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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
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