Environmental Science: AIR QUALITY AND CLIMATE UNIT NOTES PART 1
Name______________________Date_________Period______
The Atmosphere is a _____________ _____________ of _______________ that
surrounds to earth.
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The reason there is life on Earth – we are protected from most of the _______
___________________.
Allows some light to reach the surface, supplying _______________ and allowing
___________________________________ (O and CO )
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78% N _________________, 21% O________________, 1%= water vapor, argon,
carbon dioxide, neon, helium, and other gases
The early atmosphere contained little _________________________.
Bacteria appeared about 4 Billion Years Ago and evolved the ability to perform photosynthesis:
_______________________________________________________________________
When organisms break down food molecules during cellular respiration, CO is released into the air.
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C H O + O → CO + H O + Energy
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The 5 Layers
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TROPOSPHERE
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75–80% of the earth’s air mass
Closest to the _______________________
____________________________
0-11 km above sea level
Chemical composition of air
• Nitrogen ____%
• Oxygen _____%
• H 0, CO , trace amounts of others (Ar)
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Weather, climate and all life forms exist here
As altitude increases, temperature decreases
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STRATOSPHERE
• 11-50 km (6-30 miles) above Earth's surface
– Similar composition to the troposphere, with 2 exceptions
• Much less water (1/1000)
• O , ozone layer
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As __________________ increases, _______________
increases
Air motion is horizontal
_______________________ __________ here
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THE OZONE LAYER (_____)
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Located in the __________________
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Absorbs most of the ______ light from the sun
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UV light can cause ______________ damage to living organisms- can cause skin cancer,
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faster ________, and cataracts, can kill one-celled organisms (___________________)
that live in the surface of the ocean, and interfere with photosynthesis, resulting in lower crop
yields
• The ozone in the stratosphere acts as a _____________________ for Earth and its inhabitants.
MESOPHERE
 50-80 km (30-50 miles)
 ____________________________ atmosphere – Air thin, pressure low,
 Need _______________________ to live in this region. Air quite cold -90°C (-130°F) near
the top of mesosphere
THERMOSPHERE
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80-500 km (50-310 miles)
Very few atoms and molecules in this region.
Intense UV – breaks O and N bonds
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_______________________________ ____________________
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____________________ is here
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
• Greenhouse effect – the trapping of infrared radiation from the sun by gases in earth’s
atmosphere which warms the planet
• Raises earth’s temp to an average of __________ ⁰F. Without the greenhouse effect,
the average temp would be __________⁰F.
GLOBAL WARMING
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Global warming – increase in Earth’s average surface temp. ______________ by an
________________ in ________________________ ______________.
EVIDENCE OF GLOBAL WARMING
Earth’s average temperature has risen ___° F in ___________ ______________
years.
• Some argue natural fluctuation; however, corresponds w/ rising greenhouse gases
According to the EPA, the global surface temperature has increased 0.9°F since 1880.
The eight warmest years on record (since 1880) have all occurred since 2001, with the warmest years
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being ___________ and ___________________.
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GREENHOUSE GASES
Methane (CH ) – ___________ times more ___________________effect than CO and increasing at 8
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times the rate.
• Methane production is faster than broken down
• Main sources are wetlands, rice fields, ________________ _________________,
_______________________, and __________________
• Remains in the air about 12 years
• Nitrous oxides – _______________________ to breakdown (120 yrs)
– Sources are _____________
_______________, fertilizers,
deforestation
• CFCs– slow breakdown; ______________
___________________ X more infrared than
CO (100 + years)
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Sources are foams,
________________,
__________________, solvents
Water vapor – Warmed by CO ,the atmosphere is
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thus able to absorb more water vapor. And that
water vapor, in turn, causes further warming—it
amplifies the effects of carbon dioxide.
CFC’s
• CFCs that are released in the troposphere can take 10-20 years to float into the stratosphere.
One single chlorine atom can destroy ___________________molecules and remain in the
stratosphere 65-385 years!
THE OZONE HOLE
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Depletion of the ozone layer allows _______________ UV light to reach the Earth’s surface
STOPPING THE OZONE EATERS 75-85% OF THE OZONE LOSS WAS FROM CFC’S AND OTHER
OZONE DEPLETING CHEMICALS
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The _______________________________________ – 1987
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The_______________________________________-1992
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Nations agreed to ____________________ their production of CFCs
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US pledged to ban all substances that posed a danger to the ozone layer by 2000
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Developed countries agreed to set up a fund to help developing countries switch to CFC substitutes
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CFCs remain active for more than 30 years, so it will take decades for the layer to
recover.
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THE NUMBER 1 SOURCE OF CFCs ARE
____________________________________________________!
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CFC’s
A ___________________________ gas AND an
____________________________________________ chemical.
CANCER
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Over ____ million new diagnosis each year.
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About __________% of non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by ultra-violet exposure.
Skin cancer accounts for nearly ________% of all cancers.
It is the most common type of cancer in men over 50.
GREENHOUSE GASES
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_________ – most ______________________ greenhouse gas (GHG)
Sources: burning _______________________, ______________________________
_________ cores have shown that CO increasing in atmosphere – ________% higher than pre-Industrial
Rev.
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Natural cycling of CO levels
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Seasonal shift in CO production; high fall; low spring
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SOURCES OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
1. What is the highest source______________________________
LARGEST EMITTERS OF CARBON DIOXIDE
List the 4 largest emitters
1.__________________________(______%)
2.__________________________(______%)
3.__________________________(______%)
4.__________________________(______%)
MEASURING CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE
• There is a carbon dioxide detector in _________________________________ in Hawaii.
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Charles________________ took the first measurement in March of ______________, it
was 0.0314%.
These levels have rose steadily over the last 50 years.
GLOBAL WARMING AND HURRICANES?
_______________________ to link climate change and frequency of hurricanes and typhoons.
Studies _____________________________ between ocean surface _____________________ and
hurricane_____________________ and duration.
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El Niño/ La Niña WEATHER PATTERNS
There have been ______________________________ El Niño years than in prior history.
GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS ON POLES
____% of sheet ice is located in ______________________ and ____________________.
Ice is ___________________ worldwide, but especially quickly at the poles.
PREDICTED RESULTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
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_______________________ patterns will ________________ -
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more_____________________, typhoons, flooding and droughts.
Agriculture – weather patterns will move farther north, shifting
_________________________
_________ __________________ - polar regions ___________, icebergs melt, sea levels
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___________. Warming water also expands.
___________________ areas may _________________
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Human health will be _______________________
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Heat index, more ground level ozone, more infectious diseases.
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_______________________ that normally occur near the _____________________
will move northward. Diseases spread by mosquitoes and other insects due to warmer/wetter
climates.
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Plant and ________________________ species may ______________________ to maintain
their preferred habitats
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Not all __________________________ can adapt- some cannot ______________ their
_______________ adequately
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Certain birds/fishes may migrate
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Not all can adapt- ___________________ will dry up, land-locked fish cannot seek colder rivers
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Those that cannot adapt/migrate may experience regional _____________________________
GLOBAL COOLING
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Global cooling: natural
Planetary albedo – low, thick clouds reflect sunlight, prevent warming
__________________________ – dust reflect radiation
Sulfate aerosols – from _____________________________, create haze,
__________________ sunlight
KYOTO PROTOCOL
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The ___________________ ____________________is the _______________
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international agreement (UN) to fight ____________________ warming.
It set _________________________ for nations to __________________ greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions.
– 5% decrease against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.
It was signed by __________________ nations, including all European and all other
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developed industrial nations except the _____________ and
________________________.
– Went into effect on February 16, 2005, and expires in 2012.
Pres. Clinton supported
Pres. Bush did not sign
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CAP AND TRADE SYSTEM
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A limit on the amount of _____________________________ any specific
factory or power plant can produce.
Permits (or _________________) are required depending on how much carbon
dioxide is emitted.
• An organization can purchase additional credits from other
organizations that do not need them.
CARBON SINK
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A carbon sink is anything that
____________________ more carbon that it
releases, while a carbon source is anything that releases
more carbon than is absorb.
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Forests, ________________________,
______________________ and the atmosphere all
store carbon and this carbon moves between them in a
continuous cycle.
OTHER IDEAS?
The __________________________________is an idea developed to combat global warming by
blocking some of the sunlight entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
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WE CAN PREPARE FOR THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
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_____________________________ greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible
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Move people from ______-___________ coastal areas
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_____________________ coastal building
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____________________ hazardous material storage tanks away from the coast
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Genetically _______________________ ___________________ more tolerant to
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Stockpile ___-____ years of key foods
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Waste ______________ water
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Connect _________________ reserves with corridors
The average amount of CO2 per capita produced in America is ____________ tons,
which is 39, 600 pounds!
THE MOST TERRIFYING VIDEO YOU WILL EVER SEE”
Action vs. Inaction
1. Fill out the table below:
Significant Action
Global Climate Change is a
fraud or is naturally
occurring
Global Climate Change is
real and primarily humancaused
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No Action