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Air Pollution

Air Pollution. what is air pollution?. Particulate matter Very small particles of fuel that has been burned. Ex, diesel smoke Noxious gases Chemicals that can cause harm directly, or react with other chemicals to do damage. Smog demo?. smog. What is it?

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Air Pollution

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  1. Air Pollution

  2. what is air pollution? • Particulate matter • Very small particles of fuel that has been burned. Ex, diesel smoke • Noxious gases • Chemicals that can cause harm directly, or react with other chemicals to do damage.

  3. Smog demo?

  4. smog • What is it? • a hazy mixture of pollutants in the air, primarily made up of ground-level ozone. • What causes it? • When sunlight causes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to react with nitrous oxide. This produces ozone.

  5. Temp. Inversion

  6. Temperature inversion • occurs when air close to the earth is cooler than the air above it. (hot on top, cold on bottom) •  Under these conditions, pollution cannot rise and be dispersed. It is trapped on the surface, where humans breathe it.

  7. Examples:

  8. Acid rain

  9. Acid rain • When a pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with droplets of water in the air, the water (or snow) can become acidified .

  10. Effects of acid rain • Acid rain erodes stones and statues, harms plant life, and can acidify lakes and streams.

  11. Atmosphere Composition

  12. Atmosphere composition • Troposphere – 0-15km . This is the air we live in and breathe; weather occurs here. • It’s name comes from Greek ‘trope’ meaning ‘to turn over.’

  13. Atmosphere composition • Stratosphere – 15-50km • Ozone layer is here; absorbs radiation. • No weather, so airplanes fly in the stratosphere.

  14. Atmosphere composition • Mesosphere – 50-85km • Air thins out; gets very cold. Coldest place on earth at -150 F • Meteors burn up here (“shooting stars”)

  15. Atmosphere composition • Thermosphere – 85-500 (can vary 350 to 800km) • Almost no air here; expands and contracts as the sun heats it • low gravity; space shuttle and ISS orbit here. • auroras

  16. Atmosphere composition • N - 78% • O – 20% • Ar – 1% • CO2 - .05% a little bit can have a big effect! • Other - .05% including Neon, Helium, Methane, Krypton • How much does the atmosphere weigh? • Approx. 5.5 quadrillion tons!

  17. Class Atmosphere (see slide notes)

  18. Greenhouse Effect

  19. Greenhouse effect • What is it? • When gases (notably CO2) act like a blanket to hold heat close to the earth. • Why do we care? • Changes of even a few degrees can have big effects. Ex, raising sea levels,

  20. 2 meters

  21. Greenhouse debate • Watch two debates • Write down arguments in favor of each side.

  22. Ozone

  23. Ozone depletion • What is ozone? • chlorofluorocarbons(CFC's) come from aerosol cans, cooling systems and refrigerator equipment. • CFCs react with ozonemolecules, creating "holes” and allowing radiation to reach the earth.

  24. Health effects

  25. Health effectsof atmospheric pollution • short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. • Long-term includes chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys.

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