FRQ unit 7

Identify a specific compound linked to ozone depletion and describe how it depletes the ozone in the atmosphere.

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Using both a drawing and a description, detail how the greenhouse effect works. Identify the type of radiation and the layer of the atmosphere involved in this phenomenon for full credit.

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Briefly describe how climate change can lead to rising sea levels.

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(a) Based on the rate cited above, calculate the expected increase in sea level, in meters, during the next 50 years.

3.0 mm/yr × 50 yrs = 150 mm = 0.15 m yr

(d) Identify a human activity that leads to the formation of tropospheric ozone as a secondary pollutant and explain why tropospheric ozone levels peak in the daytime.

A human activity that leads to the formation of tropospheric ozone is the use of a car (car exhaust). Tropospheric ozone levels peak at daytime because there are the greatest amount of cars on the road at this time (rush hour traffic).

(i) Describe one negative economic impact that an increase in sea level will have on people who live along a coastline.

A negative economic impact of rising sea levels will have could be to flood large areas of land used for both real estate and commercial uses.

(ii) Identify a specific human respiratory illness that one of the pollutants you identified may cause.

A person might develop Asthma from the exposure to particulate matter like ash.

(i) Explain the process by which CFCs lead to the destruction of stratospheric ozone. (You may use chemical equations in your answer.)

Absorption of UV radiation by CFC molecules releases chlorine atoms CCl3F + UV → CCl2F + Cl Chlorine atoms break down ozone molecules Cl + O3 → ClO + O2

(c) Describe TWO environmental impacts that increasing sea level will have on an estuarine ecosystem such as those in the Mississippi Delta, Chesapeake Bay, and San Francisco Bay

An impacts would be to increase the salinity levels further in as more salt water mixes with the freshwater, which could cause some habitats to become unsuitable for various forms of life. Another effect would be to raise the level of water, thus flooding once dry areas may have been used as homes or resting grounds for various species.

(i) Identify TWO air pollutants released during the burning of biomass indoors for cooking and heating.

Carbon monoxide Particulate Matter

(c) Discuss one reason children under the age of five are at a greater risk than adults for illnesses linked to household air pollutants.

Children have a lower body mass than adults. This means that it takes less of the dose of an indoor pollutant to harm their health than an adult which leads to a greater risk of illness

Identify ONE human and ONE environmental effect that ozone depletion can have.

Human effect- skin cancer Environmental effect- Decrease in plant productivity

(b) The absorption of solar energy by stratospheric ozone causes ozone molecules to undergo chemical decomposition and formation. Describe the chemical processes that lead to this natural balance between decomposition and formation of stratospheric ozone (you may use chemical equations in your answer)

Ozone absorbs UV radiation producing an oxygen molecule and an oxygen atom, which then react to form ozone O3 + UV → O2 + O → O3

(e) Identify one negative ecological impact and one negative human health impact that result from the formation of tropospheric ozone.

Ozone in the troposphere is harmful to plants because it destroys plant tissues. To humans, tropospheric ozone is a respiratory irritation and can result in eye irritation and inflammation of the lungs.

Specifically, describe how and where ozone is a "beneficial" component in Earth's atmosphere.

Ozone is beneficial in the stratosphere. The ozone in the stratosphere absorbs radiation from preventing us to have effects in our bodies and protects us.

Specifically, describe how and where ozone is a "detrimental" component in Earth's atmosphere.

Ozone is detrimental in the troposphere. This is where the green house gases occurs release different kinds of pollution and where climate change occurs not where ozone depletion occurs.

Select one of these pollutants and identify one technology that can be used to remove it from the waste stream of coal-burning power plants.

Particulates can be removed from the smokestacks of coal burning by adding wet scrubber to the smoke stack.

(b) Identify one realistic approach, other than banning the practice of burning biomass indoors, which could be used to reduce the impact of biomass combustion indoors on human respiratory health. Describe how this approach could reduce the incidence of respiratory illness.

Proper ventilation techniques like chimney can reduce the impacts. It removes the air pollution from indoors and transfers pollutants out of the home, this would lead to less respiratory illness

(d) Choose TWO of the three common indoor air pollutants (asbestos, radon, or mold) listed above and complete the following table (i) Identify a source for each indoor air pollutant

Radon- Gas from uranium containing rocks Asbestos- insulation and building material

(ii) Describe a method for reducing exposure to each of the two pollutants you chose.

Radon- Seal floors, walls, joints and the house completely from any infiltration of radon gas Asbestos- Safely remove asbestos containing any material in the insulation.

(a) Identify the type of solar radiation that is absorbed by stratospheric ozone and describe one human health benefit that results from the absorption of this solar energy.

Stratospheric ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation, without ozone absorbing ultraviolet there would be an increase in the amount of skin cancer that occurs.

(ii) Describe TWO viable strategies that governments could use to discourage people from moving to coastal areas.

The government could limit the amount of new development along the coast line and could also offer incentives to live away from the coast, such as tax breaks or cheaper land than what can be found along the coast.

(b) Identify TWO phenomena that result from an increase in global mean atmospheric temperature and that contribute to increases in sea level. For each phenomenon that you identify, explain how it causes sea level to increase.

Two phenomena is thermal expansion of the oceans and the melting of land based glaciers. Thermal expansion occurs because as things get warmer, they expand and as the atmosphere gets warmer so does the ocean. It expands based on the thermal expansion coefficient of water. The melting of land based glacier, such as Greenland, contributes to a rise in sea level because as it gets warmer, more ice melts and flows into the sea. This increases the amount of water in the ocean.

(ii) Explain why the rapid decrease in CFC emissions has not led to a similarly rapid decrease in the destruction of stratospheric ozone.

because CFCs take a long time to travel to the poles and affect the ozone in the stratosphere. It takes many years for the CFC to reach to stratosphere and break apart ozone molecules, therefore we will see a very large depletion in the ozone in upcoming years.

Climate change is another atmospheric issue related to air pollution. Identify ONE carbon sink that naturally sequesters carbon dioxide.

photosynthesis?