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The
Atmosphere• Comprised of a mixture of
particles, aerosols and gases
• Approximately 1000 km thick
• Sustains life on the planet
• Protects us from Ultra Violet Radiation
(UV) from the sun
The
Atmosphere• Green house Gases- carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
Represent a small portion of the atmosphere but
regulate temperature.
• The layer of the atmosphere we are most
concerned with is the Troposphere:
– Varied thickness from 9-16 km above the
earths surface
– Where weather occurs and pollution is found
The
Atmosphere• Human activities have a profound effect on the
atmosphere since the time of the Industrial
Revolution in the early 1900’s
• Air pollution also has a large impact on peoples
health (especially young children, the
elderly, those with heart and respiratory
conditions)
– Environment Canada attributes over 5000 deaths/
year to air pollution
– An estimated $1 billion/year are spend on hospital
admissions, emergency room visits and absenteeism
is due to air pollution (Ontario Medical Assoc., 2007)
The
Grasshopper
Effect• Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)- highly
toxic substances used in pesticides and
industrials chemicals (i.e. PCB’s). They are
insoluble by water, and stay within the
environment for many years before breaking
down.
The
Grasshopper
Effect• A global issue in which POPs move from warmer
to colder regions.
• The pollutants evaporate, travel through the
atmosphere (on air currents), and then condense
in a new location.
• Tend to stay in colder regions because there is
less evaporation in those areas.
The
Grasshopper
Effect
Hotter
Equatorial
Regions
Colder
Polar
Regions
Temperate Regions
More Evaporation
Less Evaporation
Air
Issues• Acidic Deposition
–Acidic pollutants can be deposited as
a gas or a dust, or can be carried for
thousands of Km’s to be deposited as
acidic rain, snow, fog or hail
Air
Issues• Acidic Deposition– 95,000 of the 700,000 lakes in South Eastern
Canada are already classified as “acidic”
– Estimates by environment Canada (2009) state
that half of the acidic precipitation in eastern
Canada comes from U.S. industries
– The U.S. on the other hand claims that it
receives 88% of their pollution (in the eastern
US) from the Nantocoke generating station
near Toronto.
The Ozone
Layer• Forms the stratosphere and protects us from the
suns UV Radiation
• Human activities are upsetting the balance of this
gas
– In 1983 it was confirmed that there was a whole in
ozone (over Antarctica)
– In 1998 the hole measured 26 million Km’s (roughly
the size of Australia)
• How is it being destroyed?
– Chloroflouorocarbons (CFCs)- once they rise into the
stratosphere, they become exposed to UV radiation
and release chlorine atoms
– A single chlorine atom can destroy thousands of
Copy to your
notes:• Acidic Deposition Diagram pg 288
• Effects of Acidic Deposition Chart pg 290
• Effects of UV Radiation pg 294
• What is the Montreal Protocol?
Energy
Issues:Energy Use Worldwide:
• Industrialized Countries
– Non renewable- 90%
• Oil- 37%
• Coal- 25%
• Natural Gas- 25%
• Nuclear Power- 5%
– Renewable- 10%
• Hydroelectric, solar and geothermal- 7%
• Biomass- 3%
Energy
Issues:• Developing Countries
– Non renewable- 59%
• Oil -26%
• Coal- 25%
• Natural Gas- 7%
• Nuclear- 1%
– Renewable- 41%
• Hydroelectric, solar and geothermal- 6%
• Biomass- 35%
Energy
Issues:• Conventional Energy Uses
• Fuels- materials that are burned to produce heat
or power
• Traditional:
– Wood
– Field crops
– Fecal material
– Peat (decaying plant matter found in bogs)
Energy
Issues:• Conventional Energy Uses Continued
• Fossil Fuels:
– Coal
– Petroleum and Natural Gas
– Migration (crude oil and natural gas migrated
sideways and upward from the place of their
formation, permeate into sedentary rocks
Energy
Issues:• Alternative Energy Uses:
• Solar Energy
– Passive solar energy
– Active solar energy
– Solar cookers
– Photovoltaic cells
– Advantages and Disadvantages
• Hydroelectric Power (water)
– Energy from Oceans
– Advantages and Disadvantages
Energy
Issues:• Alternative Energy Uses Continued
• Geothermal Energy
– Advantages and Disadvantages
• Wind Energy
– Advantages and Disadvantages
• Nuclear Energy
– Advantages and Disadvantages
• Biomass
– Biogas
– Ethanol and Methanol
– Advantages and Disadvantages
Energy
Issues:• Alternative Energy Uses Continued • Hydricity (hydrogen)
– Means of storing electricity for future use
– Hydrogen can be stored and liquefied
– Helps for us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and
more like western Europe/ Japan