Insights Environment 2 Flashcards
Smog
The term smog was first used by Dr H A Des Voeux.
2. Smog is a condition of fog that had soot or smoke in it.
One of the primary components of photochemical smog is
ozone.
Mycoremediation
is a form of bioremediation in which fungi are used to decontaminate the area.
__________ is a water remediation technique that involves the uptake of contaminants by plant roots
Rhizofiltration
Phytoextraction / phytoaccumulation
is the process by which plants accumulate contaminants into the roots and above ground shoots or leaves.
Phytotransformation or phytodegradation
refers to the uptake of organic contaminants from soil, sediments, or water and their transformation to more stable, less toxic, less mobile form.
Phytostabilization
is a technique in which plants reduce the mobility and migration of contaminated soil. Leachable constituents are adsorbed and bound into the plant structure so that they form unstable mass of plant from which the contaminants will not re-enter the environment.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
ISA’s vision to enable
It was established under Paris Declaration.All members of the United Nations can join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
One World, One Sun, One Grid
ISA Signatories
75
The Sun emits energy that is transmitted to Earth. Because the Sun is very hot, the energy is emitted in high energy _________ that penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere.
short wavelengths
About _____ of the Sun’s energy is reflected directly back into space by the atmosphere, clouds, and surface of the Earth.
30%
Black carbon warms the Earth by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and by _________ when deposited on snow and ice.
reducing albedo, (the ability to reflect sunlight)
Short-lived climate pollutants
Short-lived climate pollutants are powerful climate forcers that remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of time than carbon dioxide (CO2), yet their potential to warm the atmosphere can be many times greater.
45% of current global warming
The short-lived climate pollutants black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons
Climate “forcings”
are factors in the climate system that either increase or decrease the effects to the climate system.
Positive forcings such as ______ warm the earth while negative forcings, such as ______ theactually cool the earth.
excess greenhouse gases,
effects of most aerosols and volcanic eruptions,
highest Global warming potential?
Sulfur Hexafluoride
Ocean acidification is
the lowering of ocean pH driven by the uptake of carbon compounds by the ocean from the atmosphere.
The ocean currently has a pH around
8.0 and is therefore ‘basic’
Which of the following greenhouse gases (GHG) are covered under Kyoto Protocol?
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
GHGs:
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
In its Annex B, the Kyoto Protocol _________ emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition and the European Union.
sets binding
Ozone depleting potential is a measure of how much damage a chemical can cause to the ozone layer compared with a similar mass of ___________
trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11).
Montreal Protocol substances
The protocol covers over 200 individual substances with a high ozone-depleting potential (ODP)