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53 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
99% of gases are in the
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troposphere
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most abundant (78%)
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nitrogen
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The bad ozone is in the
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troposphere
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CFCs are getting trapped in the
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troposphere
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We are ____________ the ozone in the stratosphere and ____________ the ozone in the troposphere
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decreasing, increasing
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VOC ex.
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Methane
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Primary Gases
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CO, CO2, NO, NO2, SO2
SOx NOx COx |
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photochemical smog =
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brown air smog
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Industrial smog =
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Grey air smog
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_____________ helps produce photochemical smog
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light
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_____________ helps produce industrial smog
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burnign fossil guels (coal)
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Los angeles has bad _____________
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thermal inversion
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thermal inversion:
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Layer of dense, cool air trapped under a layer of less dense, warm air. This prevents upward-flowing air currents from developing. Prolonged areas increase human risk.
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Layers of the atmosphere are separated by ______________
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temperature
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content of troposphere
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78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1-4% water vapor (varies)
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In the _____________, the ozone layer blocks _______% of the harmful ______ rays.
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stratosphere, 99, UV
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UV filter
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- allows life to exist
- helps protects us from sunburn - prevents much of oxygen in troposphere from being converted to photochemical smog |
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How do humans deplete the ozone layer?
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CFCs in aerosol cans
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_____________ emitted directly into the atmosphere
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primary pollutants
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Secondary Pollutants:
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when two or more primary pollutants react with one another and or sunlight
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Ex. of natural pollutants
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- dust from wind
- sulfur oxide from volcanoes - methane and hydrogen sulfide from decaying plants |
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A photochemical reaction is any reaction _____________________________
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activated by light
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Formation of photochemical smog
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a. N2 + O2 -- 2NO
b. 2NO + 02 -- 2NO2 is responsible for brownish haze c. 3NO2 + H2O -- 2HNO3 + NO d. some NO2 reacts with UV and creates NO + O e. O2 + O = O3 ground level ozone |
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Industrial Smog (Gray-Air Smog) occurs in winter months, consists of mostly
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- sulfur dioxide
- suspended droplets of sulfuric acid - suspended solid particles |
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Acid Deposition:
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Two Forms Wet and Dry, the falling of acids and acid-forming compounds from the atmosphere to earth’s surface.
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Typical rain in eastern U.S. is ___ more acidic, pH ___. Some areas
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10x, 4.3
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When pH falls, it weakens trees so they will become more susceptible to other types of damage. Ex.
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bugs, fungi, disease, drought
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Scientists site the _________________ for improvements
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Clean Air Act of 1990
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Scrubbers:
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removes sulfur
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Clean Up Acid Deposition
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Acidified lakes can be neutralized by treating them with limestone or lime. Cost would be extremely high b/c it would be annually.
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4 most dangerous indoor pollutants
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- cigarette smoke
- formaldehyde - asbestos - radon-222 gas - lead |
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formaldehyde emitted by:
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- plywood
- furniture - drapes - upholstery |
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developing countries burning of wood causes:
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many problems poorly vented stoves for cooking
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Asbestosis:
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- chronic disease impairs one's breathing
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Radon-222 gas:
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colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the radioactive decay of uranium-238
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EPA considers ____________ of air unsafe
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4 picocuries per liter
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Carbon Monoxide:
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CO reacts with hemoglobin in red blood cells and thus reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen
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What air pollutant causes reproductive problems?
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volatite organic compounds (benzene, formaldehyde)
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Air pollution typically doesn't kill the tree, it
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weakens it to pests, disease, fungi, and drought
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Troposphere contains _______ % of gases in the atmosphere (most primary and secondary pollutants)
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75
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Air becomes thinner in the _____________________
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stratosphere
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Ozone, formed from chemical reactions, is a _______ pollutant
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Secondary
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biological pollutants include....
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dust mites and mold
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3 health effects of both indoor air and outdorr air pollution
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- Emphysema
- Bronchitis - Asthma |
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Acid deposition effects humans by
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- an increase in asthma
- dry cough - headaches |
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5 ways to reduce acide dopsition
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- use coal contain less sulfur
- wash the coal - using scrubbers to reduce sulfur - switch fuels that releases less sulfur (natural gas) - power plants can use technologies that don't burn fossil fuels |
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Ground level ozone's effects on human health
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- make it more difficult for you to breathe as deeply and vigorously as you normally would
- aggravates asthma - inflame and damage lung tissue - reduce the immune system |
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Ground level ozone's effects on plants
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- enters throught the stomata or opening in leaf, causes dislocoration in plants
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Summarize the Clean Air Act.
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defines EPA's responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation's air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer
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3 criticisms that environmentalists make about the Clean Air Act.
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- they rely on pollution cleanup instead of pollution prevention
- failing to increase the fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks - Doing too little to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases |
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Sick Building Syndrom
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a series of ailments associated with a person’s workplace or residence, includes: headaches, coughing, sneezing, chronic fatigue, burning eyes
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Radon comes from....
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Uranium-238 decay, underground wells and spaces
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Lead comes from...
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pain. Lead in paint have been removed in the US and UK
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