APES Test Review

Climate, atmosphere, air pollution

Composition

• Nitrogen 78%• Oxygen 21%• Water Vapor 0-4%• Carbon Dioxide <<1%• Methane <<<1%• Nitrous Oxide <<<1%• Ozone <<<1%

Structure

Weather and Climate• Weather= caused by the mvt or transfer of heat– Influences temp, air pres, humidity, precip, avail sunshine, wind

velocity• Radiation: how earth gets solar energy– Flow of electromagnetic radiation

• Conduction:– Energy transferred by collisions between energy carrying

molecules• Convection:– Energy transfer from hotter to colder– Determinant of weather patterns

What Influences Climate?• Air mass

– Equatorial, tropical, polar, artic, etc..• Air pressure

– Low pressure: cloudy stormy weather– High pressure: clear skys, cool, dense air, fair

weather• Albedo

– Reflection of solar radiation – Snow has high albedo– Dark soil has low albedo

• Altitude: every 1,000 ft rise in elevation there is a 3°F drop in temp

• Angle of sunlight– Areas closest to equator=most sun and high

temps• Clouds

– Not going into types here.. You can on your own

• Distance to ocean• Fronts• Heat• Land changes• Latitude• Location• Humidity• Mountian ranges• Pollution• Rotaion• Wind patterns• Human activity

ENSO

El Nino• Stands for El Nino Southern

Oscillations • Occur late December

– Along west coast of pacific• Air pressure drops on W

coast of S amer and high pressure areas deveolp

• Normal trade winds reduced - Causing warmer than normal weather in S Amer

La Nina• Cold temps in the E

equatorial Pacific • Opp of El Nino• Wetter than normal

conditions in pac NW• Increase in hurricanes • Heavier monsoons in

india/asia

Air Pollution

• Can be from natural sources= volcanoes• Unnatural= cars• Stationary sources= smoke stacks• Examples) particulate matter (soot), sulfur

dioxide, Carbon Dioxide, carbon monoxide• Secondary pollutants= from primary pollutants

reacting w/ atmosphere to form a new pollutant- Sulfur trioxide

Major Air Pollutants

• Nitrogen Oxide- from burning fuels at high temps, forest fires, volcanoes, bacteria in soil– Forms nitric acid, contributes to acid rain

• Ozone= O3= major component of photchemical smog, formed by sunlight reacting w/ NOx and VOCs in the air

• Sulfur Dioxide- from oil and coal burning, smelting metals… combines w/ water vapor to produce acid rain, reduces plant productivity

• Also know VOCs and particulate matter

Indoor Air Pollution

• Strategies to improve indoor air pollution– Tax incentives or fines and penalties– Legislative standards for energy effic– More funding for research for renewable energy– Trade polices– Solar cookstoves in dev countries– Phase out gas engines– Building codes– Incentives for mass transit

Different indoor air pollutants

Know the different types

• Study the poems• Radon• Asbestos• Lead• smoke

Indoor air pollution Sick building syndrome

• Many people experiencing same illness

• Tied to same location

Health • Children, elderly, people

with respiratory issues

Kyoto Protocol

• 1997• Reduce green house emissions by 7%

compared to 1990 levels • Face penalties if not met• Agreement between 150 nations

Laws

• Air pollution control act 1955- – 1st legilslastion– Initiated research, really just made people aware

of problem• Clean Air Act- 1963– Reducing air pollution by setting emissions

standards for power plants, steel mills

Laws

Montreal Protocol- 1989– Agreement among nations to phase out chemicals

that damage ozone layer- CFCs

OZONE

• UV Radiation – UVA: 320-400 nm wvlght, blue light, a lot hits

earth– UVB: 290-320 nm causes sun burns and skin

cancer– UVC: 10-290nm only in stratophere responsible for

formation of ozone

Ozone depletion

• CFCs – Air conditioner leaks– Aerosol propellants– Electrical part cleaning solvents

Effects of Depletion

• Increase – skin cancer– Sunburns, skin damage– Cataract of eye

• Reduced crop prod• Reduction in food web production• Increase in mutations• Climate change• Cooling of stratophere

Reduce OZONE

• Alternatives to CFCs= HCFCs not perfect• Alternatives to halons- areosol in fire

extinguishers• Using alternatives as coolants

Global warming• Know the green house effect• Methods to reduce it – Carbon sequestration • Green house gases

– CO2– CCl4– CFC– Halons– HCFCs– HFCs– CH4– Nitrous oxide– Sulfur hexafluoride

Effects of global warming

• Acidification- decrease in pH in oceans, effects coral reefs

• Change in weather patterns, increase in extreme weather events

• Rise in ocean level- displace people, property loss• Forest fires• Health effects• Increase in disease• Melt of permfrost and release of methane