ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON LIFE Pollution and its effects on the ecosystem and social environment

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• ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON LIFE -Pollution and
  its effects on the ecosystem and social
  environment
• SOCRATES -COMENIUS 1

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• 2nd Research year
• Atmosphere
• Gimnazija Jozeta Plecnika Ljubljana
• (2005/2006)

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INDEX

• THE EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE
• MEASUREMENTS OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
• GASES IN MID AIR
• DUSTY PARTICLES IN MID AIR
• INTERPRETATION
• CONCLUSION

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1. THE EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE

• Layer of gases surround the whole surface of
  Earth and enable life.
• 1.1. Atmosphere
• Nitrogen 78
• Oxygen 21
• Other 1
• 1.2. Layers of atmosphere
• Troposphere
• Stratosphere
• Mesosphere
• Termosphere / Ekosphere (Ionosphere)
• 1.3. Weather

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1.1.Atmosphere

• a)Troposphere
• The closest and the most important layer,
  presents 80 of atmosphere.
• Circulating and mixing of air cause
  permanent winds (tropos - mix).
• b)Stratosphere
• Ozone layer O3 absorbs harmful ultraviolet
  solar radiation (UV).
• Passenger planes usually fly in stratosphere.

Troposphere
Stratosphere
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• c) Mezosphere
• Meteors and particles of meteors are daily
  burned here so they cannot reach the surface and
  that is why life on Earth is not endangered.
• d).Termosphere / Ekosphere
• Plasma of positive ions and gases of
  atmosphere.

Ionosphere
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1.3.Weather

• Weather phenomena originates in troposphere.
• a) Evaporation
• Water evaporates because of the solar energy
• b) Condensation
• - Lifting and cooling of air
• - Thickening to a level
• when steam starts to
• concentrate
• - Precipitations

Kondensation- Creation of a cloud
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Clouds
Temperature inversion

• Determinating types and shapes of a cloud by
  using a chart with enumerated types of clouds.

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2. MEASUREMENTS OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

• 2.1. Our measurements
• Temperature of air
• Relative humidity of air
• Atmospheric pressure
• Observed weather and types of clouds
• Wind speed
• Light intensity
• 2.2. Devices
• Thermometer (digital, analogous, CBL-Vernier
  probe)
• A device for graphic drawing of temperature and
  graphic drawing of relative humidity of air
• Analogue hygrometer and anemometer
• CBL

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A device for graphic drawing of temperature
Thermometer
Analogue hygrometer
Anemometer
A device for graphic drawing of relative humidity
Analogue barometer
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• CBL, TI-92 and Vernier temperature probe

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2.3. Results of measurements of physical
parametersTemperature
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Relative humidity
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Atmospheric pressure
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2.4. Interpretation of measurements of physical
parametres
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Precipitations and their pH
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2.5.Conclusion of physical parameters

• Students and tutors have been researching changes
  in the air composition, and the reasons for and
  consequences of the modified parameters.
• The initial problems with the readings and
  instrument handling were soon overcome as they
  were mainly due to lack of familiarity with the
  tools and processes.
• The readings were recoded on standardised forms
  and compared to the official data from the ARSO
  (Slovenian Environmental Agency).
• Measuring was interesting because we realized how
  the atmosphere changes in dependance of time and
  what impacts on atmospheres changes.

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3. GASES IN MID AIR

• Dry air is a mixture of gases
• Nitrogen 78
• Oxygen 21
• Argon 1
• Carbon dioxide, methan, helium, hydrogens,
  kryptons, neon, ozone, xenon
• Beside listed gases dry air also contains smaller
  amounts of
• Water vapour
• Pollen
• Aerosols
• Dust- Particular matters PM
• Various microorganisms

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3.1. Instruments for measurement of CH4, CO2, CO,
O2

• Measurements were made with Dräger Multiwarn II
• A device for measuring concentration of gases in
  mid air
• - Electrochemical sensor can detects 11
  different gases. 4 sensors for our specified
  gases were on the device
• Use
• Petroleum industry, mining industry, for
  detection of gases when there is an accident, and
  when concentration of gases is increased.

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3.2. Measurements of NO2 and SO2

• Nitrogen oxide or NOx, is a term for a group of
  highly reactive gases. Many of the nitrogen
  oxides are colorless and odorless.
• Common pollutant NO2 can often be seen as a
  reddish-brown layer over many urban areas (see
  picture).
• NOx forms when fuel is burned at high
  temperatures, as in a combustion process.
• The primary manmade sources of NOx
• Motor vehicles, electric utilities, and
  other sources that burn fuels.
• NOx can also be formed naturally.

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Equipment and method of work

• Method (Draeger)
• Break off both tips of the tube in the tube
  opener
• Insert the tube tightly in the pump
• Arrow points towards the pump
• Suck air through the tube
• Read the the entire lenght of discoloration
• Write down the results
• Colour change
• SO2
• Grey-green -gt Blue-grey
• NO2
• Grey-blue -gt white

Draeger tubes
Accuro
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Results of measurements of NO2 (ARSO)
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Results of measurements of SO2 (ARSO)
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4. CO2 with CBL, TI-92 and Vernier probe

• 4.1. Methods and instruments
• CBL(Calculator-Based Laboratory System).
• -CBL is a portable device for collecting data
  in
• nature.
• -We can measure various scientific parameters
• (such as temperature, pH,
  concentration etc.) by
• plugging different sensors into CBL.
  
• -It is suitable for measurements on terrain,
  because
• it uses 4 batteries. CBL can also be
  connected to another device we used TI-92Plus.

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• TI-92Plus
• -a Texas Instruments' graphic calculator that
  is suitable for use in mathematics and in
  science, because you can connect it to CBL so you
  can gather data and then turn them into graphs
  and tables with CHEMBIO program.
• -We used Monitor input function, which allows
  us to immediately show values of measurements on
  screen.

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4.2. Results of measurements of CO2 in air with
CBL

• Average value 295 ppm
• Lower value 283 ppm
• Higher were 312 ppm

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5. PARTICULAR MATTER (PM10) IN MID AIR

• Particular matters (solid or liquid) can be found
  in mid air,
• excreting from exhaust fumes, chimneys etc.
• Particles can put our health in jeopardy because
  we can inhale them and it can cause bronhitis,
  caugh, attacks of asthma and also various heart
  diseases.
• Longer exposure to refined particles found in
  smoke can link to seriuos health problems, some
  people are sensitive to refined dusty particles
  even durnig shorter exposure.

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5.1. Methods and instruments

• Method of work
• We were measuring with an air pump at an overflow
  of 2 m3/h. The pump has an attached holder in
  which we inserted the filter.
• From the counter of the pump we wrote down the
  quota of poured air in 24 hours and then compared
  it with ARSO results. We used the old filters
  again in two days time, after putting them in
  eksicator

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5.2. Results of mearuring

• Average value 50 µg/ m3
• Maximum value 83 µg/ m3
• Minimum value 17 µg/ m3
• Limit value 50 µg/ m3

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INTERPRETATION OF FINAL RESULTS
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INTERPRETATION OF FINAL RESULTS

• TEMPERATURE
• Air temperature was rising in the period from
  19.10.2005 to 24.10.2005.
• In the period from 24.10. 2005 to 7.11.2005
  there was a significant fall of the temperature.
• The air temperature stabilized at the beginning
  of December.
• The average air temperature in December was 1C.

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• RELATIVE AIR HUMIDITY
• - in the period from 23.10. to 8.11.2005 near
  70
• - in the period from 16.11. to 14.12.2005,
  relative air humidity fluctuated from 65 to 100
  
• Average value 72
• Maximal value 85
• Minimal value 58

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• LIGHT INTENSITY
• Average value 891cd
• Maximal value 1034cd
• Minimal value 320cd

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AIR PRESSURE

• Average value 1024 hPa
• Maximal value 1040 hPa
• Minimal value 1005 hPa
• We observed the influence of air pressure on the
• weather
• -When the air pressure was high enough (over
  1020hPa) the weather was nice,
• -when it was low (under 1020hPa) we had bad
  weather.

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CLOUDS AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

• -from 17.11.2005 to 15.12.2005 mostly appeared
  to be altostratus and stratus (nimbostratus).
• -75 do 100 of the sky was covered most of the
  time with fog and clouds.
• -Temperature inversion caused the fog so we
  couldnt observe the clouds
• .

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GASES IN THE AIR

• Measurements of oxygen O2
• Constant value 20,9 vol. of oxygen in the
• air has been measured.
• Measurements of carbon dioxide CO2
• Carbon dioxide CO2 using CBL have
• resulted in concentration approx. 300 10 ppm.

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NO2

• Average value 28 µg/ m3
• Maximum value 53 µg/ m3
• Minimum value 11 µg/ m3
• Limit value 200 µg/ m3

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SO2

• Average value 4,3 µg/ m3
• Maximum value 11 µg/ m3
• Minimum value 0,9 µg/ m3
• Limit value 350 µg/ m3

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CO and CH4

• Methane is present in the air only at some
  elementary disasters
• Concentration of CO is to low to be detected with
  our instrument.
• We should use Draeger tubes with appropriate
  sensitivity for measurements.

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Particular matters PM 10
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FINAL CONCLUSION

• Students and teachers/tutors have been working on
  the investigation of air parameters
• THE GOAL of our project was also to develope the
  special skills of students by working on field
  measurements.
• to rise up the abilities of nature observation
• to learn how to compare our results with that
  ones of the official measurements (ARSO) and to
  find out what were the reasons caused the
  differences.

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• to get aware of importance of the quality of the
  air and our environment
• fuond out how difficult is to get the exact data
  of one selected parameter, because in the natural
  environment the different factors interfere and
  influence to each other,
• refine our measurement methodology also by the
  help of expert in the institutions.

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