Air Pollution and Climate Change: Causes and Effects

Ozone and UV Radiation

1. Ozone in the stratosphere is important for absorbing and scattering much of the UV radiation coming into Earth's atmosphere from the sun.

Temperature Inversion

2. Occasionally, a layer of cool air forms under a layer of warmer air in the troposphere. This change from the normal temperature profile in the troposphere is called a temperature or thermal inversion.

Natural Air Pollution

3. Natural sources of air pollution include soil dust, wildfires, and volcanic dust.

Lead Pollution

4. Lead pollution is a problem because lead causes central nervous system damage in humans.

Photochemical vs. Industrial Smog

5. Photochemical smog differs from industrial smog in that it is formed only in the presence of sunlight.

Greenhouse Gases

1. The most abundant greenhouse gas is water vapor.

Indoor Pollution

2. In developed countries, the two most deadly sources of indoor pollution are radon and cigarette smoke.

Emission Reduction

3. Emissions have been reduced in the United States because of all of these.

Criteria Pollutants

4. Which of the following is NOT a criteria pollutant? Methane

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

5. If all of the stratospheric ozone suddenly disappeared, most life on Earth would cease to exist because of the amount of UV radiation penetrating the atmosphere.

Residence Time

6. Residence time is the length of time a pollutant spends in the environment.

Scrubbers

7. A(n) scrubber is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.

Carbon Dioxide

1. Carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of fossil fuels.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

2. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences wildlife, ecosystems, and society.

Impact on Small Island Nations

3. Small island nations such as the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels.

Consequences of Rising Sea Levels

4. Rising sea levels result in all of the following EXCEPT: ocean acidification.

Adaptation to Climate Change

5. Which of the following is an adaptation response to climate change? A Pacific island nation building higher seawalls