Pollution - Smoke/PM10

Question 1

What are the 5 air pollutants?

Answer 1

• Smoke
• Acid precipitation
• NOx
• Hydrocarbons
• CO

Question 2

What is smoke?

Answer 2

A concentration of atmospheric particulates produced by incomplete combustion

Question 3

What are the sources of smoke?

Answer 3

Incomplete combustion of carbon-based materials (e.g. coal, diesel, wood)

Question 4

What effect does smoke have on humans?

Answer 4

• Respiratory issues
• Carcinogenic chemicals

Question 5

What effect does smoke have on living organisms?

Answer 5

• Reduced photosynthesis
• Animal respiratory issues

Question 6

What effect does smoke have on the climate?

Answer 6

• Reduced temperatures due to high albedo
• Persistent in the atmosphere

Question 7

What is smog?

Answer 7

When smoke and fog are present together

Question 8

How do smogs form?

Answer 8

• Airborne water droplets are held as vapour as cold air reaches dew point
• Temperature inversion

Question 9

What happens to pollutant gases under normal conditions?

Answer 9

• Rises in the troposphere
• Less dense when released

Question 10

What is a temperature inversion?

Answer 10

• Temperature increases with altitude in the troposphere
• Layer of warm air is present above a layer of cold air (traps smoke at low levels)

Question 11

Which conditions increase the likelihood of a temperature inversion?

Answer 11

• Cold temperatures
• Clear night sky
• Valleys (less wind)
• Low wind velocity
• Mist-fog during the daytime

Question 12

What happens to pollutant gases during a temperature inversion?

Answer 12

Trapped close to ground level as they are more dense than the air above

Question 13

How does temperature impact air density?

Answer 13

Cold air is denser than warm air