Ozone Depletion and Acid Rain

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, causes, environmental impacts, and solutions for ozone depletion and acid rain based on lecture notes.

Ozone Depletion

The gradual thinning of the earth's atmospheric ozone layer, caused by the release of chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons that break down ozone molecules.

Acid Rain

A broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid, falling in wet or dry forms like rain, snow, fog, hail, or dust.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Human-made, long-lived chemicals containing chlorine and bromine that break down in the stratosphere under UV light, destroying ozone faster than it can reform.

UV-B Radiation

Harmful ultraviolet radiation shielded by the ozone layer; its increase causes skin cancer, cataracts, disrupted marine food webs, and impaired plant growth.

Montreal Protocol

An international agreement focused on phasing out ozone-depleting substances like CFCs and halons.

Sulfur Dioxide ($SO_2$)

A chemical emission from burning fossil fuels that contributes to the acidification of soil and water ecosystems.

Nitrogen Oxides ($NO_x$)

Emissions that, alongside sulfur dioxide, cause acid rain by lowering the pH of precipitation.

$4.2$ and $4.4$

The typical pH range of acid rain, which is significantly more acidic than unpolluted rain.

$$5.6$$

The slightly acidic pH value of unpolluted rain.

Aluminum

A substance leached from soils by acid rain that harms tree roots and reduces available nutrients.

Infrastructure Damage

The accelerated decay and corrosion of building materials like concrete, limestone, marble, and metals caused by acid rain.

Liming Ecosystems

A proposed solution to acid rain that involves treating affected environments to neutralize acidity.

Acid Deposition

Another term for acid rain that describes both wet and dry acidic components falling to the ground.

Stratosphere

The specific layer of the atmosphere where ozone-depleting chemicals break down under UV light.