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APES Ch. 15 Vocab
Air Pollution and Ozone Depletion - AP Environmental Science, Chapter 15
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Air pollution | The introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or microorganisms into the atmosphere at levels high enough to harm plants, animals, and materials such as buildings and to alter ecosystems |
| Sulfur dioxide | A respiratory irritant that comes primarily from combustion of fuels such as coal and oil (as all plants and animals contain sulfur) and from volcanic eruption |
| Nitrogen oxides | Nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide, primary anthropogenic source is motor vehicles and stationary fossil fuel combustion, play a major role in forming tropospheric ozone and other components of photochemical smog |
| Carbon oxides | Carbon monoxide is formed during incomplete combustion of most matter - common emission in vehicle exhaust + significant in urban areas. Carbon dioxide - formed in the complete combustion of most matter, incl. fossil fuels and biomass - preferable to CO. |
| Particulate matter | Solid or liquid particles suspended in the air - particles smaller than 10 micrometers are cause for concern, and particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers are even worse because they deposit deeply within the respiratory tract and tend to be more toxic |
| Haze | Reduced visibility due to particulate matter |
| Photochemical oxidants | A class of air pollutants formed as a result of sunlight acting on compounds such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide |
| Smog | A mixture of oxidants and particulate matter that forms when ozone and other photochemical oxidants, in the presence of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, enhance the formation of particulate matter |
| Photochemical smog | Dominated by oxidants such as ozone, AKA Los Angeles-type smog or brown smog |
| Sulfurous smog | Dominated by sulfur dioxide and sulfate compounds, AKA London-type smog or grey smog |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | Organic compounds that become vapors at typical atmospheric temperatures - can lead to the formation of photochemical oxidants |
| Primary pollutants | Polluting compounds that come directly from a smokestack, exhaust pipe, or natural emissions source (ex: CO, CO2, SO2, NOx, most suspended particulate matter, many VOCs) |
| Secondary pollutants | Primary pollutants that have undergone transformation in the presence of sunlight, water, oxygen, or other compounds - occurs more rapidly in the day and in wet environments (ex: ozone) |
| Thermal inversion | When a relatively warm layer of air at mid-altitude covers a layer or cold, dense air below - the warm inversion layer traps emissions that accumulate beneath it |
| Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) | A family of organic compounds used in refrigeration, air conditioning, propellants in aerosols, and air injection in products like Styrofoam - in the atmosphere, they set off a chain reaction freeing oxygen molecules |
| Asbestos | A long, thin, fibrous silicate material with insulating properties - still sound in older buildings in the U.S. and can cause respiratory diseases such as asbestosis and lung cancer |
| Sick building syndrome | A buildup of toxic compounds and pollutants in airtight spaces - seen in developed countries in buildings with good insulators and tight seals against air leaks |
Created by:
emilyjane1221
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