APES test - atmosphere + ocean warming

How are atmospheric layers defined?

temperature differences

List the 4 atmospheric layers in order from bottom to top:

1. troposphere

2. stratosphere

3. mesosphere

4. thermosphere

Where does weather and most air pollution occur?

troposphere

List the 6 gases found in atmospheric composition:

1. nitrogen

2. oxygen

3. water vapor

4. carbon dioxide

5. methane

6. nitrous oxide

What 2 gases makeup 99% of earths atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen

N20

nitrous oxide

Define air pollution

the presence of chemicals in the troposphere in high enough concentrations to harm organisms, ecosystems, or materials and high enough to alter climate

What 2 sources are most common air pollutant sources?

Natural processes, burning FF

Nitrogen makes up _____% of earths atmosphere.

78

Oxygen makes up ___% of earths atmosphere.

20

Ozone in _______ is good because it blocks __% of UV rays.

stratosphere 95

List 3 natural sources of air pollutants:

1. dust

2. sulfur from fires/volcanoes

3. VOC’s from plants

List 3 anthropogenic air pollutants:

1. burning FF

2. farming/livestock

3. burning forests

What is a primary air pollutant?

direct emission

List 4 primary air pollutants:

1. COx

2. NOx

3. SO2

4. Particulates

SO2 in atmosphere leads to?

acid deposition

What are particulates?

soot from burning coal, dust from unpaved roads

What happens when particulates land in the arctic?

they increase warmth of snow, lower albedo, and warm the arctic

What are secondary sources?

when primary reacts to primary and creates a new pollutant

List 4 secondary pollutants:

1. sulfuric acid

2. nitrous oxide

3. ozone

4. smog

Formula for photochemical smog:

NOx+VOCs+Sun+water vapor

What 3 things release VOC’s?

gasoline, paints, cleaning solvents

Why is smog more prone to happen in the summer?

There’s more cars out so more NOx and VOCs from gas and there’s more sunlight

What 2 devices combat formation of smog?

Gas pump nozzle (trap VOC’s), catalytic converter (reduce NOx emissions)

NOT ________ ____ your gas is a way to prevent smog.

Topping off

Warm air is _____ dense and rises

less

Describe thermal inversion

Thermal inversion is when a layer of warm air sits atop a layer of cool air and sun can’t reach the bottom layer to it doesn’t rise and the pollutants just sit there. Since there’s no rising warm air, pollutants aren’t dispersed.

Donora PA led to?

Clean air act

Acid deposition is caused by?

1. transportation

2. coal burning

3. smelters

Rain is most acidic in the ____ of the US because?

east, there’s more people, cars, and power plants

Each pH is ___x more acidic than the last

100

How does ozone depletion affect wildlife?

Reduced phytoplankton

List 4 acid deposition effects on plants:

1. leaches nutrients from soil

2. damages roots

3. increases moss which kills mycorrhizae

4. breaks down cuticle

List 4 affects of acid deposition on aquatic systems:

1. increase in algae

2. decrease in decomp

3. denatures enzymes

4. fish excrete excess mucous

Enzymes denature when?

when exposed to low pH or high heat

List the provisions of clean air act:

1. National ambient air quality standard

2. Prevention of significant deterioration

3. Emissions trading policy

What is NAAQS?

limits amount of 6 criteria chemicals can be emitted

Prevention of significant deterioration does what?

Prevents industries from re locating to meet NAAQS standards

Describe cap and trade provisions.

Sources that burn FF receive credits that allow a certain amount of SO2 and NOx

List the forms of technology that help air pollution:

1. electrostatic precipitator - removes particulates in smokestack using charges

2. scrubber - sprays solution in smokestack that removes particulate and sulfur

3. catalytic converter - uses ammonia to remove most NOx in cars

4. non catalytic converter - controls how coal burns to reduce NOx

Describe radon

indoor air pollutant, gas that comes from decaying uranium from rock, causes lung cancer

List 3 natural indoor air pollutants:

1. radon

2. mold

3. dust

List 3 anthropogenic indoor air pollutants:

1. Formaldehyde

2. lead

3. VOC’s

GHE is?

when gases in the atmosphere traps heat in (which is a natural process we need to live) but too many chemicals causes too much warming

List the processes that add GHG’s to atmosphere

1. burning FF’s - more CO2

2. clearing forests - more CO2

3. growing crops - fertilizers

4. raising livestock - methane

5. creating landfills - methane

Higher albedo = _____ _________

less warmth

Lower albedo = ________ ________

more warmth

List albedo of asphalt, grass, and snow.

1. 0,04

2. 0.25

3. 0.85

List threats to human health caused by GHG’s:

1. rising sea levels

2. melting snow/ice

3. decreased river flow

4. extreme weather

Affects of melting snow:

releases CO2 and methane, lowers albedo

A ___ albedo is ___ because _____________?

low, bad, increases global temperature

List 3 sources of methane:

1. bacteria from anaerobic decomp

2. melting permafrost

3. cows

What is Montreal protocol?

replaces CFC’s with HCFC’s

What is Paris agreement

limits global temp increase to no more than 2 Celsius degrees per 5 years

What is Kyoto protocol

an agreement between 38 countries to cut GHE at least 5% below 1990 levels by 2012

How do glaciers affect rivers?

they continuously feed rivers so when they melt there’s less river flow

List 1 way marine ecosystems are positively affected by climate change?

more habitat

What’s the IPCC?

intergovernmental panel on climate change

List 3 non-cyclic inputs on climate change:

1. volcanic eruptions - sulfur has cooling effect

2. tectonic movements

3. meteor strikes

What is ocean acidification?

Decrease in pH of oceans because of increased CO2

How does ocean acidification affect marine animals?

Carbonic acid makes it hard for shell bearing organisms to form their shells bc of loss of calcium carbonate

__ is decreased when temp increases

DO