Don't Breathe
This pollutant has two sizes and is often released from burning biomass or coal.
What is particulate matter?
This type of feedback loop acts as a "buffer," pushing a system back toward stability or equilibrium when a change occurs.
What is negative feedback?
Scientists measure atmospheric gases trapped in these to understand the climate of the past.
What are ice cores?
This most recent treaty allowed countries to set standards to help limit the release of greenhouse gases to prevent the Earth warming another 1.5 degrees celsius.
What is the Paris Agreement?
This pollutant seeps through basement cracks and is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
What is radon?
Up in the stratosphere it protects from UV radiation, but down in the troposphere it will cause respiratory issues.
What is ozone?
As Arctic ice melts, the Earth's albedo decreases, causing more solar radiation to be absorbed, which leads to further warming and more melting. This is an example of what type of loop?
What is positive feedback?
This is the written account of our changing climates
What is the historical record?
This is when we use plants or artificial methods to force carbon from the atmosphere and place it back underground.
What is carbon capture?
Often found in bathrooms, this biological pollutant can make you feel ill.
What is mold?
What is acid rain?
In a predator-prey relationship (like lynx and snowshoe hares), an increase in prey leads to an increase in predators, which eventually reduces the prey population. This cycle is a classic example of this loop type.
Dendrochronologists study these to understand years of high or low precipitation.
What are tree rings?
This US legislation places limits on the amount of SOx or NOx that can be released from industrial plants.
What is the Clean Air Act?
Once disturbed as insulation around a pipe or popcorn ceilings, the dust from this pollutant can cause lung cancer.
What is asbestos?
This is released naturally from plants, but also from anthropogenic sources like paints and solvents. When there is too much it contributes to photochemical smog.
What are VOCs?
Methane, a greenhouse gas, is released when permafrost melts; its release traps more heat in the atmosphere, leading to even higher temperatures and more melting is this type of feedback loop.
What is a positive feedback loop?
Often trapped in sediments or ice cores, this tells us about the plant life of the past.
What is pollen?
This nonrenewable energy source does not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (once it has been mined).
What is uranium/nuclear energy?
No more candles if you want to avoid this indoor air pollutant.
What are VOCs?
This prevents NOx was being released from vehicles. You'll fail your smog test if it is not working properly.
What is a catalytic converter?
As ocean temperatures rise, the water's ability to dissolve carbon dioxide decreases, causing it to remain in the atmosphere and further accelerate global warming so it is this type of feedback loop.
What is positive feedback?
This animal seals a record of the past with its crystallized middens.
What are pack rats?
This is the current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as measured at Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
What is 431 ppm?
Our well insulated homes don't allow ventilation for this pollutant that we use for cooking food.
What is natural gas?