news 9/11/09/hurricane_ida_takes_aim_at_us_gulf_co ast/...
TRANSCRIPT
News
• http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/09/hurricane_ida_takes_aim_at_us_gulf_coast/
• http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2009/11/09/floods_mudslides_kill_124_in_el_salvador/
• http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/09/green_blog_dartmouth_students_concoct_way_to_keep_natural_arsenic_out_of_drinking_water/
Air Pollution
Source: Zakysant, German Wikipedia
The Atmosphere
75% of Mass below17 km
Source: www.aerospaceweb.org
Thermal Inversions
Source: US Department of Natural Resources
Inversion
Photo by: Kreuzschnabel
What does air pollution do?
• Damage materials
• Damage plants and animals
• Human health
• Cause acid rain
• Decrease visibility
Stress to Plants
Image courtesy of APPA
Human Health
Source: Wikipedia
Lungs
Photo Credit: ``The ABC´s of Smoking" by Michael F. Russo, Published by W.R. Spence, MD, Div of WRS Group, Waco, Tx
Index Card
• What are the major air pollutants?
• Where do they come from?
• How do we reduce them?
Air Pollutants
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
Class Examples
Carbon Oxides Carbon Monoxide, carbon dioxide
Sulfur Oxides Sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide
Nitrogen oxides Nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide (NOx)
Volatile organic compounds Methane, propane, benzene, chlorofluorocarbons
Suspended particles Solid particles (dust, soot, etc.), liquid droplets (sulfuric acid, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides)
Photochemical oxidants Ozone, peroxyacyl nitrates, hydrogen peroxide
Radioactive substances Radon-222, iodine-131, strontium-90, plutonium-239
Toxic compounds Trace amounts of at least 600 toxic substances (many of them volatile organic compounds), 60 of them known to cause cancer in test animals
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Mobile Sources
Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency
Stationary Sources
Image courtesy of United States Federal Government
Pathways
Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency
Acid Deposition
Image courtesy of www.hitchcockwoods.org
pH
Water 7Lemon Juice 2
Windex 11Rain 5.5
Seawater 8Coke 2.5
Acid Fog 2Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency
Nitrogen Oxides
Stationary Fuel Combustion
47%
Solid Waste & Miscellaneous
1%
Transportation48%
Industrial Processes4%
Sources of NOx Emissions United States (1987)
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Sulfur Oxides
Sationary Fuel Combustion
81%
Transportation4%
Industrial Processes
15%
Sources of Sox EmissionsUnited States (1987)
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Photochemical Smog
• Needs VOC (hydrocarbons)
• Needs NOx
• Needs sunlight
• Produces NO2 (brown), O3 (ozone)
• Ozone damages plants (5-10% reduction in food production)
Hydrocarbons
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Particles
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Trends
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Reductions in Mobile Sources
• Catalytic converters
• Annual Stickers
• Unleaded gasoline
• Cleaner burning engines
• Better gas mileage
• Fewer Miles driven
Indoor Air Pollution
Radon
Image courtesy of Natural Resources Canada
Stratospheric Vs. Tropospheric Ozone
Image courtesy of www.aeronomy.be