apes unit 7: atmospheric pollution Flashcards
(23 cards)
primary pollutant
forms directly from sources like a smoke stack
secondary pollutant
transformed because of reacting with sunlight, water, oxygen, etc. commonly occurs in the daytime (because of sun/water)
means of controlling acid rain
actually increases sulfur in crops.
CaCO3 (limestone bedrock)
what is radon
radon is an odorless radioactive gas. formed from the decay of uranium and is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer.
what was used in gas as an additive
lead
what is NO2
nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas. spread on crops-agriculture.
what communities are at risk from power plants
downwind
what non-criteria pollutant in found in coal
mercury, produced by coal-powered plants
what did the clean air act do
it regulated pollutants in the atmosphere. banned leaded gasoline in the US
what makes a lab more credible
using larger sample sizes and repeating the experiment many times
what is CO poisoning
carbon monoxide poisoning is when it attaches instead to red blood cells and renders the ability to absorb oxygen
voc’s
organic chemicals that contain carbon and high vapor pressure @ room temperature. Can range from harmless to extremely toxic. ex.) formaldehyde
nox gases
nitrogen oxides that are formed from vehicle/fossil fuel combustion. Can naturally occur from forest fires and lightning. THIS CAUSES RESPIRATORY IRRITATION, ACID RAIN, AND SMOG
what makes nox gases and voc’s so problematic
sunlight (it makes it react and transform to more harmful pollutants)
how to mitigate nox gases
using catalytic converters and buying electric cars
scrubbers
remove particulates from industrial exhaust streams
wet scrubber
uses liquid (commonly water) to clean particulates and collect them
dry scrubber
dry compound is sprayed into an exhaust. pollutants are then neutralized and then turned into a different substance
how does noise pollution effect bats
bats use echolocation, highway pollution can render their ability to communicate and locate prey
thermal inversion
when hot layer traps a cool air layer underneath, trapping pollutants in
the process. commonly occurs in places with hills and valleys
photochemical smog
also known as brown smog, is when voc’s and nox gases react with water vapor. occurs in dry and warm climates. ex) Los Angelos
smog is common in cities. what about it
it is harmful to people with respiratory problems, everything is worse in cities
what are direct products of USE
of hydrocarbon within cars
CO2, NOx, VOC’s
- USE NOT BURNING
- VAPOR
