Air Pollution

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Air Pollution
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Review of last lecture

• Effects of different surface types desert, city,
  grassland, forest, sea. Deeper heat/water
  reservoir, decreased Bowen ratio, thinner BL and
  enhanced convective instability.
• Effects of vegetation (1) makes heat/water
  reservoir deeper, (2) enhance evaporation, (3)
  grows and dies in response to environmental
  conditions
• Heat island effect. 7 causes
• Dispersion of air pollution. Dependence on wind
  speed, stability (name of 3 types) and inversion
  (name of 2 types)
• Global atmosphere/ocean circulation linking the
  world together. Therefore we need to protect the
  environment.

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Effects of human activities

• Human beings are changing the global climate
  system in three different ways
• Change land cover (deforestation and
  afforestation)
• Release or cleanse pollutants (aerosols)
• Release or cleanse greenhouse gases

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Introduction

• Air pollutants are gases, liquids or solids in
  the air that can adversely affect plant and/or
  animal life.
• Primary pollutants are pollutants that are
  emitted directly by natural or anthropogenic
  (manmade) processes.
• Secondary pollutants are pollutants that arise
  from chemical reactions of atmospheric gases with
  gases emitted by natural or anthropogenic
  processes.

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Major pollutants (1) Particulates

• Particulates (aerosols) are solid or liquid
  matter suspended in the air (from 0.1 to 100 µm
  in size).
• Natural sources natural fires, volcanic
  eruptions, salt spray from the oceans, pollen.
• Anthropogenic sources burning of fossil fuels.
• Although particulates can remain in the air for
  some time due to their small size, rain removes
  them.
• PM10 (lt10 µm) enters lungs (associated with
  asthma) PM2.5 even more dangerous (lung cancer).

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Major pollutants (2) Carbon Oxides

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas
  from volcanic eruptions, forest fires and other
  processes.
• Extremely toxic and dangerous to humans and
  animals.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important greenhouse
  gas but is officially considered a pollutant by
  the US EPA.

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Threshold levels of carbon monoxide
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• Major pollutants (3) Sulfur Compounds

• Sulfur compounds can occur as gaseous or aerosol
  forms.
• Natural sources steam vents, volcanic eruptions,
  sea spray.
• Anthropogenic sources burning sulfur containing
  fossil fuels (particularly coal and oil) and ore
  smelting.
• Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a respiratory irritant.
• Sulfur trioxide (SO3) contributes to acid fog and
  acid rain.

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Averaged PH values of precipitation (Acid
precipitation)
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Major pollutants (4) Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)

• Nitric oxide (NO) is a nontoxic, colorless, and
  odorless gas.
• Natural sources biological processes in soil and
  water.
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a toxic, yellow to
  reddish-brown gas that is pungent and corrosive.
• Provides polluted air with the yellow to reddish
  brown color.
• Anthropogenic sources Vehicle traffic.
• Can cause pulmonary health problems.

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Major pollutants (5) Volatile Organic Compounds
(Hydrocarbons)

• are made of carbon and hydrogen. Examples
  methane, butane, propane, octane, etc.
• Natural sources plant and animal emissions and
  decomposition of organic matter.
• Anthropogenic sources primarily combustion from
  automobiles, trucks, buses, and other fossil fuel
  motors also evaporation of gasoline and other
  chemicals.

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Major pollutants (6) Photochemical Smog

• Ozone, NO2, formaldehyde and other gases combine
  with solar radiation to form Los Angeles-type
  photochemical smog.
• Ozone causes respiratory and heart problems.
• High levels of ozone result in environmental
  degradation.

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History of air pollution(1) The medieval
pollution

• In medieval London, pollution from coal burning
  was seen as such a serious matter that a
  commission was established in 1285 to investigate
  the problem. It was reconvened three years later
  with firm instructions to find a solution.
• In 1307, during the reign of Edward I,
  legislation was introduced to prevent the use of
  sea coal in kilns and by blacksmiths. It proved
  largely ineffective.

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History of air pollution(2) The 16th 19th
century

• Wood for burning became scarce and expensive, and
  an increasing number of domestic chimneys
  encouraged an ever-wider use of fossil fuel.
• London rapidly changed from a wood-burning city
  to one that relied on imported coal. By the end
  of Elizabeth I's reign in 1603, coal consumption
  in the city had risen to more than 50,000 tons a
  year.
• In 1661, the diarist and proto-environmentalist
  John Evelyn published a diatribe against air
  pollution in London Fumifugium, or The
  Inconvenience of the Aer and the Smoak of London
  Dissipated.

Image source
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History of air pollution(3) The Great Fog of 1952

• Lasted from Friday 5 to Tuesday 9 December 1952.
• A period of cold weather, combined with an
  anticyclone and windless conditions, trapped the
  pollution from Thames-side power stations,
  domestic fires and London's new fleet of 8,000
  diesel buses, which had just replaced the
  battered but environmentally friendly electric
  trams.
• The total number of fatalities was about 12,000.
• Led to several changes in practices and
  regulations, including the Clean Air Act 1956.

Source
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Video Great London Smog 1952

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vrLN0lydEdr8

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History of air pollution(4) The 1948 Donora smog

• In October 1948, Donora, Pa., was enveloped in a
  lethal haze.
• Over five days, nearly half of the town's 14,000
  residents experienced severe respiratory and
  cardiovascular problems. It was difficult to
  breathe. The death toll rose to nearly 40.
• Disturbing photos show Donora's streets hidden
  under a thick blanket of gray smog. A warm air
  pocket had passed high above the town, trapping
  cooler air below and sealing in pollutants.

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History of air pollution(5) Air pollution in
China

• Various forms of pollution have increased as
  China has industrialized, which has caused
  widespread environmental and health problems.
• According to the World Bank in 2007, 16 of the
  world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.

Image Source
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Pneumoconiosis in China

• 57,000 workers diagnosed pneumoconiosis every
  year
• There are about 6 million patients
• 6,000 workers die from the condition every year.

Image source
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Video Beijing experiences terrible air quality

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vKsps_1Zwg5o

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History of air pollution(6) Air pollution in
India

• is a serious issue with the major sources being
  fuelwood and biomass burning, fuel adulteration,
  vehicle emission and traffic congestion.
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act
  was passed in 1981 to regulate air pollution and
  there have been some measurable improvements.
• However, the 2012 Environmental Performance Index
  ranked India as having the poorest relative air
  quality out of 132 countries.

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Video Science to Protect the Air We Breath (by
EPA)

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v3PO_3exwN-I

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Air Quality Index

• The EPA created an index for air pollution
  monitoring called the Air Quality Index (AQI).
• A formula applies to ozone, particulates, carbon
  monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide by
  expressing each pollutant on a scale that ranges
  from 0 to 500.
• The official AQI for any location at a particular
  time is the highest of the five individual
  pollutant values.

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Air Quality Index
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Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

• is a method of quantifying and numerically
  benchmarking the environmental performance of a
  country's policies.
• Developed by Yale Univ. and Columbia Univ.
• Recent reports in 2008, 2010 and 2012

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2012 EPI
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Summary

• Air pollution. 2 categories
• 6 types of major pollutants
• Particulates
• Carbon oxides
• Sulfur compounds
• Nitrogen oxides
• Volatile organic compounds
• Photochemical smog
• History of air pollution
• The Medieval pollution
• 16th-19th centuries
• Great London Smog 1952
• The 1948 Donora smog
• Air pollution in China and India
• Air quality index and Environmental Performance
  Index