unit 7 vocab APES

jambos unit 7 flashcardsss

acid rain

the falling acids and acid forming compounds from the atmosphere to the earth’s surface

atmosphere

whole mass of air surrounding the earth

Catalytic converter

an air pollution control device for internal combustion engines that converts pollutants in exhaust into less harmful molecules

Convection

movement of warmer molecules that rise and become less dense while colder molecules sink and become more dense, ultimately resulting in the transfer of heat

convection currents

global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of Earth

coriolis effect

the interaction between an object traveling on Earth and the rotation of the Earth. Objects appear to be moving in straight lines, but are actually moving in curves in space.The way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left.

global warming

warming of the earth’s lower atmosphere because of the increase of greenhouse gas

gray air smog

most serious type of air pollution, derived from smoke and fog due to factory emissions

hadley cell

low-latitude overturning circulations that have air rising at the equator and air sinking at roughly 30° latitude. They are responsible for the trade winds

industrial smog

a type of smog that is formed by the emission of pollutants from industrial processes and the burning of fossil fuels. It consists of soot and is characterized by a thick, yellowish haze, and it is most commonly found in areas with heavy industrial activity, such as power plants and factories.

weather

Short-term changes in the temperature,barometric pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloud cover, wind direction and other conditions in the troposphere at a given place and time.

jet stream

High-altitude winds that blow from west to east in narrow bands

ozone hole

the depletion of the protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere) over Earth's polar regions

Photochemical smog

brownish-gray haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. It contains anthropogenic air pollutants, mainly ozone, nitric acid, and organic compounds, which are trapped near the ground by temperature inversion.

Primary pollutants

chemical that has been added directly to the air by natural events or human activities and occurs in a harmful concentration

secondary pollutants

harmful chemical formed in the atmosphere when a primary air pollutant reacts with something else

Sick-building syndrome

situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified

Southern Oscillation

a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. the periodic change in the pressure differential between the Southeastern Pacific high pressure and the Western Pacific equatorial low pressure

Stationary sources

any building, structure, facility, or installation which emits or may emit any air pollutant.

trade winds

air currents closer to Earth's surface that blow from east to west near the equator

Tropospheric ozone

created through the interactions of man-made (and natural) emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides in the presence of heat and sunlight