Chapter 20 - Chemistry in the Atmosphere

SO2

________ is oxidized into SO3, which in a series of complex mechanisms is eventually converted to sulfuric acid aerosols.

Volcanoes

________ are thought to be responsible for around two- thirds of the sulfur in the atmosphere.

Radon decay products

________ will stick to both tobacco tar deposits in the lungs and solid particles in cigarette smoke, which can be inhaled by both smokers and nonsmokers.

solar radiant energy

The ________ received from Earth is distributed between 100 and 5000 nm over the wavelengths.

death of plants

Following the ________ and animals, their tissues are oxidized to CO2 and return to the atmosphere.

Solar flares

________ are violent eruptions on the sun's surface that result in the ejection of a large number of electrons and protons into space.

process of photosynthesis

The ________ produces oxygen as a key by- product.

nitrogen

The stratosphere, which is made up of ________, oxygen, and ozone, is located above the troposphere.

CO2

N2, ________, HCl, HF, H2S, and water vapor are among the gases released into the atmosphere.

1950s

The first detailed studies of radon's effects on human health were carried out in the ________ when it became apparent that the incidence of lung cancer in uranium miners was abnormally high.

Wavelengths

________ larger than 4000 nm, due to a far lower mean area temperature as compared to the sun, are typical for Earth's thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's surface.

greenhouse

The so- called ________ effect describes the trapping of heat near Earths surface by gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide.

active zone

The troposphere, the layer of the atmosphere that contains roughly 80 % of the total mass of air and virtually all of the atmosphere's water vapor, is the most ________ in terms of visible phenomena.

nitrogen oxides

The ________, or NOx, are a class of chemicals that can deplete stratospheric ozone.

Natural mechanisms

________ create and destroy ozone, resulting in a dynamic equilibrium that keeps ozone levels in the stratosphere constant.

polyatomic molecule

A(n) ________ can vibrate in several directions.

genetic mutations

It acts as our protection against UV radiation in stratosphere, causing skin cancer, ________ and destruction of plants and other forms of vegetation.

Acid rain

________ is harmful to plants and aquatic life.

ozone level

Although the ________ is very low in the stratosphere, solar radiation in 200- 300 nm can be removed.

smog

________ "was coined to characterize the haze of smoke and fog that blanketed London in the 1950s.

input of sunlight

The ________ and electrons is oriented by the magnetic field of the Earth, so that the most auroral displays occur approximately 2000 kilometers in diameter in the north and south poles, in a doughnut formed zone.

radioactive isotope

Radon- 222 is a(n) ________ that emits.

Photochemical smog

________, which is created by the reactions of automotive exhaust in the presence of sunshine, is more well- known.

photodecomposition

The ________ of water vapor by UV light is another key source of oxygen.

IR

Water and carbon dioxide, but not nitrogen or oxygen, can absorb outgoing ________ radiation.

SO2

Smelting, or roasting, the ores- that is, heating the metal sulfide in the air to generate the metal oxide and ________- is a common method of extracting the metals.

solar radiant energy

The ________ received from Earth is distributed between 100 and 5000 nm over the wavelengths but many are focused between 400 and 700 nm, the visible area of the spectrum.