Air Pollution
Layer of the atmosphere with weather
What is the troposphere?
RAPID FIRE: NAME 4 conditions that favor formation of thermal inversions
What is cool nights; long nights; calm winds; clear skies; mountain valleys/coastal regions bounded by mountains
Common pH of range of acid rain; how many times more acidic is this than freshwater?
What is pH ~ 4 to 5 ? Typically 10 - 100 times more acidic. EXAMPLE: if pH = 4.6, then 10 times more acid than freshwater at pH = 5.6.
Most common indoor pollutants in developing countries
What are CO and PM?
What is a secondary pollutant and what are 2 examples of them?.
What is a pollutant formed from chemical reactions within the atmosphere involving primary pollutants ? Examples: Ozone and Acids (Acid deposition)
What does SPLONC stand for?
6 criteria pollutants defined by the EPA.
BONUS - list what all 6 chemicals are...
Main source of sulfur dioxide pollutants
What is burning coal?
Toxic metal released from soil by acid rain
What is aluminum?
Most common type of indoor air pollutant in developed countries
What is VOCs (formaldehyde)?
Organic chemicals that vaporize readily and form toxic fumes.
What are VOCs - volatile organic compounds?
Usual range of an acid rain's pH
What is 4.0-5.2 pH?
Main source of NOx in the atmosphere
What are cars (combustion of fuel in cars)?
The main chemicals that cause acid rain.
What is Sulfur oxide (SO2) and Nitrogen oxides (NOx)?
The condition when buildings have very poor air quality.
What is sick building syndrome?
A pollutant that is put directly into the air by human activity
What is primary pollutant?
General reaction for the formation of photochemical smog
What is NOx + VOCs + UV light --> SMOG (Ozone + PANs)
When air high in the sky is warmer than air at ground level.
What is thermal (or temperature) inversion?
Effect of acid rain on plants.
What is damage to tissue and interference with photosynthesis?
A natural indoor pollutant.
What is radon?
This law, among other things, defined the criteria pollutants and requires industry to use scrubbers to reduce pollutant emissions
What is the Clean Air Act?
2 types of smog
What are industrial (gray) and photochemical (yellow/brown) smog
Which pollutant, NO or ozone, peaks later in the day and why.
What is ozone? Because it is a secondary pollutant so NO must be released first (precursor) AND need sunlight to form.
Materials easily destroyed by acid rain.
What are limestone, calcite, or marble?
What is asbestos?
Combustion of which fossil fuel releases the least pollution, and why?