KelvinShang

Period6
1/24/2013
Ch17AtmosphereandAirPollutionStudyGuide
Introduction
1. WhywasLondon'sKillerSmogof1952important?
a. ItencouragedLivingstonetopushthroughacongestionchargingprogramthatrequiredcommutersto
pay$15aday.Thismoneywouldbeusedtoenhancebusserviceandencouragetransportbyrail,taxi,
bicycleandfoot.Throughthisprogram,therewere4070fewerinjuriesfromtrafficaccidentsperyear.
Trafficcongestiondecreasedbynearly30%asfewercarsenteredthechargingzoneanddriving
speedsrose.
Part1.ScienceoftheAtmosphere
2. Whatpercentoftheearthsatmosphereisnitrogen?Oxygen?
a. 78%ofearthsatmosphereisNitrogenwhile21%isOxygen.
3. Listthe4layersoftheatmospherefromlowesttohighestinaltitude.
a. Troposphere,Stratosphere,Mesosphere,Thermosphere
4. Whichlayerdowelivein,breathe,andcontainsthetemperatureandweatherconditionswelivein.
a. Weliveinthebottommostlayer,thetroposphere.
5. Whyisthestratospheresoimportantforthesurvivaloflifeonearth?
a. Theozoneandoxygeninthestratosphereabsorbandscatterthesunsultravioletradiationsothat
muchoftheUVradiationpenetratingtheupperstratospherefailstoreachthelowerstratosphere.
6. Whatisthereasonthattemperatureincreaseswithaltitudethroughmostofthestratosphere?
a. Theozonelayerisinthestratosphere,itgreatlyreducestheamountofUVradiationthatreaches
Earthssurface.
7. DothematerialsandgasesfoundineachofEarth'satmosphericlayersmixcompletelywithalloftheother
layers,duetoairpressureandconvectivecells?
a. Theytendtomixverylittle,becauseonceasubstanceentersit,theytendtolingerforalongtime.
8. Whatcauseshumidity?WhatisRelativeHumidity?
a. Theamountofwatervaporintheatmosphere.RelativeHumidityistheratioofwatervaporagiven
volumeofaircontainstothemaximumamountitcouldcontainatagiventemperature.
9. Whyisithotterattheequatorthanatthepoles?(2reasons)
a. Thesunlightisdirectlyoverheadtheequatorandairabsorbslessenergyduetoshorterpaththrough
atmosphere.Moresunlightperunitofsurfacearea.Thereisalowangleofincomingsunlightandair
absorbsmoreenergyduetolongerpaththroughatmosphereinthePoles.
10. Describetheeffectsoftheearthstiltontheatmosphere.
a. Therearefoursignificanttilts,Junesolstice,Marchequinox,Decembersolstice,andSeptember
equinox.InJune,theNorthernHemispheretiltstowardsthesunandsummerbeginsintheNorthern
HemispherewinterbeginsintheSouthernHemisphere.InMarch,theequatorfacesthesundirectly.In
December,theNorthernHemispheretiltsawayfromthesun.InSeptember,theequatorfacesthesun
directly.
11. Weatherisaffectedbythemovementofairmasses.Listthethreefactorsthataffectthemovementofair
masses.
a. Threefactorsaltituderise,thermalinversion,andverticalmixing.
12. Whatcausesairpressure?
a. Airpressureiscausedbythepushofairagainstitssurroundings.Whentheairparticlespushinall
directions.
13. Describethedifferenceinweatherbetweenhighandlowpressuresystems.
a. InHighPressureSystemcontainsairthatmovesoutwardawayfromacenterofhighpressureasit
descends.Inalowpressuresystem,airmovestowardthelowatmosphericpressureatthecenterofthe
systemandspiralsupward.
14. Whatisthenormaltemperaturedistribution?
a. Innormaltemperaturedistribution,thesurfaceiswarmedbythesunandverticalmixingoccurs.
15. Adeparturefromthenormaltemperaturedistributioninthetroposphereiscalleda(n)________.
a. TemperatureInversion
16. DifferentiatebetweenHadley,Ferrel,andpolarcells.
a. Hadleycellsareconvectivecellssetinmotionbysolarradiation.Ferrelandpolarcellsliftairandcreate

precipitationaround60degreeslatitudenorthandsouthandcauseairtodescendataround30degrees
latitudeandinthepolarregions.
17. DescribetheCoriolisEffectanditsimpactontheearthsweather.
a. Thenorthsouthaircurrentsoftheconvectivecellsappeartobedeflectedfromastraightpathassome
portionsoftheglobemovebeneaththemmorequicklythanothers.Itresultsinthecurvingglobalwind
patterns.
Part2.OutdoorAirPollution
18. Whataresomenaturalcausesofoutdoorairpollution?
a. Windssweepingoveraridterraincansendhugeamountsofdustaloft.Volcaniceruptionsreleaselarge
quantitiesofparticulatematter,aswellassulfurdioxideandothergases,intothetroposphere.
19. Giveoneexampleofapointsourceofairpollutionandoneexampleofanonpointsource.
a. Powerplantsandfactoriesarepointsources,andautomobilesontheroadwayscombinedareanon
pointsource.
20. Whatisthedifferencebetweenprimaryandsecondarypollutants?
a. Primarypollutantsaresootandcarbonmonoxidethatareemittedintothetroposphereinaformthat
canbedirectlyharmfulorthatcanreacttoformharmfulsubstances.Secondarypollutantsarecreated
whenprimarypollutantsandconstituentsoftheatmospherearemixed.
21. Givenandexampleofoneprimarypollutantandonesecondarypollutant.
a. Primarypollutantwouldbecarbondioxideandsecondarypollutantissulfuricacidortropospheric
ozone.
22. WhatFOURthingsdoestheCleanAirActenabletheEPAtodo?
a. TheCleanAirActenablestheEPAtosetnationwidestandardsforemissionsofpollutantsandfor
concentrationsofpollutantsinambientairthroughoutthenation.Nationalambientairqualitystandards.
AllowedtheEPAtofocusonsixcriteriapollutants.
23. Whatnewgoalswereaddedinthe1990versionoftheCleanAirAct?
a. Strengthenregulationspertainingtoairqualitystandards,autoemissions,toxicairpollution,acidic
deposition,andstratosphericozonedepletion.
24. MakeatablethatliststhesixcriteriapollutantsthatarecloselytrackedbytheU.S.EPA.Listeachpollutants
effectonpeopleandwaystopreventorcleanupthepollutant.Z
TaketheSixCriteriaPollutantQuiz:
http://www.epa.gov/eogapti1/course422/ap5.html

CarbonMonoxide

Bindsirreversiblytohemoglobin
inredbloodcells,preventingthe
hemoglobinfrombindingwith
oxygen.

Driveless,andusepublic
transportationmoreoften.

SulfurDioxide

SulfurDioxideisharmfultoour
environmentbecausepollution
resultsfromthecombustionof
coalwhichfallbacktoEarthin
theformofacidrain.

Startinvestinginsolarenergy,
thereyoudonotneedtoburn
coalforelectricity.

NitrogenDioxide

Nitrogendioxideisaheavy
pollutantthatproducedoverhalf
ofU.S.NOxemissions.

Usepublictransportation.

TroposphericOzone

UVRadiation,pollutants
accumulateandthetropospheric
ozoneactsasapollutant

Limittheneedoffactoriesthat
produceO3.

ParticulateMatter

Damagerespiratorytissueswhen
inhaled.

Uselesscoalandswitchtosolar
energy.

Lead

Leadentersthefoodchain,
accumulateswithinbody
tissuesandcausecentralnervous
systemmalfunction.

Restricttheuseoflead
production.

25. WhatisthedifferencebetweenTroposphericandStratosphericOzone?
a. TroposphericOzoneisasecondarypollutant,sotherearenoemissionstomonitor.
26. Currently,howmanyAmericansliveincountiesthatviolateEPAairqualitystandardsforatleastoneofthesix
criteriapollutants?
a. 122MillionAmericans
27. WhatistheonlystatethatviolatesFOUREPAairqualitystandards?
a. California
28. WhywastheAQMD(AirQualityManagementDistrict)created?(Findthisontheinternet
http://www.aqmd.gov/
a. TheSouthCoastAQMDbelievesthatallwholiveorworkinthisareahavearighttobreathecleanair.
AQMDiscommittedtoundertakingallnecessarystepstoprotectpublichealthfromairpollution,with
sensitivitytotheimpactsofitsactionsonthecommunityandbusinesses.
29. WhatisanNonAttainmentArea
a. AnareaconsideredtohaveairqualityworsethantheNationalAmbientAirQualityStandards.
30. Whatarethefourlargestpollutantemissionsbypercent?
a. CarbonMonoxide64%,NitrogenOxides13%,VolatileOrganicCompounds11%,SulfurDioxide10%
31. Whatdoesthevastmajorityofoutdoorairpollutioncomefrom?
a. Avastmajoritycomesfromautomobiles.
32. WhycanttheEPAmonitorandstopthe
emissions
oftroposphereozone?
a. Therearetoomanyemissionsoccuring.TheEPAdoesnothavethemanpowertowatchoverevery
singleemissiontoregulateeverything.
33. Whattwochemicalpollutantsreacttoformozone?
a. OHandO2
34. WhatisaVOCandgiveanexample.
a. Carboncontainingchemicalsusedinandemittedbyvehicleenginesandawidevarietyofsolventsand
industrialprocesses,aswellasbymanyhouseholdchemicalsandconsumeritems.CigaretteLighters.
35. Howhasairpollutionchangedsince1970?Givesomeexamples.
a. Emissionsofeachofthesixmonitoredpollutantshavedecreasedandtotalemissionsofthesixtogether
havedeclinedby53%.
36. Describehowascrubberworksandinwhatsituationwoulditbeused.
a. Pollutedairrisesthroughachamberwhilearraysofnozzlessprayamistofwatermixedwithlime.The
fallingmistcapturespollutantsandcarriesthemtothebottomofthechamber.Airemittedfromthe
scrubberhaslargelybeencleansed.Periodically,thedirtywaterisdrainedfromthechamber,cleansed
inasettlingtank,andrecirculatedthroughthespraynozzles.Theresultingsludgemustbedisposedof
ashazardouswaste.
37. Give3examplesofothertoxicairpollutantsbesidesthebigsix.
a. Asbestos,Formaldehyde,Phosphorus
38. Whyisairpollutioncontrollegislationcontroversial?
a. Oldplantswouldbeexemptfromthenewpollutionrequirements,aslongastheyinstalledthebest
availablecurrenttechnologyforpollutioncontroliftheyeverupgradedtheirplantsinthefuture.When
someplantsfailedtodothis,theClintonadministrationeventuallysued51plantsforviolatingthelaw.