ch 17, 18 broad overview

atmosphere composition (n, o, ar)

atmosphere composition (n, o, ar)

78%

21%

1%

atmospheric layers top-bottom

thermosphere

mesosphere

stratosphere

troposphere

thermal inversion

warm layer of air at mid-altitude covers a layer of colder, denser air below

convective circulation

air picks up moisture and rises, air cools once risen and forms clouds, then precipitates, finally cooler, denser air sinks and cycle restarts

hadley cells

warm air rises and expands, releasing the mouisture that becomes the heavy rainfall producing the tropical rainforests

ferrel and polar cells

similar to hadley but less intense and located around 60deg latitude and dry conditions near the poles

rule of 70

70/growth rate

secondary air pollutants

primary pollutants that react with another part of the atmosphere to produce a new compound (ozone and sulfuric acid!)

most US nitrogen oxide pollution results from ____

combustion in vehicle emissions

The Clean Air Act of 1970

revision of prior Congressional legislation to control air pollution. set stricter standards for air quality, imposed limits on emissions from new sources, provided new funds for pollution control research, let citizens sue for bad air

THe Clean Air Act of 1990

strengthened regulations pertaining to air quality standards, auto emissions, toxic air pollutants, acid deposition, and stratospheric ozone depletion

catalytic converters

converts hydrocarbons, NOx, and CO emissions into CO2, H20 vaper, and N2, resulting in cleaner burning engines

scrubbers

use a combination of air and water that actually seperates and removes paticulates and SO2 before they are emitted from smokestacks

electrostatic precipitators

installed in smokestacks, use an electrical charge to make particulates coalesce so they can be physically removed before entering the atmosphere

Clean Power Plan

EPA’s plan for regulating existing power plants by cutting CO2 emissions below the 2005 levels by 2030

industrial smog

results from coal or oil burning, sulfuric acid

photochemical smog

formed when sunlight reacts with NO and VOCs released from automobile combustion. tropopheric ozone most abundently produced by these reactions

stratospheric ozone

absorb UV rays, protects life on earth

tropospheric ozone or ground-level ozone

colorless gas, poses human respiratory problems

chloroflourocarbons (CFCs)

ozone-depleting substance, NOT GOOD

acid deposition (187 prep book)

desposition of acidic or acid-forming pollutants that have a pH lower than 6.5 (acid rain, sleet, snow, or hail)

causes nutrient leaching, “mobilizes” toxic metal ions, endangers aquatic life, erodes stone buildings

global warming potential

the relative ability of a greenhouse gas to contribute to global warming

radiative forcing

the earth is receiving and retaining 1.6watts/m2 more thermal energy than it is emitting back into space

ocean absorption

decreasing as humans emit more and more CO2

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPCC! you know this dawg :)

SOME effects of climate change include

higher sea levels, storm surges, ocean acidification, modification of biological phenomena, spatial shifts in the ranges of organisms

SOME actions against climate change include

(194 prep)

shifts in electricity generation and transportation, agricultural developments, carbon sequestration, adaptation

carbon offsets

participants can make up for their high emissions by paying someone else to reduce theirs, literally offsetting them :D