Smog
This weather phenomenon occurs when a layer of warm air traps cooler, stagnant air (and pollutants) near the Earth’s surface
Thermal (temperature) inversion
This potent greenhouse gas is released by melting permafrost and the digestive processes of livestock.
Methane (CH4)
This device uses a liquid spray to "wash" sulfur dioxide out of coal-burning power plant emissions
scrubber
This "silent killer" impacts human health by binding to hemoglobin, drastically reducing the blood's ability to transport oxygen
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
This specific layer of the atmosphere contains the highest concentration of ozone, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation
Stratosphere
These two primary pollutants, largely from coal combustion and vehicle exhaust, are the main precursors to acid rain
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
While SO2 and CO are emitted directly from sources as primary pollutants, chemicals like O3 and H2SO4 are classified as this, because they form through reactions in the atmosphere
secondary pollutants
The 3 countries with the largest emissions of CO2 (in order!)
China, U.S., India
In 1997, the United States famously declined to ratify this protocol because it did not require emissions reductions from developing nations
Kyoto Protocol
This phenomenon, often caused by poor ventilation and off-gassing of VOCs from carpets or furniture, leads to various health symptoms for building occupants
Sick Building Syndrome
This international agreement was successfully designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production of CFCs
Montreal Protocol
Because of prevailing winds and high concentrations of industrial plants, this specific region of the United States has historically been most threatened by acid rain
the Northeast
This specific type of pollution, often seen in Los Angeles, is a brownish-orange haze formed when NOx and VOCs react with sunlight
Photochemical Smog
This type of cycle is demonstrated when rising temperatures cause Arctic sea ice to melt, which lowers the Earth's albedo and leads to further warming as the dark ocean absorbs more solar radiation
Positive Feedack Loop
These automotive components are designed to reduce NOx, Carbon Monoxide, and hydrocarbons in vehicle exhaust.
catalytic converters
If high-mercury coal has a concentration of 0.5 μg/g (recall that μg/g is just a ratio!) and you burn 2.5 million metric tons, this is the total mercury released in tons
1.25 tons
.5 x 2.5 = 1.25
While O3 is a pollutant in the troposphere, it is essential in the upper atmosphere because it filters out 95% of this specific type of high-energy solar radiation
UV-B (and/or UV-C) radiation
This calcium carbonate-based building material is particularly susceptible to erosion from acid rain.
Limestone or Marble
The Clean Air Act identifies these six "criteria pollutants" that the EPA must monitor and set standards for.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Particulate Matter (PM), Lead (Pb), and Ozone (O3)
While Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas, it is assigned a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1. Identify which specific class of synthetic "super greenhouse gases" can have a GWP upwards of 10,000 due to their long atmospheric lifetimes and high efficiency at absorbing infrared radiation
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
This pollution control device uses an electrical charge to make particles stick to metal plates, removing them from smokestack emissions.
electrostatic precipitator
This radioactive gas, which can cause lung cancer, typically seeps into homes through foundations built on certain types of bedrock
Radon-222
Explains how chlorine atoms act as catalysts to break down ozone molecules in the stratosphere.
Rowland-Molina Hypothesis
Acidification of soil causes the "mobilization" of this metal ion, which is normally locked in rocks but becomes soluble in acid, eventually clogging the gills of fish and causing them to suffocate
aluminum ions (Al3+)
While ground-level ozone (O3) is the most well-known secondary pollutant in photochemical smog, this other specific chemical—also formed from the reaction of NOx and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)—is notorious for being a powerful eye irritant and for damaging plant tissues.
Peroxyacyl Nitrates (PANs)
If the annual rate of CO2 increase is 1.5 ppm and the concentration in 2020 is 412.5 ppm, what concentration would you expect in 2100
532.5 ppm
2100-2020=80 years
80*1.5-120 ppm
412.5 ppm + 120 ppm-532.5 ppm
This solution sets a carbon limit and lets countries or companies bargain to share the right to pollute with one another
Cap and Trade
In 1990, a city’s average annual concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was 15 μg/m3. By 2020, due to increased urbanization and traffic, the concentration rose to 24 μg/m3. Calculate the average annual percent increase in PM2.5 over this period.
2%
New-Old/Old / Years x 100%
24-15 / 15 = .6
.6/2020-1990 x 100 = 2%
This natural seasonal phenomenon allows CFCs to enter the stratosphere.
polar vortexes
A technician is monitoring a 100,000-liter lake that has reached a dangerously acidic pH of 4.0. If the "safe" threshold for local salamanders is a pH of 5.0, how many times more concentrated are the Hydrogen ions (H+) in the current lake compared to the safe threshold?
10 times (10^1)