6.1: Introduction to the Atmosphere
Name a greenhouse gas
Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Water Vapor, Nitrous Oxide, Hydrofluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons, Sulfur hexafluoride, and Nitrogen Trifluoride are accepted.
State the region of gas in the stratosphere that protects life on earth by filtering out most harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
Ozone Layer
Ozone forms in the troposphere. Which pollutants are most responsible for photochemical smog or ground ozone?
Volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides
The direct uptake by the ground of pollutants in particles, aerosols, and gases in the absence of precipitation, is ___
dry deposition
Without any greenhouse gases, Earth would ___
be much colder at night and very hot during the day.
What does the albedo effect describe?
Sunlight that is reflected off various surfaces on Earth
True or False: UV rays can cause obvious short-term damage, such as sunburn, as well as long-term damage that accumulates with each exposure to the sun
True
Which product of incomplete combustion gives photochemical smog its yellowish color
Nitrous Oxides
Identify two critical plant nutrients removed by acid precipitation
Ca & Mg
Which agreement allowed for a reduction, and eventual elimination, of CFC production and use?
Montreal Protoccol
Human activities impact the atmosphere by altering
inputs and outputs
What are the consequences of Stratospheric ozone depletion?
Decreased crop yield, skin cancer, cataracts, and wrinkling/aging/burning of skin
Source burning of wood, diesel, and other fuels, agriculture (plowing, burning off fields), unpaved roads, some industry
Health effects: nose and throat inflation, lung damage, bronchitis
Environmental effects: the main cause of haze that reduces visibility
Particulate matter
Which are the primary pollutants that lead to acid deposition?
NO2, Co2, So2
Industrial smog differs from photochemical smog because ___
it forms from smoke and sulfur dioxide emissions mixing with fog
Which gas was about 35% of the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere at the end of the Carboniferous period in geological time due to photosynthesizing plants?
Oxygen
Though CFC production has been curtailed, the threat to stratospheric ozone continues because CFCs
persist and continue to destroy ozone for decades, and are illegally produced, sold, and traded
The amount of primary pollutants in the air increases during ___
high traffic
Which metal that causes damage to fish & aquatic life forms is released from acid precipitation?
Al
An air pollution prevention mechanism found in vehicles is a ___
catalytic converter
Describe how the greenhouse effect works
Earth's surface heats from isolation. Earth radiates infrared heat into the atmosphere where it is trapped and re-emitted by greenhouse gases.
Antarctica has more pronounced ozone destruction because
the stratospheric ice clouds are more pronounced there, and the circumpolar vortex is more pronounced there.
The principal component of photochemical smog
Source: Chemical reaction of VOCs and NOx
Health effects: breathing problems, reduced lung capacity, asthma, eye irritation, reduced resistance to disease
Environmental effects: can damage plants
O3
Which ions increase in concentration in acidic soil?
H+
The equation of a curve is y = x - (9/x) + 8 for x>0.
Find dy/dx
1 + (9/x^2)