Dr.

Ayesha Asif
Lecturer

Date: April 23, 2024

 Air Pollution
⚫ Introduction of particles, biological molecules or other
harmful materials into Earth’s atmosphere

Beijing (2005): After rain Beijing (2005): Smoggy day

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 4
Source: Pollution in China, “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China”
 1) Primary Air Pollutants
⚫ Pollutants produced as direct result of a process

2) Secondary Pollutants
⚫ Caused by intermingling and reactions of primary pollutants

Department of Civil Engineering , MUST 5

Source: Air Pollutants, “http://nptel.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IIT-Delhi/Environmental%20Air%20Pollution/air%20pollution%20(Civil)/Module-1/3.htm”
1) Anthropogenic Sources (Man–made)
⚫ Burning of fossil fuels (automobiles, heating devices etc.)
⚫ Agricultural activities (fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides etc.)
⚫ Exhaust from factories and industries (huge amount of carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, organic compounds, toxic chemicals etc.)

⚫ Mining operations (use of explosives, dust and chemicals etc.)

⚫ Indoor air pollution (fumes from household cleaning products, paints, varnish etc.)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 5

2) Natural Sources
⚫ Dust from natural sources (large areas of land with little or no vegetation,
sand storms etc.)

⚫ Methane (emitted from digestion of food by animals)

⚫ Radon gas (radioactive decay within earth’s crust)
⚫ Wildfires (smoke, carbon dioxide etc.)
⚫ Volcanic activity (sulphur, chlorine, ash etc.)
⚫ VOCs (volatileorganic compound) produced by
vegetation on warm days (black gum, poplar, oak and willow
produce abundant VOCs)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 6

⚫ Respiratory problems (Lung cancer, asthma etc.)
⚫ Eutrophication (high concentration of nitrogen cause algae on
surface, adversely affecting fish and plant species) algae on

⚫ Effect on wildlife (toxic air pollutants force wildlife to migrate and change their habitat)

⚫ Global warming (increased worldwide temperatures)

⚫ Acid rain (harmful gases combine with air pollutants,

become acidic and fall in the form of acid rain)

⚫ Ozone depletion (due to of Chlorofluorocarbons in

presence atmosphere )

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 7

Global Warming
⚫ Natural or human induced increase in average
global temperature of the atmosphere is called
“Global warming”
⚫ 16 of the top 17 warmest years have occurred
since 2000 (2016 being the warmest)
⚫ Greenhouse gases are the main cause of global
warming

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 8

Greenhouse Gases
⚫ The gases in our atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the
thermal infrared range are called “Greenhouse gases”
⚫ Most abundant green house gases are:
⚫ Water vapor (Source: evaporation)
⚫ Carbon dioxide (Source: fossil fuel and wood burning)
⚫ Methane (Source: anaerobic decomposition of organic matter)
⚫ Nitrous oxide (Source: fossil fuel burning, nitrogen fertilizers)
⚫ Ozone (Source: UV radiations and oxygen molecules)
⚫ Chlorofluorocarbons (Source: air conditioners, refrigerators)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 9

 Greenhouse Gases
⚫ Ranked by their direct contribution to greenhouse effect
Greenhouse Gas Formula Concentration in atmosphere (ppm) Contribution (%)

Water vapor H20 10 – 50,000 36 – 72

Carbon dioxide CO2 ~400 9 – 26
Methane CH4 ~1.8 4–9
Ozone O3 2–8 3–7

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 10

Greenhouse Effect
⚫ Solar energy comes from Sun
⚫ Energy absorbed by atmosphere
⚫ Energy absorbed by Earth surface
⚫ Earth surface radiates it back
⚫ Some of it returns back to space
⚫ However, vast majority is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in atmosphere
⚫ The heat energy in atmosphere is distributed between
space and earth’s surface
⚫ Majority of heat is returned to Earth surface, hence making it warm (receiving heat from
both sun and that absorbed in atmosphere)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 11

Effects of Global Warming
⚫ Climate Change
⚫ Warmer northern hemisphere
⚫ Changes in precipitation patterns (more drought and storms)
⚫ Expansion of deserts
⚫ Extinction of animal and plant species

⚫ Crop Yield
⚫ Changes in length of growing season
⚫ Growth of undesirable plant species
⚫ Plants more prone to pest attack (natural season cycle is disturbed)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 12

Effects of Global Warming
⚫ Sea Level Rise
⚫ Beach erosions
⚫ Coastal wetland loss
⚫ Loss of low–lying territories
⚫ Estimated 0.2 – 2.2m rise by 2025

⚫ Affected Biodiversity
⚫ Displacement of living species
⚫ Quicker growth of some plant species, overshoot their reproductive
period

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 13