Apes Air Pollution Vocabulary

Chapter 17 Vocab * Acid deposition- the settling of acidic or acid-forming pollutants from the atmosphere onto Earth’s surface. * Acid rain- Acid deposition that takes place through rain. * Aerosols- very fine liquid droplets or solid particles aloft in the atmosphere. * Air pollutant- gases and particulate material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate or harm people or other organisms. * Air pollution- the act of pollution the air, or the condition of being polluted by air pollutants. Ambient air pollution- see outdoor pollution * Atmospheric pressure- the weight per unit area produced by a column of air * Carbon monoxide- a colorless, odorless gas produced primarily by the incomplete combustion of fuel. * CFC’s- chlorofluorocarbon. One of a group of human-made organic compounds derived from simple hydrocarbons in which hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine, bromine, fluorine. Clean Air Act of 1970- revision of prior congressional legislation to control ai r pollution that set stricter standards for air quality, imposed limits on emissions from new stationary and mobile sources, provided new funds for pollution-control research and enabled citizens to sue parties violating the standards. * Clean Air Act of 1990- congressional legislation that strengthened regulations pertaining to air quality standards, auto emissions, toxic air pollution, acid deposition, and depletion of the ozone layer, while also introducing market-based incentives to reduce pollution. Cold front- the boundary where a mass of cold air displaces a mass of warmer air. * Convective circulation- a circular current driven by temperature differences * Coriolis effect-The observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth, rightward in the northern hemisphere and leftward in the southern hemisphere. Criteria pollutant- six air pollutants- carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, tropospheric ozone, particulate m atter, and lead- for which the Environmental Protection Agency has established maximum allowable concentrations in ambient outdoor air because of the threats they pose to human health. * Ferrel cell-An atmospheric cell lying between the two thermally direct cells: the Polar cell and the Hadley cell. It transfers warm air to high latitudes and shifts cold air back to the subtropics, where it is warmed. Front- the boundary between air masses that differ in temperature and moisture. * Ground level ozone- see tropospheric ozone. * Hadley cell- A large-scale atmospheric convection cell in which air rises at the equator and sinks at medium latitudes. * Halocarbons- A chlorofluorocarbon or other compound in which the hydrogen of a hydrocarbon is replaced by halogens. * Inversion layer- in a temperature inversion, the band of air in which temperature rises with altitude. Montreal Protocol- he Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. It is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. * Nitrogen dioxide- a foul-smelling reddish brown gas that contributes to smog and acid deposition. * Outdoor pollution-air pollution that occurs outdoors Ozone depleting substances- airborne chemicals that destroy ozone molecules and thin the ozone layer * Ozone hole- thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica. * Ozone layer- a portion of the stratosphere that contains most of the ozone * Particulate matter- solid or liquid particles small enough to be suspended in the atmosphere and able to damage respiratory tissues when inhaled. * Photochemical smog- air pollution containing ozone and other reactive chemical compounds formed by the action of sunlight on nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, especially those in automobile exhaust. Polar cell- one of a pair of cells of convecti ve circulation. * Primary pollutant- directly harmful * Relative humidity-the ratio of the water vapor contained in a given volume of air to the maximum amount the air could contain for a given temperature * Residence time- in a biogeochemical cycle, the amount of time a nutrient remains in a given pool or reservoir before moving to another * Secondary pollutant- added to the atmosphere Sick building syndrome- a building-related illness produced by indoor pollution in which the specific cause is not identifiable. * Stratosphere- the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere * Temperature inversion- an abnormal increase in temperature with height in the troposphere * Troposphere- the bottommost layer of the atmosphere * VOCs- volatile organic compound