ENV 101
What is a watershed?
A drainage basin of land where all flowing surface water congegrates to a single point.
what are the 6 regulated air pollutants?
Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and Particulated Matter.
What is the Clean Air Act?
The Clean Air Act is a united states law that is intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide.
What is the Clean Water Act?
The Clean Water Act is a law that regulates discharges of pollutants in the U.S waters.
What is the Safe Drinking Water Act?
The Safe Water Drinking Act is a law that protects the quality of drinking water in the U.S
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simplest carbon oxide. In coordination
What is Sulfur Dioxide?
Sulfur dioxide or sulphur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO ₂. It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activity and is produced as a by-product of copper extraction and the burning of sulfur-bearing fossil fuels
What is Ozone?
Ozone (/ˈoʊzoʊn/) (or trioxygen) is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O
3. It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope O
2, breaking down in the lower atmosphere to O
2 (dioxygen). Ozone is formed from dioxygen by the action of ultraviolet (UV) light and electrical discharges within the Earth's atmosphere. It is present in very low concentrations throughout the atmosphere, with its highest concentration high in the ozone layer of the stratosphere, which absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
What is Carbon Dioxide?
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CO₂. It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms.
What is Particulate Matter?
Particulates or atmospheric particulate matter are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The term aerosol commonly refers to the particulate/air mixture, as opposed to the particulate matter alone. Sources of particulate matter can be natural or anthropogenic
What is Nitrogen Dioxide?
Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula NO₂. One of several nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas.
What is a cap and trade program?
is a system that limits aggregate emissions from a group of emitters by setting a “cap” on maximum emissions.
Is Carbon Dioxide harmful to people and the environment?
Yes, carbon dioxide (CO2) can be harmful to health at high concentrations. CO2 is a simple asphyxiant, which means it can reduce or displace oxygen in the air you breathe. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet, causing climate change.
Is Nitrogen Dioxide harmful to human health and the environment?
NO2 is an atmospheric pollutant and can be harmful to both human health and the environment:
Health effects
NO2 can irritate airways, aggravate respiratory diseases, and increase the risk of respiratory infections. High levels of nitrogen dioxide are also harmful to vegetation—damaging foliage, decreasing growth or reducing crop yields.
Is sulfur dioxide harmful to people and the environment?
, sulfur dioxide (SO2) can be bad for you. It's a colorless, nonflammable gas with a strong odor that can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat. Exposure to high concentrations of SO2 can cause respiratory problems, Even small amounts of SO2 can harm plants and trees, damaging their foliage and slowing their growth. This can reduce the number of crops farmers can harvest.
Waterways
SO2 can acidify lakes and streams, which can harm aquatic life.
Acid rain
When SO2 combines with water and air, it forms sulfuric acid, which is the main component of acid rain. Acid rain can damage vegetation, affect soils, and ruin buildings and statues.
Is carbon monoxide dangerous for human health and the environment?
When carbon monoxide is emitted into the atmosphere it effects the amount of greenhouse gases, which are linked to climate change and global warming. This means that land and sea temperature increases changing to ecosystems, increasing storm activity and causing other extreme weather events. Yes, carbon monoxide (CO) is harmful to humans and can be dangerous. It interferes with the body's ability to deliver oxygen to its organs, which can lead to a number of health issues
Is Ozone dangerous for humans and the environment?
Yes, ozone can be harmful to humans. Ozone is a powerful oxidant that can irritate the airways and damage lung tissue. Inhaling ozone can cause a range of health issues. Ozone damages vegetation and ecosystems by inhibiting the ability of plants to open the microscopic pores on their leaves to breathe. It interferes with the photosynthesis process by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide the plants can process and release as oxygen.
What is an example of particulate matter?
Particulate matter (PM) is a term for tiny solid and liquid particles in the air that are small enough to be inhaled. PM can be natural or human-made, and can range in size from less than 0.1 microns:
Natural sources
Dust, pollen, mold spores, ash, soot, sea salt, and particles from volcanic eruptions
Human-made sources
Cement dust, fly ash, oil smoke, and other combustion byproducts, as well as particles from human activities like cooking, cleaning, and burning candles
What is an example of how Nitrogen Dioxide is produced?
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a gaseous air pollutant that forms when nitrogen and oxygen react during the combustion of fossil fuels at high temperatures. This process releases nitrogen, which then reacts with oxygen to produce nitric oxide (NO) and eventually NO2
How is ozone produced?
created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).VOCs are often components of petroleum fuels, hydraulic fluids, paint thinners, and dry cleaning agents. VOCs are common ground-water contaminants.
How is carbon monoxide produced?
Carbon monoxide is a chemical produced from the incomplete burning of natural gas or other products containing carbon. This includes motor vehicle exhaust, faulty heaters, fires, and factory emissions. It can also be produced naturally, by volcanoes as they erupt, from the smoke of forest fires, from the natural gases in coal mines, and even from lightning!
What are the 3 fundamentals of the Paris Climate Agreement?
Limit global temperature increase, review countries commitments every 5 years and provide climate finacial assistance to lower income countries.