006 for vehicle miles traveled? - +175% 2. If the U.S. population in 1970 was approximately 200 million people, what was the approximate population by 2006? - 300 million people 3. Over the time period shown on the graph, both population and vehicle miles traveled have changed. Describe the relationship between the two factors. - by 2006, people were driving about twice as many miles per person as in 1970. 4. 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 5. 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
Everyday Environmental Science: Air Pollution Life Expectancy
1. Which of the following has contributed to longer life spans in the United States? - all of the above 2. 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 5 months 3. 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 4. Which of the following describes the greatest health risk posed by air pollution? Air pollutants . . . - damage blood vessels in human lungs
Case Study Video Tour: Clearing the Air in L.A. and Mexico City
1. 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. 2. 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 3. Which of the following results in increased levels of pollution caused by automobile exhaust? - the construction of new highways
Drag the pollutant on the left to each characteristic described on the right. Not all terms will be used.
1. lead 2. tropospheric ozone 3. particulate matter 4. carbon monoxide 5. nitrogen dioxide 6. sulfur dioxide
Drag the air pollution impact on the left to the description on the right. Terms may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
1. photochemical smog 2. stratospheric ozone depletion 3. stratospheric ozone depletion 4. acid deposition 5. stratospheric ozone depletion 6. photochemical smog 7. acid deposition 8. photochemical smog
Process of Science: Carbon Dioxide and the Growth of Forest Stands
1.) We got it wrong 2.) High CO2 -Top Row(left to right): X// -Bottom Row: X// Ambient CO2 -Top Row: X/X -Bottom Row: X/X 3.) Top Row(left to right): low, medium Bottom Row: high 4.) (left to right): desert, grassland, temperate forest, tropical rain forest
What is a secondary pollutant?
A pollutant that develops after a chemical reaction with chemicals normally present in the atmosphere
Causes and Consequences: Indoor Air Pollution
Causes: 1. inefficient indoor cookstoves 2. VOCs from paints, carpeting, and furniture 3. radon seepage into homes Consequences: 1. respiratory disease in developing countries 2. people ill from sick-building syndrome 3. lung cancer; 20,000 deaths per year in the United States Solutions: 1. measurement of radon with a test kit; increase in ventilation 2. purchase of low- or no-VOC paints, carpeting, and furniture 3. conversion to more efficient clean-burning cook stoves
Today, . . . has the worst acid deposition problem, primarily because of . . .
China; coal-fired electrical and industrial plants
How has the Clean Air Act's emissions trading program addressed the issue of acid deposition in the United States?
Economic incentives have encouraged polluters to invest in technologies such as scrubbers.
Near the equator, the patterns of convection currents are called . . .
Hadley cells
In the stratosphere, . . .
NOT: the average temperature is much lower than for the troposphere or temperature and ozone concentration are inversely correlated
The Earth's atmosphere is composed mostly of . . .
Nitrogen and Oxygen
Which of the following results from acid deposition?
Objects made of stone, like marble headstones, are worn away.
The EPA tracks six "criteria" air pollutants. Which of these is true of the criteria air pollutants?
Total emissions of the six have declined below their health standards set by the EPA.
What would do the most to reduce indoor air pollution in the developing world?
Using solar energy to heat homes
The "ozone hole" is a vast area of thinned ozone found over the . . . region of the Earth.
antarctic
Carbon monoxide . . .
blocks oxygen transport in human blood
Of the following, . . . is not yet regulated by the EPA.
carbon dioxide
Which of the following chemicals is NOT a VOC (volatile organic compound)?
carbon monoxide
Bacteria and fungal spores can be included as . . .
causes of building-related illness
Which of the following pollutants has the longest residence time?
chlorofluorocarbons (cfc's)
Which of the following are the top two primary indoor air pollutants in the United States?
cigarette smoke and radon gas
What describes the pattern of atmospheric conditions across larger geographic regions over years, decades, or centuries?
climate
In the 1970s, sources of CFC pollution in the United States included all of the following EXCEPT:
coal-burning power plants
What process depends on the cyclical, vertical movement of air currents: sinking cold, dense and rising warm, less dense air masses?
convective circulation
In 1970, . . . was/were the source of most of the airborne lead emissions in the United States.
gasoline
The Coriolis effect contributes to . . .
global wind patterns
You have been hired by a rapidly growing small city to improve the air quality, which has deteriorated in the past 10 years. Which of the following is most likely to be your first suggestion?
improve transportation options, including carpool lanes, buses, and light rail
Radon . . .
may cause lung cancer when inhaled
Which of the following damaging pollutants is not closely tracked by the U.S. EPA?
mercury
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
ozone is made of . . . and is broken down by . . .
oxygen; chlorine
The goal of the Montreal Protocol was to . . .
prevent stratospheric ozone depletion
A(n) . . . is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.
scrubber
Which of the following convert or remove airborne pollutants from smokestacks?
scrubbers
Which layer of the atmosphere tends to concentrate pollutants and extends 11-50 km above sea level?
stratosphere
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 piece of legislation set strict standards for air quality and pollution control in the United States?
the Clean Air Act
The major remaining problem was . . .
the large distances traveled daily by solitary commuters
Part of the reason that people's eyes would sting was . . .
the smoke and particulates from the burning trash
In which way does acid deposition originate?
through fossil fuel combustion by cars, electric utilities, and industrial facilities
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere is responsible for the weather that we experience on the surface of Earth?
troposphere
The huge dust storms that took place in the United States in the 1930s . . .
were the result of poor farming techniques
