| A | B |
|---|
| There were no free molecules of this gas in the atmosphere 4.6 billion years ago. | Oxygen |
| What were the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere 4.6 billion years ago? | Methane (CH4) and Ammonia (NH4) |
| What molecules in the upper atmostsphere absorb ultra-violet radiation? | Ozone (O3) |
| What is the present composition of the atmosphere? | Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21%, trace amounts of other gases 1% |
| What is the first layer of the atmosphere called, and what is it's distance to the earth's surface? | Troposphere, 16 km |
| What is the second layer of the atmosphere, and what is it's distance to the earth's surface? | Stratosphere, 48 km |
| What is the third layer of the atmosphere, and what is it's distance to the earth's atmosphere? | Mesosphere, 80 km |
| What is the fourth layer of the atmosphere, and what is it's distance to the earth's surface? | Thermosphere, 483 km |
| Within the Troposphere, from top to bottom, as you get higher in altitude, does the temperature increase or decrease? | Decrease |
| Within the Stratosphere, from top to bottom, as you get higher in altitude, does the temperature increase or decrease? | Increase |
| Within the Mesosphere, from top to bottom, as you get higher in altitude, does the temperature increase or decrease? | Decrease |
| Within the Thermosphere, from top to bottom, as you get higher in altitude, does the temperature increase or decrease? | Increase |
| What is the name of the fast moving current of air between the troposphere and the stratosphere called? | The Jet Stream. |
| In which layer of the atmosphere is most of the ozone layer found? | The Stratosphere |
| What does the ozone layer reduce? | The amount of UV rays reaching earth. |
| Most weather occurs in which atmospheric layer? | Troposphere |
| What does uneven heating of the atmosphere cause? | Winds |
| Define air pollution. | The presence, in air, of substances that adversly affect it's chemical composition. |
| Name two examples of air pollutants. | Oxides and particulates. |
| Most air pollution in developed countries comes from what two sources? | Cars and industry. |
| Define Primary Pollutants. | Pollutants that are formed and released directly into the air. |
| Define Secondary Pollutants. | Pollutants that form in the air when Primary Pollutants react with each other. |
| Name several sources and/ or causes of air pollution. | Power plants, industry, vehicles, volcanoes, fires, decomposition, wind erosion, plant transpiration. |
| When does CO (Carbon Monoxide) form? | When fossil fuels are burned. |
| Name some types of particulates. | Smoke, ash, liquid droplets. |
| How do sulfur oxides get into the atmosphere? | When fuels are containing sulfur are burned. |
| What do factories use in their smokestacks to help reduce emissions? | Scrubbers. |
| What do the scrubbers use to help clean the air? | Water and limestone. |
| What are nitrous oxides produced by? | Car engines. |
| What gives smog it's brown color? | Nitrogen dioxide. |
| What results when a layer of warm air traps cooler air and pollutants beneath it? | A temperature inversion. |
| Where did the first 'killer fog' occur? | Belgium. |
| Briefly describe Donora, PA's 'killer fog'. | Happened in Oct 1948, hills surrounding the town held in pollution created by the town's industries during a temperature inversion. The trapped pollutants reacted with the fog caused by the temperature inversion. The event lasted 5 days, 22 people died, 7000 became ill. |
| How do normal atmospheric conditions disperse pollutants? | By local and global winds. |
| How does topography affect pollution concentrations? | Buildings, Mountains, alleys all affect or change wind patterns. |
| How do prevailing winds affect pollution levels? | The winds can blow pollutants away, but they end up elsewhere. |
| How does humidity affect pollution levels? | Humidity can keep pollutants down by diluting them or dissolving them, this causes acid rain. |
| What is a smog alert? | An advisory statement issued to let people know that they should stay indoors because of unhealthy air. |
| What does pH stand for? | Potential hydrogen. |
| What is the pH of normal rain? | It has a pH of 5.6. |
| What is 2/3 of the acidity in rain caused by, and what is the source of this pollutant? | Sulfuric acid, the sulfur comes from the burning of coal. |
| What gases combine with precipitation or dust particles to form acid deposition? | Sulfur dixoide and nitrogen dioxide. |
| How does acid rain affect the environment? | Changes the pH of aquatic environments, heavy metals and valuable minerals are washed out of the soil. |
| Define the greenhouse effect. | Greenhouse gases (CO2, Methane, etc.) trap the heat that is necessary for life on Earth. |
| What is a source of methane? | Landfills, rice paddies, coal mines, livestock. |
| What is a source of CO2? | Burning fossil fuels. |
| Define global warming. | A rise in the average global temperature due to the addition of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere due to human activities. |
| Name several possible effects of global warming. | Droughts, ice cap melting, loss of food production. |
| What major discovery about the atmosphere was made in the 1980's? | A hole in the ozone layer. |
| Name two ways to reduce excess greenhouse gasses. | Burn less fossil fuel, reforestation. |
| What two gasses are human activites adding to the atmosphere, increasing the possibility of global warming. | Carbon dioxide (CO2) , Methane (CH4) |
| Ozone consists of how many atoms of oxygen? | Three (O3). |
| How is ozone destroyed by CFCs? | A chlorine atom in CFCs combines with one of the atoms of oxygen in the ozone molecule. |
| How many molecules of ozone can one chlorine atom destroy? | 100,000 |
| Name some effects of the thinning of the ozone layer. | Damage to the immune system, affect on the growth of plants, skin cancer, cataracts. |
| How can we reduce the destruction of the ozone layer? | Reduce or eliminate the use of CFCs. |
| Name the agreement to ban the use of CFCs, and the year it was signed. | The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987. |
| What legislation was written to enforce clean air standards? | Federal Clean Air Act. |
| What agency enforces all Federal pollution laws? | The EPA. |
