News

• http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/11/09/hurricane_ida_takes_aim_at_us_gulf_coast/

• http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2009/11/09/floods_mudslides_kill_124_in_el_salvador/

• http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/09/green_blog_dartmouth_students_concoct_way_to_keep_natural_arsenic_out_of_drinking_water/

Air Pollution

Source: Zakysant, German Wikipedia

The Atmosphere

75% of Mass below17 km

Source: www.aerospaceweb.org

Thermal Inversions

Source: US Department of Natural Resources

Inversion

Photo by: Kreuzschnabel

What does air pollution do?

• Damage materials

• Damage plants and animals

• Human health

• Cause acid rain

• Decrease visibility

Stress to Plants

Image courtesy of APPA

Human Health

Source: Wikipedia

Lungs

Photo Credit: ``The ABC´s of Smoking" by Michael F. Russo, Published by W.R. Spence, MD, Div of WRS Group, Waco, Tx

Index Card

• What are the major air pollutants?

• Where do they come from?

• How do we reduce them?

Air Pollutants

Major Classes of Air Pollutants

Class Examples

Carbon Oxides Carbon Monoxide, carbon dioxide

Sulfur Oxides Sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide

Nitrogen oxides Nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide (NOx)

Volatile organic compounds Methane, propane, benzene, chlorofluorocarbons

Suspended particles Solid particles (dust, soot, etc.), liquid droplets (sulfuric acid, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides)

Photochemical oxidants Ozone, peroxyacyl nitrates, hydrogen peroxide

Radioactive substances Radon-222, iodine-131, strontium-90, plutonium-239

Toxic compounds Trace amounts of at least 600 toxic substances (many of them volatile organic compounds), 60 of them known to cause cancer in test animals

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Mobile Sources

Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency

Stationary Sources

Image courtesy of United States Federal Government

Pathways

Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency

Acid Deposition

Image courtesy of www.hitchcockwoods.org

pH

Water 7Lemon Juice 2

Windex 11Rain 5.5

Seawater 8Coke 2.5

Acid Fog 2Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency

Nitrogen Oxides

Stationary Fuel Combustion

47%

Solid Waste & Miscellaneous

1%

Transportation48%

Industrial Processes4%

Sources of NOx Emissions United States (1987)

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Sulfur Oxides

Sationary Fuel Combustion

81%

Transportation4%

Industrial Processes

15%

Sources of Sox EmissionsUnited States (1987)

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Photochemical Smog

• Needs VOC (hydrocarbons)

• Needs NOx

• Needs sunlight

• Produces NO2 (brown), O3 (ozone)

• Ozone damages plants (5-10% reduction in food production)

Hydrocarbons

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Particles

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Trends

Figure by UMB OpenCourseWare

Reductions in Mobile Sources

• Catalytic converters

• Annual Stickers

• Unleaded gasoline

• Cleaner burning engines

• Better gas mileage

• Fewer Miles driven

Indoor Air Pollution

Radon

Image courtesy of Natural Resources Canada

Stratospheric Vs. Tropospheric Ozone

Image courtesy of www.aeronomy.be