News
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9/11/09/hurricane_ida_takes_aim_at_us_gulf_co
ast/
• http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/
articles/2009/11/09/floods_mudslides_kill_124_i
n_el_salvador/
• http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/20
09/11/09/green_blog_dartmouth_students_conc
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ng_water/
Air Pollution
Source: Zakysant, German Wikipedia
The Atmosphere
75% of Mass
below
17 km
Source: www.aerospaceweb.org
Thermal Inversions
Source: US Department of Natural Resources
Inversion
Photo by: Kreuzschnabel
What does air pollution do?
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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 7
Lemon Juice 2
Windex 11
Rain 5.5
Seawater 8
Coke 2.5
Acid Fog 2
Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency
Nitrogen Oxides
Sources of NOx Emissions
United States (1987)
Industrial Processes
4%
Transportation
48%
Stationary Fuel
Combustion
47%
Solid Waste &
Miscellaneous
1%
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Sulfur Oxides
Sources of Sox Emissions
United States (1987)
Transportation
4%
Industrial
Processes
15%
Sationary Fuel
Combustion
81%
Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare
Photochemical Smog
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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
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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