Air Pollution
BY: Colleen
Krupa
Causes Of Air Pollution
• Pollution- any change in the atmosphere that has a
harmful effect
• Pollutants- substances that cause pollution (ash as a
solid, or chlorine as a gas)
• Emissions- solid partials and gasses that are release
into the air
Natural Causes
Volcano erupting
Forest Fire
Human Causes
Cars blowing emissions
Factory burning
fossils fuels
Smog
Photochemical
Smog- a thick
brown haze
formed when
certain gases in
the air react with
sunlight
The major sources
of the photochemical
smog are the gases
emitted by cars and
trucks
Ozone- the gasses
react in the
sunlight and
produce a form of
oxygen
The gases released by
fossil fuels burning
include hydrocarbons
The Effects of Smog
Temperature
Inversion- a layer of
warm air prevents the
rising air from
escaping
Health Problems can
be as simple as itchy
eyes or scratchy
throat. More serious
problems could hurt
the lungs and weaken
the bodies defense
system. At some
points the city will
call out a Smog Alert.
The polluted air will be
trapped and kept close
to the ground. This
will cause the smog to
Smog Alert- a warning
become more
about a high smog level
dangerous.
that could be dangerous
Acid Rain
Acid rain- precipitation
that is more acidic than
normal, it could fall as
fain, snow, hail, sleet, or
even fog
The rain can also effect
buildings, metals, and
even statues and could
cause rust on cars.
Effects of acid rain can
include the weakening
of fish eggs shells or
killing of plants. Big
effects will show up in
bodies of water, the
animals and plants will
be effected and killed.
Indoor Air Pollution
• Causes of indoor air pollution could be dust, pet hair,
and some air fresheners
• Other more serious causes could be Asbestos, oil-base
paints, glues, and many cleaning supplies. These all
could give off bad toxic fumes
• One very common type of air pollution is smoking.
When you inhale the smoke it will damage the heart
and lungs. When you inhale the smoke it is called
Second Hand Smoke
Serious Indoor Pollutions
•Carbon Monoxide- is a colorless,
odorless gas that forms when wood, coal,
oil, or gas is incompletely burned
•When the monoxide builds up in a closed
area it could be deadly
•Radon- is a colorless, odorless gas that is
radioactive
•Radon forms naturally by certain rocks
underground
•If you breathe the gas over many years it
could cause health problems such as lung
cancer
Ozone Layer
• Ozone Layer- is a layer of the upper
atmosphere about 30 kilometers
above Earth’s surface
• The concentration of the ozone is
very low
• Even though the concentration is low,
the small amounts of the ozone layer
protects people from the effects of
too much ultraviolet radiation
(sunburn, eye disease, and skin
cancer)
Ozone Layer (cont.)
• When the Ozone is higher in the
atmosphere it helps to protect us when we
breath or when we are in the sun
• When the ozone is too close to Earth it can
cause smog
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)- one problem of
the hole in the ozone , a group of gasses
containing chlorine and fluorine
• The CFCs were banned but still remained in
the atmosphere for a very long time
What is the Ozone about?
• The ozone is always being made and destroyed
•
Look at the cycle below, it shows how the ozone works
Green House Effect
• Green House Effectthe trapping of heat
near the Earth’s
surface
• The gases that are
trapped near the
Earth’s surface include
water vapor, carbon
dioxide, and many
other gases
Global Warming
• Ever since the 1800’s the main source of energy has been coal
and oil. When burning these substances it produces carbon
dioxide
• When the carbon dioxide reaches the ozone layer it causes a
hole in the ozone layer
• The sun will produce heat which will go through the hole in the
ozone layer making the Earth warmer
• Through time the amount of carbon dioxide has increased from
280 parts per million to 350 parts per million and keeps going
up
• Global Warming- the theory that the increasing carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere will raise Earth’s average temperature
• Scientists predict that in the next century the Earth’s temperature
will increase 3 to 8 degrees Celsius
Effects of Global Warming
• The parts of ice caps up north and
south will start to melt, causing the
water level to rise and kill many
homes for the animals and humans
• The change of temperature could
effect climate, which could help
create a natural disaster
• It could effect how crops grow or how
animals live
Predicting Climate
• It is said it is hard to predict the climate with the
changes in the atmosphere
• Most scientists base their climate predictions on
computer models that calculate the effects of changes
in the atmosphere
• The ocean factor- the carbon dioxide cycles between
the atmosphere and the oceans, where it dissolves into
the ocean
• The Forest factor- plants take in carbon dioxide during
Photosynthesis and when the trees are cut down more
carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere
• The clouds factor- when the Earth becomes warmer
more water will evaporate. More water vapor will
increase the greenhouse effect
• The emissions factor- power plants, factories, and
vehicles produce the gases that cause the greenhouse
effect
Worlds Most Polluted Places
10 BEST, WORST METRO AREAS
Areas with the highest CO emissions:
1. Lexington-Fayette, Ky.
2. Indianapolis
3. Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.Ind.
4. Toledo, Ohio
5. Louisville
6.Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro
7. St. Louis
8. Oklahoma City
9. Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.
10. Knoxville
USA Today- 2008
Areas with the lowest CO
emissions:
1. Honolulu
2. Los Angeles-Long BeachSanta Ana
3. Portland-VancouverBeaverton, Ore.-Wash.
4. New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, N.Y-N.J.Pa.
5. Boise-Nampa, Idaho
6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue,
Wash.
7. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa
Clara
8. San Francisco-OaklandFremont
9. El Paso
10. San Diego-Carlsbad-San
Air Pollution can be very serious,
try your best to stop it’s
progress
By: COLLEEN
KRUPA