Exam 2 - Ozone and the Atmosphere

Yes

Is water vapor a greenhouse gas?

No

US Carbon-Neutral by 2030?

Yes

VA Carbon-Neutral by 2050?

World Atmosphere

CO₂ data showing continued INCREASING trend BUT, US CO₂ emissions have decreased due to electric power shift from coal to natural gas

Ozone Depletion and Acid Rain

Which air impacts are improving?

Ozone Depletion

Caused by CFCs

• CFCs rise to atmosphere

• UV releases Cl from CFCs, breaking down ozone

• Cold temperatures allow for breakdown

Ozone Layer

Gaseous layer in upper atmosphere that reflects/absorbs the majority (95%) of UV rays, made up of O₃

Stratospheric Ozone Production “healing”

 O₂ + UV Sunlight = O + O --> O + O₂ = O₃ and O + O₂ = O₃

Hole in Southern Hemisphere

Spring, time when there was zero ozone

Ozone Hole Effects

Sunburn, cataracts, immune system, environmental impacts (crops, wildlife)

Ozone Hole Solution

CFCs were produced by a small number of countries (mainly Dupont)

• Companies tried to find a solution (Critical to finding solution)

• Expensive substitute chemicals

• Montreal Protocol

Montreal Protocol

36 countries in 1987 to cut CFCs, WORKED

Climate Change

caused by reactions between Greenhouse Gases and infrared radiation

1820s

When did scientists realize there are gases in the atmosphere that help to "heat" the planet and regulate temperature?

Increasing

CO2 is…

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change

Jospeh Fourier (1824)

Proposed that the atmosphere traps heat, comparing it to an insulating blanket, and established the energy balance framework still used today.

Eunice Foote (1856)

Experimented with gases and found that CO₂ and water vapor absorbed more heat than other gases, and suggested that a higher concentration of CO₂ could lead to a warmer climate.

John Tyndall (1859)

Provided experimental proof that CO₂ and water vapor are greenhouse gases, absorbing and emitting infrared radiation, and explained why the Earth's atmosphere has a higher than it would otherwise be.

Svante Arrhenius (1896)

 Calculated the effect of CO₂ on Earth's temperature and was the first to suggest that industrial emissions could lead to warming, coining the term "greenhouse effect" and developing the first climate change model.

Gey Stewart Callendar (1938)

 Compiled temperature data and concluded that a global warming trend was already occurring due to the burning of fossil fuels, although his findings were initially met with skepticism