Air Pollutants

Ambient Ozone

Forms from vehicle exhaust, forest fires, and other air pollutants reacting with sunlight, causing concerns like lung damage and eye irritation. Solutions include reducing car emissions and adding pollutant filters.

Stratosphere Ozone

Caused by vehicle exhaust and Pollutants in the upper atmosphere reacting with sunlight can lead to increased greenhouse effect and trapping of UV light. Solutions involve reducing car emissions and filtering smokestack smoke.

Sulfur Dioxides

Generated by coal burning power plants and industries, causing concerns like eye irritation and acid rain. Solutions include reducing reliance on coal and recycling metals.

Lead

Comes from leaded fuel and metal refineries,

- leading to brain and kidney damage. Solutions involve using unleaded fuel and reducing reliance on fossil fuel burning plants.

Carbon Monoxide

Originates from motor vehicles and fossil fuel burning

-causing issues like headaches, decreasing the amount of oxygen carried by blood, dizziness, confusion, heart damage.

-in the env- greenhouse gases, increase of land and sea temperatures

-Solutions include reducing car emissions and utilizing alternative energy sources.

VOC's (volatile organic compounds)

Found in paint, perfumes, and car exhaust, can lead to respiratory problems and ozone layer depletion. Solutions include reducing ______ releasing items and products containing CFC's.

Carbon Dioxide

Produced by volcanoes and fossil fuel burning, contributing to smog and the greenhouse effect. Solutions involve reducing car emissions and using alternative energy sources.

NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons)

Generated from fossil fuel burning, increasing the greenhouse effect. Solutions include reducing fossil fuel use.

SPM (suspended particulate matter)

Comes from diesel engines and industries, causing lung damage and crop destruction. Solutions involve reducing diesel engine use and filtering smokestacks.

CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons)

Found in motor vehicles and cleaning products, depleting the ozone layer. Solutions include reducing the use of CFC-containing items.

Mercury

Originates from burning fossil fuels, contaminating fish and leading to biomagnification. Solutions involve reducing fossil fuel use.

thermal inversion

A situation in which a relatively warm layer of air at mid-altitude covers a layer of cold, dense air below.
*The normal temperature gradient in the atmosphere is altered as the air temperature at the Earth's surface is cooler than the air at higher altitudes.
*this inversion traps pollution close to the ground, especially smog and particulates

advection inversion

sea breezes moving over cool ocean currents, cooling the lower layer of air before it moves over the land
*Common over the shore and over valleys, in some cities