APES Unit 7 Review

sulfur dioxide --> sulfuric acid (acid deposition)

- coal burning power plants - natural sources include volcanoes and geothermal energy

consequences of acid rain

- dissolves marble and limestone which can eat away buildings and statues - leaches nutrients from soils - elevates aluminum in soil hindering water and nutrient uptake by plants - crop damage - lakes becomes more acidic which hurts the organisms in lake - forests have decreased ability to withstand cold weather - affects communities downwind from coal power plants - some ecosystems have more limestone in bedrock which neutralizes effect of acid rain on lakes and ponds

Beginning in _____ (what year), all new cars and trucks were required to have a catalytic converter. Where is the catalytic converter located on a vehicle?

1975 - between the engine and the muffler, They are full of rare and expensive metals which are necessary for conducting the reactions that clean the exhaust.

Acid deposition refers to precipitation with a ph of less than ________.

5.6

How/why does acid deposition reduce biodiversity? Include both terrestrial and aquatic.

Acid deposition changes the pH of aquatic habitats, which can lead to fish death. Acid harms plants and can kill seedlings. Acid leaches minerals from the soil which can lead to deficiencies in plants, which leads to nutrient deficiencies in herbivores that rely on them.

Explain the connection between acid deposition linked to metal pollution (like mercury and aluminum).

Acids leach metals from the soil, such as mercury and aluminum. These metals are toxic to both plants and animals.

Choose two animals that communicate by sound. Describe their sound communication, and the impact of having those sounds masked or disterbed by noise pollution.

Bats communicate using high frequencies. If they couldn't hear, they would have a hard time communicating with each other and even finding their way around. Dolphins also use sound to communicate with each other. Similar results would happen if their hearing was damaged.

While catalytic converters have significantly reduced CO, NOx and hydrocarbon pollution, they are arguably adding even more of another harmful gas to the atmosphere. What gas? _____Why is it harmful?

CO2 and NO2 - CO2 is linked to climate change, and NO2 has a global warming potential more than 300 times that of carbon doixide.

how does lead impact human health?

Can cause brain damage, lowers IQ

how does radon impact human health?

Can cause lung cancer

how do nitrogen oxides impact human health?

Can cause respiratory problems, burning eyes and throats

Briefly explain how electrostatic precipitators clean pollutants from the air.

Dirty air is passed though an area with high negative charge, which passes that negative charge to the particles (pollution) in the air. The dirty air is then passed between positively charged plates, which attract the negatively charged particles. The particles stick to the plates, allowing clean air to exit the filter.

True or False - All VOCs are anthropogenic. Explain:

False - Most VOCs are produced by human activities except for ones produced by plants

You discover that your home has high levels of radon. What can you do to prevent radon from entering and building up in your home?

Increase ventilation and air flow. Seal cracks in floors and walls. Use plastic sheeting as a barrier between ground and home.

why does low wind lead to photochemical smog?

Low wind means that the smog will stay within the area and won't be pushed away.

Some animals respond to noise by leaving. Explain how this can impact populations of plant species in noisy areas

Many animals are pollinators, and necessary for plants to reproduce. Animals also help plants disperse their seeds. For these reasons, plant populations can change drastically if animals leave the area due to noise pollution.

how does asbestos impact human health?

May cause asbestosis, lung cancer

how does formaldehyde impact human health?

May cause burning in the eyes, nose, and throat, cause coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation

how do particulates impact human health?

May cause decreased lung function and increased respiratory issues

Cool air is (more / less) dense than warm air. Explain how this fact contributes to the trapping of smog during thermal inversion.

More - Normally, warm air near the ground will rise, bringing pollutants up away with it. During inversions, cool dense air near the ground is trapped there by the warm air above it.

The primary pollutants ______ and ________ emitted from ___ burning power plants and ____, undergo chemical reactions to form the secondary pollutants ____ and ______ which fall as acid deposition.

NOx, SO2, coal, vehicle emissions, sulfuric acid, nitric acid

Circle the components necessary in order to make long-lasting photochemical smog.

Nitrogen oxides, VOCs, sunlight, oxygen

Why is ozone considered a pollutant when it is formed in the troposphere?

Ozone can harm the respiratory tract, making it difficult to breath, damaging lung tissue. It can cause dizziness and nausea. Ozone also damages plants, restricting growth.

What is the purpose of the ozone layer in the lower stratosphere?

Ozone in the stratosphere blocks harmful UV rays, preventing them from reaching the earth.

why does a warmer climate lead to photochemical smog?

Photochemical smog is created with heat and sunlight, so a warmer climate will produce more of that smog.

Particulate matter (PM) is regulated at 10 microns and below. Why are larger particulates not regulated?

Small particles have a greater potential of getting into your lungs and causing more damage - The hairs and mucus in the nose and throat can trap and eliminate particles that are larger than 10 mincrons

List three ways that human health is impacted by noise pollution.

Stress, anxiety, irritation, trouble sleeping, high blood pressure, cardiac problems, cognitive and memory problems

In urban areas, nitrogen oxide builds up in the atmosphere during then (day / night). Why?

Sunlight breaks NO2 into NO and O. The formation normally peaks in the afternoon because of the direct sunlight. Plus this is when most people are out driving.

Besides preventing air pollution, how are vapor recovery nozzles helpful for the environment (think conservation)?

The gas is saved, rather than evaporated, leading to less waste.

These pollutants can travel thousands of miles by the wind. How does this fact make reducing local acid deposition more difficult?

The impact of acid rain is often very far away from the source of pollutants - even across the world. Regulations must be global to truly stop the problem. For example, industry in Asia can end up in Japan.

What is the role of VOCs in forming photochemical smog?

The sun's rays break up nitrogen oxides, freeing an oxygen atom to beind with O2 to form ozone (O3). Without VOCs, the chemical reaction will go in reverse, forming O2 and nitrogen oxide again. However, VOCs will bind to the nitrogen, forming other compounds which contribute to the smog, and preventing the extra oxygen in ozone from breaking down and returning to nitrogen oxide.

What is one large disadvantage to all of these industrial scrubbing systems?

They are expensive, require maintenance, and they all require electricity (which is expensive, and if sourced from fossil fuel, will lead to more pollution).

why do urban areas lead to photochemical smog?

Urban areas have more cars which release more NOx which help create ozone.

Overall, would you say that the Clean Air Act has been successful? Explain your thoughts.

Yes! Nearly all pollutants have been reduced and continue to go down as amendments are added.

Currently, levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are _____ parts per million (ppm)

about 400 - This means that if you take one million (1,000,000) molecules from the air, 400 of those molecules (0.04%) would be carbon dioxide molecules.

The greatest effects of acid deposition are on (terrestrial / aquatic) ecosystems.

aquatic

Explain what CO does in the body and how it can result in asphyxiation.

carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood, preventing oxygen from binding. If the blood can not pick up oxygen, oxygen can not get to body cells, and the body dies from lack of oxygen.

conditions that leads to a higher incidence of photochemical smog:

dry, warm, sunny climate, city in a valley, urban areas, low wind, many tall buildings, high populations

True or False: Normal rain water has a ph of 7.0.

false

Wet scrubbers use ________ to trap pollutants and separate them from exhaust streams, while dry scrubbers use _______

fluid, dry chemicals

what type of country is particulate matter typically found in?

industrial b/c they have factories that use fuels that release a lot of pollution

The Clean Air Act has significantly reduced a number of air pollutants in the United States. which pollutant that has been reduced the most by far: CO2 - NO2 - SO2 - lead - ozone

lead b/c lead has been removed from gasoline

Indoor air pollution is much (more of a / less of a) threat to human health than outdoor air pollution.

more of a

Regions with naturally acidic soils and granite bedrock are (more / less) susceptible to the effects of acid deposition, while regions with limestone bedrock are (more / less) susceptible.

more, less

Mold is a (natural, man-made) pollutant. What kind of conditions leads to mold problems?

natural - moist, dark conditions

examples of primary pollutants

pm from a stove, CO released from volcano, burning natural gas forms NOXs, toxic metals released during coal combustion

nitric oxides --> nitric acid (acid deposition)

sources: motor vehicles that burn gasoline, coal burning power plants, natural sources including forest fires

examples of secondary pollutants

tropospheric ozone accumulating during the day, SO combining with O2 in atmosphere to make sulfur trioxide

non-anthropogenic sources of CO2

volcano, wildfire, decomposition, respiration, oceans

non-anthropogenic sources of particulate matter

volcano, wildfire, pollen, dust, salt spray