| A | B |
|---|
| acid precipitation | is highly acidic rain, sleet, or snow that results from the burning of fossil fuels |
| acid shock | a sudden introduction of acidic water will cause this. It can be so intense that entire populations of fish are wiped out. It also afffects reproduction |
| air pollution | When substances harmful to living things end up in the air |
| primary pollutant | A pollutant that is put directly into the air by HUMAN ACTIVITY. |
| secondary pollutant | These pollutants are formed when a primary pollutant comes into contact with other primary pollutants or with naturally occurring substances like water vapor and a chemical reaction takes place. |
| sick-building syndrome | Buildings with poor air quality. Tightly sealed and well insulated buildings. |
| smog | Air pollution that hangs over urban areas and reduces visibility. |
| thermal inversion | The air above is warmer that the air below. |
| secondary pollutant example | Ozone |
| atmosphere | A thin layer of gases. 78 % nitrogen and 21 % oxygen |
| CFCs | Human-made chemicals that damage the ozone shield. |
| Chlorofluorocarbons | Foams, aerosols, refrigerants, solvents |
| climate | The average weather in an area over a long period of time |
| global warming | A predicted increase in temperature of the earth |
| greenhouse gases | Gases in our atmosphere that trap and radiate heat. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, and nitrous oxide |
| greenhouse effect | Sunlight streams through the atmosphere and heats the Earth. The heat rises and some of it escapes into space. The rest of the heat is trapped by gases in the troposphere and warms the air |
| ozone | Found in the stratosphere, a form of 3 molecules of oxygen, absorbs most of the ultraviolet light from the sun. |
| stratosphere | Above the troposphere and extends from 10 km to about 45 km above the earth |
| troposphere | extends from the Earth's surface to about 10km above the surface. Contains nearly 90% of the atmosphere's gases. |
| weather | What is happening in the atmosphere at a particular place at a particular moment. |
