Air Pollution And its Environmental Effects Bellringers 927

Air Pollution And its Environmental Effects

Bellringers 9/27 – What do you think causes smog? What is smog? 10/9 – Explain how you think China is making global warming worse. Do you think the World Leaders are trying to make them clean up their act? 10/10 – Explain how deforestation is adding to global warming issue. Describe your thoughts. 10/11 – Describe what is the real debate about Global Warming. What is really getting warmer?

BELLRINGERS 10/12 – Look at the graphs from yesterday, describe the one that most shows humans are the cause of global warming. Do you think humans are the cause of global warming? 10/14 – Describe 3 solutions for global warming.

Review Describe cause or data for global warming – give 4 in graphs Describe the effects of global warming – describe effects on organisms Describe smog and factors that make it worse. Describe acid rain and ozone depletion Describe 3 solutions for global warming Do you think humans are responsible? Explain your answer. �Explain how deforestation is affecting the atmosphere and organisms.

Human Impacts We are still covering human impacts on the Earth. Now we are going to cover air pollution and all its effects.

STANDARD 08 –ESS 3 -5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

Air Pollution – Any substance that contaminates the environment. Soot, smoke, ash, ground level ozone, CO 2, NO 2, SO 2, e. TC. Caused by burning fossil fuels

Atmosphere The envelope of gases surrounding the Earth. Important – water cycle, air, photosynthesis, ozone

Measuring Air Pollution Air Quality Index – measure the amount of ozone and other pollutants in the air. Use colors of indicate levels from 0 0 – 300.

AQI

Smog Los Angeles Pittsburgh Dallas

History of Smog – type of air pollution caused by the reaction between sunlight and air pollutants and ground level ozone. Name comes from a mix of “Smoke” and “Fog” Describe fog that has soot in it.

How is Smog Formed? When sunlight heats up the air, the gases and fine particles are trapped in the atmosphere. Occurs where there are many factories and cars.

Formation of Smog Pollutants are released when fossil fuels are burned. Sunlight heats the gases and fine particles forming smog. THESE SOURCES ARE RELEASED BY CARS AND FACTORIES BURNING FOSSIL FUELS!!@!!!!!

Causes of Smog is caused by: Smoke Particles SO 2 CO 2 Ground Level Ozone NO 2

Factors that Increase Smog Heavy traffic High temperatures Sunshine Calm winds to not blow it Temperate inversion is when the hot air stay near ground and prevent the smog from leaving. It can stay for days. Smog can travel with the wind to the suburbs

NO 2 rears its head on hot days As the temperature climbs into the 100 o. F range, a reddish brown haze appears in the sky if NO 2 is present.

EFFECTS OF SMOG Repeated exposure may permanently damage lungs, respiratory infections, or cancer. It reduces lung function or aggravates existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema or bronchitis. It causes chest pain, coughing, throat irritation or congestion. Ground level ozone – inhibits plants from growing

History of Smog First observed in London during the industrial revolution There are 2 types of smog: Industrial Smog (London) and Photochemical Smog (Los Angeles) from cars IN THE US, LAWS MAKE COMPANIES ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY - EPA

Industrial Smog Source: Pollution from the burning of coal and oil that contains sulfur Consists mainly of: Sulfur Dioxide, soot, ash and sulfuric acid It can cause breathing difficulties in humans, plus acid rain damage to plants, aquatic systems, and metal or stone objects London and Chicago have problems with industrial smog. Methods of reducing this smog: Scrubbers

Pittsburgh 8: 40 AM , 1932 11: 00 AM 1949 The hills trapped the smog and sometimes turned day into night.

Pittsburgh 1944 Had many steel mills and made widespread use of cheap West Virgina coal

Donora, Pa. Worst air pollution disaster in the United States Killer smog on Halloween 1948 Started the clean air movement US Steel open hearth furnace, Donora, Pa. Donora, 1946

Pittsburgh Has always been known as a smoky town Still beats L. A and Dallas for air pollution

Donora, Pa. The Largest Zinc Smelting plant in the world, and a U. S. Steel plant too All in the Monongahela River valley, surrounded by hills

The Donora Disaster October 27, 1948 Thick smoky fog lasted for 5 days Couldn’t see Halloween parade 70 people died in a week 6, 000 were medically treated because they couldn’t breathe Population was only 14, 000 Only 2 hospitals and 8 doctors in town CO 2, NO 2, SO 2, and F 2 were all to blame

Donora, Pa. Donora, Noon, 1948 Donora is remembered as a key event that inspired federal air pollution legislation in the 1960 s and 1970 s. It contributed indirectly to the establishment of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Regulations were put into place and by 1955 the Pittsburgh area had cleaned up emissions by 97 percent. In 1963, the United States Congress passed the Clean Air Act.

Pittsburgh Local regulations and the Clean Air Act of 1963 has had a visible impact 1954 - Liberty Tunnel – vs 1965

Pittsburgh today 2009

Photochemical Smog (Oxidizing) Source: Mainly automobile pollution plus sun Contains: Nitrogen Oxides, Ozone, plus hundreds o other substances Effects: PANs cause eyes to water and can damag plants, O 3 irritates eyes and deteriorates rubber and plants, First observed in LA in the 1940 s, Manila and Mexico City also experience this kind of smog Catalytic Converters change NO to N 2, Lean burnin engines reduce Nox, but create more CO and Hydrocarbons.

Cleaning Up Our Act We have about 30 years until we will no be able to fix effects of global warming. Gases released that cause smog lead to global warming!!

Ways Pollution Effects Ecosystems ACID RAIN, OZONE DEPLETION, AND GLOBAL WARMING We have improved acid rain and ozone

Acid rain p. H – potential Hydrogen Ph scale 1 – 14 1 - 7 acid 8 – 14 base Air pollution causes precipitation to become more acidic affecting organisms. Damages cell membranes, soil and soil organisms and organisms in water. BUT IT IS IMPROVING

Ozone Depletion O 3 Good ozone – high in atmosphere protect use from UV rays. Being destroyed by CFCs Bad Ozone – Forms on ground when sunlight hits pollution in the air. Bad to breathe. CFC – chorine and bromine Causes skin cancer BUT THE HOLE IS ABOUT GONE!!!

DEFORESTATION

DEFORESTATION 13 million hectares are lost a year Slash and burn – cut and burn the trees adds to pollution.

Why Are Forests Being Cleared? 1. Subsistencce farming – local farmers clear land to grow food and graze cattle. 2. Logging – cut trees for making of paper, furniture, or burning. 3. Infrastructure buidling – build roads and towns 4. Cattle famring – Large cattle farms

Impacts of Deforestation 1. Loss of many worlds plants and animals. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY (FEWER SPECIES) 2. Local people lose their homes and cultures. 3. Environment suffers – trees and plants remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere leading to global warming.

Management of Deforestation 1. Replace – replace the trees cut down. 2. Loggign quota – limit the amount of trees logged. 3. Protect – introduce laws to prohibit substantial farming 4. Alternatives – give local people alternative land to farm or ways to make money.

GLOBAL WARMING What questions do you have about global warming? Answer - Page 5

What do you think is meant by the debate over Global Warming?

Read article – Answer the following questions page 5 What is the true debate over global warming? Name sign of global warming Name several ways scientists have collected past evidence of global warming.

Greenhouse Effect is Normal Gases in the atmoshpere radiate the Sun’s heat back down to the Earth’s surface. Normal or the Earth would be cold. ISSUE IS PLACES LIKE CHINA NOT FIXING PROBLEM Debate – Global warming is a fact!! Debate is over the causes of it!

Greenhouse Effect Model

Global Warming Increase of Earth’s surface temperature. During the last century, temperature has increased 1 degree C. 10 C is the difference between ice covered and ice free Earth. Global warming is CO 2 in atmosphere.

Effects of Global Warming Decline in cold-adapted species such as polar bears Melting glaciers Coastal flooding Heat related health problems More droughts, fires, and water shortages Changing precipitation patterns Increasing severity of storms Major crop lose

4 ways effecting CA Temperature has increased 2 degrees Snow melting Heat waves longer more smog Fires Plants and animals Economy Fishing