Lecture 11

Air & Noise Pollution

Lecture 11
The Atmosphere
- thin, gaseous envelope of air around Earth

- we live at the bottom of this sea of air
The atmosphere is divided into the:


Troposphere
- atmospheres inner layer
- contains most of Earths air
- N
2
( 78% ), O
2
( 21% ), CO
2
( 0.04% )
- weather occurs here
- temperature drops with an increase in altitude
Stratosphere
- layer above troposphere
- temperature rises with altitude
- our global sunscreen
Stratosphere contd
- contains O
3
good ozone

- ozone layer prevents 99% of harmful ultraviolet
radiation from reaching Earths surface


Stratosphere contd
O
3
s filtering action protects us from:

* increased sunburn
* skin & eye cancer
* cataracts
* damage to our immune system
* damage to aquatic and land organisms
Ozone in the Troposphere
(Pollutant)

Trace amounts of O
3
that form in the troposphere
as a component of urban smog cause damage to:

plants
materials, e.g., rubber
respiratory systems of humans & other
animals
What is Air Pollution?
- one or more chemicals in high enough
concentrations in the air to:

1) harm organisms or materials

2) alter climate
Air Pollution
Excess heat and noise are also considered forms of
air pollution.

Such chemicals or physical conditions are called
air pollutants.
Sources of Air Pollution
1. Natural events
(e.g., volcanic eruptions, dust storms)

2. Human activities
(e.g., emissions from cars and smoke stacks)
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
1. Carbon Oxides
- e.g., CO & CO
2



2. Sulfur Oxides
- e.g., sulfur dioxide (SO
2
), sulfur trioxide (SO
3
)
Major Classes of Air Pollutants contd
3. Nitrogen Oxides
- e.g., nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO
2
),
nitrous oxide (N
2
O)
Major Classes of Air Pollutants contd
4. Volatile Organic Compounds
- e.g., methane, propane, benzene,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Major Classes of Air Pollutants contd
5. Suspended Particles
- e.g., solid particles (dust, asbestos, soot)
- e.g., liquid droplets (pesticides, sulfuric acid)
Major Classes of Air Pollutants contd
6. Photochemical Oxidants
- e.g., ozone, hydrogen peroxide


7. Radioactive Substances
- e.g., radon-222, plutonium-239

8. Toxic Compounds
- e.g., trace amounts of at least 600 toxic
substances, 60 of them are carcinogens
Types of Air Pollutants
Primary Pollutant
- chemical, that occurs in a harmful
concentration, added directly to the air by
natural events or human activities
Types of Air Pollutants contd
Secondary Pollutant
- harmful chemical formed in atmosphere when a
primary air pollutant reacts with the normal air
components or with other air pollutants

e.g.. ozone, sulphur trioxide
Urban Air Pollution
Smog
- originally a combination of smoke & fog
- now describes other mixtures in the atmosphere
Urban Air Pollution contd
Photochemical Smog
- mixture of primary & secondary pollutants

- formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen
oxides react under the influence of sunlight.

- Dominated by ozone

- found in almost all modern cities
Urban Air Pollution contd
Industrial Smog
- consists mainly of a mixture of sulfur
dioxide, suspended droplets of sulfuric acid
and a variety of suspended solid particles

- found in cities that burn large amounts of
coal and heavy oil which contain sulfur
impurities
Effects of Climate & Topography on Air Pollution
Areas with high average annual precipitation,
help cleanse the air of pollutants.

Winds help sweep pollutants away and bring in
fresh air.

Hills & mountains reduce the flow of air in
valleys below and allow pollutant levels to build
up at ground level.
Effects of Climate & Topography on Air Pollution contd
Buildings in cities slow wind speed & reduce
dilution and removal of pollutants.

The process of hot air rising and cold air sinking
causing continual mixing of air, helps keep
pollutants from reaching dangerous levels near
the ground.
Temperature Inversion
- also called thermal inversion

- layer of dense, cool air trapped under a layer of
stagnant, less dense warm air

- in a prolonged inversion, air pollution in the
trapped layer may build up to harmful levels


THERMAL INVERSION
Urban Heat Island
- build-up of heat in the atmosphere above an
urban area

- heat is produced by the large concentrations of
cars, buildings, factories and other heat-
producing activities
Dust Dome
- dome of heated air that surrounds an urban area
and traps and keeps pollutants, especially
suspended particulate matter
Indoor Air
Pollution
Effects of Air Pollution
Air pollution damages:

human health

plants

aquatic life

materials
Acid Deposition

- the falling of acids and acid-forming compounds
from the atmosphere to the earths surface

- commonly known as acid rain
Acid Rain
- refers only to wet deposition of droplets of acids
and acid-forming compounds

- natural precipitation is slightly acidic (pH 5.0-
5.6)

- acid rain can have a pH of 4.3 or 3 (as acidic as
vinegar)
Harmful Effects of Acid Deposition
- contributes to human respiratory diseases

- damages foliage and weaken trees

- contaminate fish

- damages statues, buildings, metals, & car
finishes

- releases aluminium ions which damage tree roots
Greenhouse Effect
- natural effect that traps heat in the troposphere

- some of the heat flowing back toward space from
Earths surface is absorbed, by H
2
O vapour, CO
2
,
O
3
and other gases, then radiated back toward
Earths surface



Greenhouse Gases
- gases in the troposphere that cause the
greenhouse effect
- include:
carbon dioxide
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
ozone
methane
water vapour
nitrous oxide
Greenhouse Gases contd
- the 2 predominant greenhouse gases are:
- water vapour
- carbon dioxide

- if the atmospheric concentrations of these gases
increase, the average temperature of the
troposphere will gradually rise
Global Warming
- warming of atmosphere due to increases in the
concentrations of one or more greenhouse gases
primarily as a result of human activities, mainly:

burning of fossil fuels
use of CFCs
agriculture
deforestation


Global Warming contd
In recent decades certain greenhouse gases have
increased in concentration:

carbon dioxide
methane
nitrous oxide
CFCs

CO
2
contributes to ~ 55% of global warming.
Global Warming contd
Possible Impacts of Global Warming
on Caribbean States
- disastrous for ecosystems

- alter climatic conditions faster than some species
could adapt

- shift food-growing areas

- rise in sea levels may flood coastal settlements
Possible Impacts of Global Warming on
Caribbean States contd
- more frequent and fierce hurricanes

- disastrous for economic and social systems
Ozone Layer
- layer of gaseous ozone that protects life on Earth
by filtering out harmful ultraviolet radiation
from the sun

- being depleted by CFCs, halons and other
chemicals
CFCs
- Chlorofluorocarbons

- used in air conditioners, refrigerators, aerosol
spray cans, cleaners for electronic parts,
hospital sterilants, fumigants, plastic foam

- ozone eaters

Impact of Ozone Depletion
- increased cases of cancer & cataracts

- suppression of human immune system

- lowers crop yield

- degradation of materials

- reduction in phytoplankton
Noise Pollution
- any unwanted, disturbing or harmful sound that
impairs or interferes with hearing, causes stress,
hampers concentration and work efficiency or
causes accidents
Impact of Noise Pollution
- permanent hearing loss
- hypertension
- insomnia
- irritability
- migraine headaches
- muscle tension
- gastric (stress) ulcers
- psychological disorders (eg, increased aggression)
Solutions to Air & Noise Pollution
- enforce air & noise pollution laws
- use emission control devices
- ban or limit smoking to well-ventilated areas
- tax each unit of pollution produced
- use office machines in well-ventilated areas
- shift to less polluting energy sources
- increase intake of outdoor air
- car exhaust inspections