Professional Documents
Culture Documents
40
25
Air
Altitude (kilometers)
35
30
Stratosphere
20 Altitude (miles)
25
20 15 10
Stratospheric ozone
15
10
Troposphere
5
Photochemical ozone 0 0 20
200
100
50
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Carbon Cycle
Atmosphere (most carbon is in carbon dioxide) Combustion of fossil fuels photosynthesis Terrestrial rocks
volcanic action
weathering
sedimentation
Soil water (dissolved carbon) leaching runoff death, burial, compaction over geologic time
KNOW Table 17-1 Major Classes of Air Pollutants and Table 17-2 Class Carbon oxides
Examples
Sulfur oxides
Nitrogen oxides
Photochemical oxidants
Radioactive substances
Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), methyl chloride (CH3Cl), Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), which cause health effects such as cancer, birth chloroform (CHCl3), benzene (C6H6), ethylene dibromide (C2H2Br2), formaldehyde (CH2O2) defects, and nervous system problems
Tabl
Stationary
Mobile
Solar radiation
Ultraviolet radiation NO Nitric oxide H2O Water NO2 Nitrogen dioxide O Atomic oxygen O2 Molecular oxygen
Hydrocarbons
O3 Ozone
Coal combustion:
C (in coal) + O2 ----- CO2 (and 2CO) + soot S (in coal) + O2 ----- SO2 (sulfur dioxide)
2 SO2 + O2 ----- 2SO3 (sulfur trioxide) SO3 + H2O ----- H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) H2SO4 + 2NH3 ----- (NH4)2SO4 (ammonium sulfate)
Ammonium sulfate and soot give gray color to smog What factors affect smog formation?
Thermal Inversions
Cities near mountain ranges When a warm front follows a cold front Result: intense local smog
Acid fog
Dry acid deposition (sulfur dioxide gas and particles of sulfate and nitrate salts) Farm
Wet acid deposition (droplets of H2SO4 and HNO3 dissolved in rain and snow)
Ocean
See Miller for geography of power plants and sensitive soils, p. 429
What are the effects? In Soils: H+ displaces cations in clay and humus, resulting in nutrient depletion
Emission
Acid deposition
NOX O3 Other s
Increased Susceptibility to drought, extreme cold, insects, mosses, and disease organisms
Soil acidification
Tree death
Acid
Root damage
Groundwater
Solutions
Acid Deposition
Prevention Reduce air pollution by improving energy efficiency Reduce coal use
Cleanup Add lime to neutralize acidified lakes Add phosphate fertilizer to neutralize acidified lakes
Respiratory Physiology
Respiratory Physiology
Regions of deposition
Ultrafine Particles
Fine Particles
Large Particles
Particle Size
Pollens
Tobacco smoke
Cement dust Milled flour Combustion nuclei Oil smoke Metallurgical dust and fumes Photochemical smog Insecticide dusts
Coal dust
0.001 0.01 2.5 10.0 100.0 Average particle diameter (micrometers or microns)
Asthma
Edema
Bronchitis
Fibrosis
Chloroform
Para-dichlorobenzene
Tetrachloroethylene
1, 1, 1Trichloroethane Formaldehyde
Nitrogen Oxides
Benzo-a-pyrene Styrene
Occupational Exposures
Pollutant asbestos No. of workers exposed 250000 Occupational activity mining and manufacturing pesticide, pigment, glass and alloy production coal mining silo filling, welding, explosive manufacturing welding, deodorizing, flour bleaching bleaching, fumigation, refrigeration and chem. manufacturing
arsenic
1500000
coal dust
200000
nitrogen oxides
1500000
ozone
380000
sulfur dioxide
5000000