Ch 15 environmental
A large body of air in which properties such as temp, pressure, and humidity are similar
Air mass
What are the main layers of the atmosphere
1. The troposphere 2. The stratosphere - the ozone layer 3. The mesosphere 4. Thermosphere
What is a barometer used for?
A barometer is an instrument used for measuring air pressure
What is a catalytic converter?
A device in a motor vehicle that reduces the amount of air pollutants in emissions. This is why cars and trucks cause less pollution.
Central Case
Air pollution isn't a new problem in London even during the Middle Ages there was pollution from coal. In December 1952 weather conditions trapped pollutants over the city for days. They called it the killer smog, people that breathed it in got sick. The smog killed at least 4000 people. This caused the Great Britain began to take steps to control air pollution. Today burning coal is no longer a major source of pollution. In February 2003 London came up with a plan, the "congestion charging" program. This program charged drivers a fee for entering the city. Since the program started traffic congestion has gone down nearly 30 percent.
The force exerted by air on the area below it; also called atmospheric pressure
Air pressure
The thin layer of gases that surrounds earth
Atmosphere
Air masses / warm and cold fronts
Cold front moving in: In a cold front, colder air pushes beneath warmer air, resulting in heavy precipitation. Cold air is heavier than warm air, which causes the warm air to move up and form clouds. This makes heavy precipitation form when the cold air is shoved underneath it pushing warm air causing storms, Warm front moving in: Warm air comes in, which are thin clouds. Warm air rises over cooler air, causes the air to condense and causes light or moderate precipitation
The transfer of heat directly between two objects that are in conduct with each other
Conduction
The transfer of heat in a fluid as warm parts of the fluid rise from the heat source and expand
Convection
The movement in a fluid as warm parts of the fluid rise and cool parts sink
Convention current
Success stories
In 1990 congress revised the Clean Air Act and gave the EPA authority to control industrial emissions of pollutants that create acid precipitation. In addition to placing limits on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, the acid rain program outlined a system of emissions cap-and-trade for sulfur dioxide. Government regulations currently limit sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants to 50 percent below 1980 levels. Which is a reduction of 7 million tons of sulfur dioxide per year. The national atmospheric deposition program collects rainwater from around the country and analyzes its oh and chemical content. The program found that acid precipitation has gone down throughout the country. The acidity if precipitation has gone down from 4.15 to 4.5.
Altitude and air pressure
In general the lower the altitude, or height above sea level, the higher the air pressure. Similarly, the air at the bottom of the column of air is under greater pressure than the air higher up. Air pressure at sea level is about 1000 millibars. In contrast, at the top of Mount Everest, air pressure is just over 300 millibars
condensation?
In general warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. Suppose warm air contains all the water vapor it can hold and then the air cools down. When this happens, the water vapor becomes liquid water or ice in a process called condensation.
effects of acid deposition
It can harm ecosystems and structures that humans have built. It can kill trees and destroy whole forests. When acid gets into the soil harmful chemicals can be released
A carbon containing fuel formed over millions of years from the remains of living things
Fossil-fuel
The boundary between air masses that differ in temperature and moisture
Front
What is cleaner gasoline?
Gasoline once contained lead and lead was a big part of the emissions from vehicles. Lead from vehicles can settle into the ground and contaminate it. The EPA has been working to phase out lead in gasoline since 1973. Today gasoline used in cars and trucks contains almost no lead.
The release of damaging materials into the atmosphere
Air pollution
The concentration of ozone in the atmosphere
Ozone layer
A pollutant released directly into the troposphere; can cause damage to itself or react with other substances to cause damage
Primary air pollutant
What are primary and secondary air pollutants
Primary air pollutants, such as soot and carbon monoxide, are pollutants released directly into the troposphere. Primary air pollutants may cause damage themselves, or they may react with other products to cause damage. Harmful products produced when primary air pollutants react chemically with other substances are called secondary air pollutants. Secondary air pollutants include tropospheric ozone and sulfuric acid.
A device that removes pollutants or changes them chemically before they leave factory smokestakes
Scrubber
A harmful substance produced when a primary pollutant reacts with other substances
Secondary air pollutant
An unhealthy mixture of air pollutants that can form over cities and nearby areas
Smog
What is smog and what are three different types of smog?
Smog- smoke and fog... is an unhealthy mixture of air pollutions that may form over cities and nearby areas 1. Industrial smog- Industrial smog is produced when soot combines with sulfur compounds and water droplets in air. 2. Photochemical smog- Photochemical smog is a thick, brownish haze that forms when sunlight acts on certain air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and chemicals called hydrocarbons. 3. Automobile smog
The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere; extends 11 to 50 km above sea level
Stratosphere
Clean air act
The clean air act has reduced the worst air pollutants by 57 percent
What are the two types of barometers called and used for?
Mercury barometer and an aneroid barometer 1. mercury barometer- air pressure pushes a column of mercury upward in a tube. The greater the air pressure, the higher the mercury rises. When a mercury barometer is used, air pressure is usually expressed in inches because the height of the mercury column in the barometer is measured in inches. 2. aneroid barometer- has a metal chamber whose walls bend inward when air pressure is high. The walls bulge out when air pressure is low. The bending of the chamber walls moves a dial, and the dial indicates the changing air pressure. In an aneroid barometer, air pressure is expressed in units called millibars.
The layer of the atmosphere above the stratosphere; extends 50 to 80 km above sea level
Mesosphere
A treaty that limits the production of chlorofluorocarbons
Montreal Protocol
Temperature in the stratosphere
The stratosphere is warmer than lower levels but its maximum temperature is 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
The pH scale and precipitation
pH scale- used to measure whether solutions are acidic or alkaline It values on a scale range from 0 to 14 - a pH of 7 us neutral - a pH higher than 7 is alkaline - a pH lower than 7 is an acid The pH of precipitation varies. Normal precipitation is slightly acidic, with a pH of about 5.6. Acid precipitation has a lower pH. Some areas in the United States have precipitation with a pH as low as 4.3
What is relative humidity?
the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature.
Three ways air pollutants affect your health
1. Respiratory system 2. Cancer 3. Blood
What is a scrubber
"As a result of the Clean Air Act, industries and power plants have been required to reduce the amount of pollutants they release. Scrubbers are responsible for much of this reduction. A scrubber removes pollutants or changes them chemically before they leave factory smokestacks
The area of lowered ozone concentration over Antarctica
Ozone hole
Properties of the atmosphere include
1. Composition 2. Relative humidity 3. Temperature 4. Air pressure
Most of the air we breathe is made up of what?
78% nitrogen, 21% of oxygen, 1% of other several gases, and water vapor
Water vapor containing acids, that falls to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, or hails
Acid deposition
A device in a motor vehicle that reduces the amount of pollutants in emissions
Catalytic converter
A chemical compound containing fluorine and carbon; developed for use in refrigeration and spray-can propellants
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
An act that sets strict standards for air quality and strengthens the governments ability to enforce regulations
Clean Air Act
A substance that is released into the atmosphere; the cause of air pollution
Emission
What are two main sources of air pollution?
Natural processes: Natural processes produce a great deal of the world's air pollution. Winds sweeping over dry land can create huge dust storms. Winds sometimes blow dust across oceans from one continent to another. Volcanic eruptions release tiny solid particles and gases into the atmosphere. Fires in forests and grasslands also produce smoke, soot, and gases. "Human activities can make some natural pollution worse. For example, some farming and grazing practices strip most plants from the soil. When there are few plant roots to hold soil in place, wind erosion may occur. Wind erosion can lead to dust storms. Human sources: Our industries, the cars we drive, and the way we produce electricity has introduced many sources of air pollution. Air pollution can come from point sources or non point sources. Most air pollution comes directly or indirectly from the combustion of fossil fuel.
Secondary Air Pollutants
Pollutant: Tropospheric ozone (O3): a colorless has with an u pleasant odor Source: results from the interaction of sunlight, heat, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds Effect: ozone in the stratosphere protects humans from radiation, but ozone in the troposphere can injure living tissues and cause respiratory problems Pollutant: sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3) Source: produced when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with water in atmosphere Effects: components of acid precipitation
Primary Air Pollutants
Pollutant: carbon monoxide (CO): colorless, odorless gas Source: the incomplete combustion (burning of fossil fuels by motor vehicles, industries, and other sources Effect: binds to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying chemical in blood; develops cells of oxygen Example: carbon monoxide poisoning from cars Pollutant: sulfur dioxide (SO2): colorless gas with a strong, unpleasant odor Source: burning of fossil fuels, especially coal for electricity and industry Effect: produces secondary pollutants that are part of acid precipitation; causes lung irritation Example: comes from the burning of fossil fuels, coal, volcano Pollutant: nitrogen dioxide (NO2): a foul smelling, reddish brown gas that belongs to a family of compounds called nitrogen oxides Source: a reaction between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen in combustion engines and during the production of electricity Effect: can cause serious lung irritation; contributes to smog and acid precipitation Example: burning of fossil fuels and diesel Pollutant: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): carbon containing chemicals that evaporate easily, producing fumes Source: a reaction or many sources including vehicle engines, household cleaning products, some industrial processors, and natural processes Effect: some can cause serious lung-cancer, some interact with other chemicals to produce ozone in the troposphere Example: oil based compounds such as methane, propane, butane, and benzene... some may be found in Montgomery Pollutant: particulate matter: stuff in the air, solid, or liquid particles that are small enough to float in the atmosphere- soot, dust, tiny bite of metals Source: dust blown by wind: soot and chemicals produced by fires and combustion within engines; particles produced during construction and farming Effect: can affect breathing and damage lungs Example: smoke and dust... like COVID-19... virus particle and people wearing masks to keep from getting it Pollutant: lead: a heavy metal that is one type of particulate matter Source: industrial refinement of metals; in developing nations, gasoline contains lead Effect: can damage body tissues; including those in the nervous system Example: used to be in certain paints and lead filled gasoline
The transfer of energy through space
Radiation
Temperature inversions
Recall that in the troposphere, air temperature usually decreases as altitude increases. Earth's surface warms the air at low altitudes. Since warm air rises, any pollutants in the air are carried away from the surface and higher into the troposphere. This process removes pollutants from low altitudes and helps them disperse. The situation is different, however, when a temperature inversion occurs. A temperature inversion, or thermal inversion, is the condition in the troposphere in which a layer of cooler air is located beneath a layer of warmer air. Since cold air has a greater density than warm air, the air at Earth's surface does not rise and mix with the air higher up. Therefore, temperature inversions can keep air pollutants, including those found in smog, from going away.
The ratio of water vapor in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor the air could hold at that temperature expressed as a percentage
Relative humidity
Montreal Protocol
Scientists and other people became concerned about the possible effects of ozone depletion. They were afraid, for example, that cases of skin cancer would increase. As a result of this concern, many nations, including the United States, began to work together to restrict production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. In 1987, many nations signed the Montreal Protocol. The treaty, strengthened by later amendments, called for major cuts in CFC manufacture. Today the production and use of ozone-depleting compounds has fallen by 95 percent since the late 1980s. Industry was able to shift to different chemicals to perform the functions that CFCs used to perform. The new chemicals have largely turned out to be cheaper and more efficient.
The clean air act and its provisions
The Clean Air Act protects and improves the quality of air in order to safeguard human health and the environment. The law takes measures to reduce the emission of pollutants that cause health problems such as asthma and cancer. It also limits the release of pollutants responsible for environmental problems such as smog and acid deposition - The Act limits emissions of pollutants by motor vehicles and industries. • It sets standards for air quality. The law limits the concentration of some specific air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and particulate matter. The upper limit of each pollutant is based on the maximum amount that humans can tolerate without harm. • It lets people sue industries that break the rules. • It sets aside funds for research into pollution control.
The ozone layer
The most common form of oxygen is O2 but oxygen also occurs as O3 which is a gas called ozone. Ozone is concentrated in a portion of the stratosphere called the ozone layer. The upper stratosphere stratosphere than the lower stratosphere because ozone gas absorbs and scatters the suns UV rays.
Acid disposition
When some pollutants combine with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere, they form compounds called acids. These acids may settle to the surface of Earth as acid deposition. Acid deposition may consist of solid or gaseous particles, or the acids may dissolve in fog or precipitation. Acid precipitation is sometimes called acid rain, but any kind of precipitation, such as snow or sleet, can contain acidic pollutants.
Sources of acid deposition
comes from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants are produced by burning of fossil fuels. In the troposphere these compounds can react with water, oxygen, and other substances to produce acids such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid.