What does it mean that the atmosphere is a sink?

The atmosphere is a sink because it holds a lot of waste like greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants. What does the word Smog means? Mixture of fog and smoke. What are the two main types of air pollution? Explain each. Two main types of air pollution are stationary sources those that have a fixed location and mobile sources, sources of pollution that move from place to place while emitting pollutants Athens, Greece- Number of deaths higher on bad air quality days Hungary- 1 in 17 deaths contributed to air pollution U.S. - 300,000deaths/year China- Large cities have major air pollution issues What are the general effects of air pollution? The general effects of air pollution are the visual qualities,animals, soil, water quality, natural and artificial structures and human health. What does it mean if pollution has synergestic effects? Pollution causes greater damage to the lungs than a combination of the two pollutants. Define Primary and Secondary Pollutants: Primary pollutants: pollutants that are emitted directly into the air Secondary pollutants: produced through reactions between primary pollutants and normal atmospheric compounds Where do some of the natural air pollutants come from? Explain. Natural air pollutants come from the release of sulfur dioxide from volcanic eruptions, release of hydrogen sulfide, release of ozone in the lower atmosphere, emission of particles from wildfires. What are the 6 criteria pollutants? LIST The 6 criteria pollutants are 6 of the most common pollutants in our atmosphere. They are: Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, Particulate Matter, and Lead.

Effects of Air Toxins- Cancer, neurological, reproductive or immune diseases Hydrogen Sulfide- Highly toxic corrosive gas produced from geysers, plants that produce petroleum, causes damage to plants functionality Hydrogen Fluoride-Toxic gaseous pollutant release by industrial activities Methyl Isocyanate- Common ingredient in pesticides, causes irritation to eyes, nose, throat and lungsVOCs- Organic compounds used as solvents in industrial processes Benzene- Additive in gasoline and industrial solvent. Arcolein- Volatile hydrocarbon that irritates nose, eyes and respiratory system produced from combustion of petroleum What causes some variability of air pollution? Problems of air pollution vary by regions of the country and world and seasonally. Haze From Afar- Air quality concerns are not restricted to urban areas; Alaska has air pollution that travel over on the jet stream from Eurasia Urban Air Pollution- Smog: Photochemical and sulfurous, causes damage to green plants and aggravation of chronic disease Atmospheric Inversion-Occurs when warmer air is found above cooler air Topography- Cities situated in a valley are more susceptible to smog problems What are the 4 factors (potential) for Urban Air Pollution? The 4 factors for Urban Air Pollution is Rate of emissions per unit area, downwind distance, the average speed of wind, and elevation to pollutants that can be mixed by naturally moving air. What are the future trends for future air pollution? Optimistic, and Pessimistic. United States- LA is a good area to look for strategies for pollution abatement, air quality plan involving urban region includes following features: stricter emissions, discourage automobile use Mexico City- 25 million people with 50,000 buses and cars, located in a natural basin, perfect situation for severe air pollution problem How can we controlling common pollutants? Reduce, collect, and retain Particulates- Control dust, settling chambers cause particulates to settle out

Automobiles- Decrease the number or type of cars Sulfur Dioxide- Abatement measures, cleaner coal technology makes fuel more expensive, switch to low sulfur coal Precipitators- Converts coal to gas in order to remove sulfur, removes ash Scrubber- slurry of water and lime reacts with SO2 to remove it from gases The Clean Air Act- Regulation of acid rain, toxic emissions, ozone depletion, automobile exhaust, buying and selling sulfur dioxide emissions, nitrogen dioxides, toxins. Ambient Air Quality Standards- Tied to emission standards that attempt to control air pollution Air Quality Index (AQI) - Used to describe air pollution on a given day. What is the cost of outdoor air pollution control? Total cost of air pollution is cost of pollution control plus environmental damages What is Ozone? Triatomic form of oxygen in which three oxygen atoms are bonded How does Ozone block UV light? The Ozone absorbs the hazardous ultraviolet radiation from the sun What happens to UVC in the Ozone layer? UVC is strongly absorbed in the stratosphere and negligible amounts reach the Earth's surface What are the effects of UVA? UVB? UVA-Damage living cells UVB- Depletion of ozone results in an increase of UVB reaching surface of the Earth How is Ozone measured? Dobson unit, 1DU= 1ppb of O3 Ozone and CFCs Ozone in the stratosphere is being depleted by CFCs The Antarctic Ozone Hole Since 1958, ozone depletion has been observed in the Antarctic, the thickness is decreasing and geographic area is increasing.

What are the environmental effects of the Ozone hole? /UV Exposure? Damage to food chain, damage to human health are the environmental effects of the Ozone Hole. What is the Montreal Protocol? Plant to reduce the global emissions of CFCs to 50% of 1986 emissions What is the future for Ozone Depletion? CFCs will return to pre-1980 levels by 2050 Sources of Indoor Air Pollution Secondhand Smoke- Most hazardous and common Legionnaires Disease- bacterium causing pneumonia Radon Gas- Second leading cause of lung cancer Pesticides- Toxic to people, applied in buildings to control pests Asbestos- Causes particular type of lung cancer Formadehyde- VOC used in materials found in homes and offices Dust Mites- Irritate respiratory system, nose, eyes and skin Why is indoor air pollution more concentrated than outdoors? Many pollutants originate within buildings and may be concentrated because of lack of proper ventilation. Its harder to get rid of indoor pollution because theyre trapped in a building. What happens on windward/leeward sides of buildings? Windward- Areas of high pressure develop Leeward- pressure is lower and protected. What is the chimney effect? Temperature difference between indoor and outdoor environments ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) Secondhand smoke, people who are exposed to ETS are called passive smokers, contains several thousand chemicals, reduce airway functions. What is sick-building syndrome? Symptoms people report that cannot be traced to any one known cause. Complaints result from combined effects of a number of contaminants present and environmental stress.

How can indoor air pollution be controlled? Financial incentives, diluting pollution, air cleaning systems.