Atmosphere and Weather Review UNIT 7 APES

Composition of Atmosphere

Nitrogen=78%

Oxygen=21%

Argon=1%

O3

ozone

earth’s layers(Top to bottom)

Exosphere

Thermosphere

(Ionosphere)

Mesosphere

Stratosphere

Troposphere

where does weather occur

troposphere

what is the most dense earth layer

troposphere

where is good ozone located

stratosphere

99% of “air” is located in

first two layers(troposphere and stratosphere)

what is the Coriolis effect

deflection of winds due to Earth’s rotation

what is climate

long term weather patterns across large geographic regions

what is a thermal inversion

warm layer of air at mid altitude covers a layer of cold more dense air

what is the #1 non-anthropomorphic/anthropogenic greenhouse gas

water vapor

what is albedo

reflective capability

What is El Nino/ El Nino Southern Osciliation(ENSO)

when the westerlies weaken and surface waters become warmer, happens off the coast of Ecuador and Peru

what is a primary pollutant

chemicals released into the atmosphere

what is a secondary pollutant

primary pollutants that react with other components in the atmosphere to from new pollutants

what do NOx relate to

cars

what do SOx relate to

coal, combustion

what is photochemical smog

mixture of primary and secondary pollutants formed under the influence of sunlight, usually brown color

what are the 2 chemical equations that make photochemcial smog

N2 + O2 → 2 NO

2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2(yellowish brown gas)

what are the 3 chemical equations that creates ozone(this is a part of photochemical smog)

3 NO2 + H2O → 2 HNO3 + NO

NO2 + UV(radiation) → NO + O

O2 + O → O3

What is the chemical equation for PANS

Hydrocarbons + O2 + NO2 → PANS

What is industrial smog

smog that comes from coal and burning power plants and factories

what does industrial smog consist of

sulfur dioxide, a variety of suspended solid particles and droplets of sulfuric acid

1st step in industrial smog chemistry: equation for coal/oil burning

C + O2 → CO2 and 2C + O2 → 2 CO

2nd step in industrial smog chemistry: equation for sulfur compounds in coal/oil reacting with oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide

S + O2 → SO2

3rd step in industrial smog chemistry: equations for some of the sulfur dioxide reacting with oxygen to form sulfur trioxide which then reacts with water vapor to produce droplets of sulfuric acid

2 SO2 + O2 → 2SO3

SO3 + H2O→ H2SO4

4th step in industrial smog chemistry: equation for sulfuric acid droplets reacting with ammonia in the atmosphere

2 NH3 + H2SO4 → (NH4)2 SO4

effects of air pollution on human health

elderly, infants, pregnant women, and people of respiratory diseases are most vulnerable, chronic bronchitis, emphysema

what is the greenhouse effect

sunlight hits the atmosphere and some of it bounces back up but most radiation is absorbed by the earth’s surface and infrared radiation is emitted from the earth’s surface

what gas has the highest heating potential

methane

what are the greenhouse gases

methane

CO2

water vapor

ice caps

tops of mountains

what is IR

infrared

what is UV

ultraviolet

why is ozone important

its UV rays that have high energy waves warms the earth, which supports life on Earth

First type of UV

UVA, most common and causes skin aging and wrinkling

second type of UV

UVB, causes sunburns, cataracts, and immune system damage

third type of UV

UVC, most dangerous and is completely absorbed by ozone layer

what layer stops all penetration of UVC rays

stratosphere

how do humans affect the ozone layer

producing chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are a air pollutant

First step of CFC and ozone chemistry

CCI3F + UV → CL + CCL2F

Second step of CFC and ozone chemistry

CL+ O3 → CLO + O2

Third Step of CFC and ozone chemistry

CLO + O → CL + O2

What is the Montreal Protocol(1987)

International convention that decided legislature to prevent ozone depletion(CFC’s)

What is the Kyoto Protocol

International convention that made legislature to reduce CO2 emmisions

Which country did NOT participate in the Kyoto Protocol

USA

Why didn’t the USA participate in the Kyoto protocol

fossil fuel dependent country

How does ocean acidification happen

more CO2 in ocean leads to increased acid(lower pH), CO2 is absorbed and diffused into ocean CO2 and combines w/ H2O to make carbonic acid

who does ocean acidification affect

humans, coral(coral bleaching), organisms who live in coral

what are some solutions to ocean acidification

decrease CO2 emissions, decrease car use, more public transportation

What type of rays are associated with global warming

infrared rays

what type of rays are associated with ozone depletion

ultraviolet (UV) rays

what layer of the atmosphere does global warming occur

troposphere

what layer of the atmosphere does ozone depletion occur

stratosphere

what are some human health issues associated with global warming

increased pests can lead to increased diseases

what are some human health issues associated with ozone depletion

skin cancer, cataract, aging, sunburn, immune suppression

environmental effects of global warming

change in ocean currents, increased intensity of storms, increased melting ice caps, decrease in polar habitats, decrease in biodiversity, increase drought, decreased food security, increased sea level

chemicals involved with global warming

GHG(greenhouse gases), CO2, water vapor, CH4, NOx, SOx

chemicals involved with ozone depletion

CFCs, O3(ozone), HFCs, Br (Bromine)

environmental effects of ozone depletion

increased UV(A, B, and C), decreased photosynthesis, decreased oxygen production, decreased food, decreased habitats

what are the 6 air pollutants

NOSCLPs

NOx

O3

SOx

CO

Lead

PM

how do CFC’s destroy ozone

when they rise into the stratosphere, they are broken down by strong UV radiation, release chlorine atoms, and react with ozone molecules

how do HFC’s destroy ozone

They cause increased warming of the stratosphere and speed up chemical reactions that destroy ozone molecules

anthropogenic means

caused by human activity

anthropomorphic

mad made/caused by human activity

Natural causes of increased CO2

decomposition, volcanic eruptions, natural wildfires

Anthropomorphic causes of CO2

power generation, transportation, chemical production, burning fossil fuels

where does CH4 come from

emmitted from production of coal, natural gas, and oil. also come from livestock(cows farting), land use, and decay of organic waste in landfills

causes of global climate change

generating power, burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, using transportation

what causes the sea level to rise

thermal expansion(warming of the ocean) and increased melting of land based ice like glaciers and ice sheets

what causes albedo to decrease(known as the albedo feedback)

warming causes snow and ice to melt, dark colored surfaces are exposed, so the albedo decreases and less solar energy is reflected out to space, making the planet warm more.

HIPPOC stands for

Habitat loss

invasive species

pollution

population

Overharvesting

climate change

why is the pH in the ocean decreasing

increased acidity

coral bleaching definition

corals become white due to loss of symbiotic algae and photosynthetic pigments because of environmental stress

VOC’s definiton

organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure

when you measure pH, what are you really measuring

amount of hydrogen ions

what is radon

odorless, invisible, radioactive gas naturally released from rocks, soil, and water. can cause lung cancer

what is SOx

sulfur oxide, an air pollutant formed when coal or oil or natural gas burns

what is NOx

Nitrogen oxides, can form acid rain

tropospheric ozone

“bad” ozone, created through the interactions of man-made (and natural) emissions of VOCs and NOx in the presence of heat and sunlight

stratospheric ozone

“good” ozone, ozone protects life on Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation

El Nino

WARMING of the ocean surface and above average surface sea temperatures in western and eastern Pacific ocean

what happens in west and east Pacific during an El nino

west=good fishing, dry, less rain

east=wettter, flooding, upwellings decrease, poor fishing

La Nina

COOLING of the ocean surface in west and east pacific

what happens in the west and east Pacific during an La Nina

west= wetter conditions, flooding, poor fishing conditions

east=extreme upwelling, good fishing, dry conditions/drought

Rain shadow effect

when the leeward side of a mountain(not facing the ocean)gets less rainfall than the windward side

How does photochemical smog form

VOCs and NOx react with sunlight to produce secondary pollutants named PANS and ozone

photochemical smog mainly derrives from

VOCs and NOx released from cars