Chapter 5

Pollution and Protection of the

Atmosphere
5.1 The Outer Garment of the Earth – the
Atmosphere
• The atmosphere is around us
The winds and the flying birds remind us of the existence of the
atmosphere.
The Atmosphere
• The layer of air around the Earth is known as the atmosphere
• The air is mainly near the Earth’s surface (up to 1000 km)
• The atmosphere is relatively thin compared to the Earth’s
diameter
5.1.1 The Importance of the Atmosphere
• Supply oxygen for living organisms
• Reduce the temperature difference between day and
night
• Allows complex and varied weather conditions,
provides different environments for living things
• Protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation
and collisions of extraterrestrial bodies
5.1.2 The Atmospheric Layers
• The range at which the
temperature of the
atmosphere changes is
from −84℃ to 2500℃
• From surface of Earth to
about 12 km,
temperature decrease
with increasing height
 The Atmospheric Layers
• Temperature increases • From 85 km onwards,
from the height of 12 km temperature increases
to 55 km with height again
• From 55 km to 85 km,
temperature decreases
with the increases of
height
The Atmospheric Layers
• The division of atmospheric layers is based mainly on the
vertical variation in the atmospheric temperature.

• Scientists divides the atmosphere into 5 layers based on

the characteristics such as the atmospheric temperature,
density and composition.

• The 5 layers are: the troposphere（对流层），

stratosphere(平流层），mesosphere(中间层），
thermosphere(热层）and exosphere.（外层）
The Atmospheric Layers
• The atmosphere has no clear upper boundary as
air becomes thinner gradually with height.
• The air density becomes very small above
100 km
• The atmosphere approaches a vacuum condition
at about 500 km.
5.1.3. The Characteristics of the Atmospheric
Layers
The Characteristics of the Troposphere
• Troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
• Thickness at the poles is about 8 km
• Thickness at the equator is about 17 – 18 km
• Troposphere possesses three quarters of the
mass of the atmosphere
• Almost all the water vapour and solid impurities
are in the troposphere
The Characteristics of the Troposphere
• Main characteristics of troposphere is the
prominent movements of convection current
• Convection currents and water vapour result in
complicated weather conditions
• All weather phenomena such as clouds, rain,
snow and thunderstorms take place in
troposphere
The Characteristics of the Troposphere
• Troposphere is the atmospheric layer that is
most closely related to human life and
production.
The Characteristics of the Stratosphere
• Lies above the troposphere up to about 55 km.
• Temperature rises with height.
• Lacks of conditions for convection, therefore no
convection current.
• Advectional (lateral or horizontal transfer)
movements of air are predominant here.
The Characteristics of the Stratosphere
• Water vapour and impurities are sparse.

• Clear weather and high visibility make it suitable

for commercial plane flights.

• Content of ozone is the highest among the

atmospheric layers.
The Characteristics of the Mesosphere
• Lies above the stratosphere and up to 85 km
above the Earth’s surface.
• Temperature decreases with height.
• No significant convectional current due to low
air density.
• Water vapour and impurities are sparse.
• No weather phenomena .
The Characteristics of the Thermosphere
• Lies above the mesosphere and up to about 500 km
above the Earth’s surface.
• Temperature increases rapidly with height.
• The air is highly ionized, resulting in the formation of
the ionosphere.
• Ionosphere reflects wireless waves which can be used
in telecommunications.
• Auroras occurs at the top part of the thermosphere.
The Characteristics of the Exosphere

• Transitional boundary between the Earth’s

atmosphere and the outer space.

• About 500 km above the Earth’s surface

5.2 Air Pollution
• Air pollution is the phenomenon in which the
pollutants released into the air by human
activities or natural processes have reached
certain high concentrations and have sustained
for some time
• Bring bad effects on the environment or on
human comfort and health
5.2.1 Sources of Air Pollutants
❖Air pollutants from natural processes are mainly from
Volcanoes
Sandstorms
Forest fires
Sources of Air Pollutants
• From human activities:
1.Exhaust gases from motor vehicles
2. Waste gases from factories
3.Smoke from kitchen chimneys
4. Smoke and dusts from slash-and-burn farming
5.2.2. Acid Rain
• A phenomenon caused by air pollution
• Oxides of sulphur is produced when minerals
containing sulphur are burnt
• Exhaust gas from motor vehicles contains large
amounts of oxides of nitrogen
• When precipitation occurs oxides of sulphur and
oxides of nitrogen are absorbed and dissolved
and precipitation processes of rain, snow and
fog.
Acid Rain

•Scientists call the precipitation ‘Acid Rain’ if

it has a pH less than 5.6
Effects of Acid Rain

•Acidifies the soil, decreasing its fertility,

impeding plant growth
•Directly damages the branches and leaves of
plants, causing trees and crops to die
•Pollutes rivers and lakes, threatening the
survival of aquatic organisms
Damages by Acid Rain
• Corrodes buildings, statues and monuments
5.2.3 The Haze
• Fog = Water vapour condenses to form water
droplets in the air
• Haze = Large amount of fine particles are
suspending in the air
• Sources of haze in Malaysia: Smoke particles
from agricultural activities locally and from
neighbouring country
The Haze
• Haze particles enter a human body and
accumulate in the respiratory tract.
• Can cause asthma, heart attack, lung diseases
and poor functioning of the lungs.
• Poor indoor ventilation increases the
accumulation of pollutants and causes diseases
of the respiratory tract.
The Haze

•Haze also reduce visibility and cause an

increase in car accidents
5.2.4 Harm Caused by Air Pollution
• Air pollution also causes global warming.

• The temperature of the Earth increases due to the

carbon monoxide released from the burning of wood
and fossil fuels.

• Global warming causes the melting of glaciers, rising

of the sea level and extreme weather.
Harm Caused by Air Pollution
•brings harmful effects to human health.
•Air pollution results in chronic (long term)
diseases
(i) Chronic bronchitis（慢性支气管炎）,
(ii) asthmatoid bronchitis( 支气管炎哮喘），
(iii) pulmonary emphysema（肺气肿） and
(iv)lung cancer
Harm Caused by Air Pollution

•Leaf blades of plants are damaged, cannot

carry out photosynthesis properly
•Growth of plants impeded, internal
structures of plants are impaired, wilting
and death occurs
•Yields and quality of crops reduced
5.3 Prevention of Air Pollution
• Air pollution has become more aggravating
• Prevention and precautionary measures are
becoming more important topics of concern
5.3.1 Air Pollutant Index
• An index that quantitively describes air quality
• The six main pollutants involved in the air quality
evaluation include fine particulate matter (PM2.5),
inhalable particulate matter(PM10), sulphur
dioxide(SO2), nitrogen dioxide(NO2), ozone(O3) and
carbon monoxide(CO).
• There are six status of the API. Higher API means the
pollution is more serious and is more likely to harm
human health
The Air Pollutant Index(API)
Four of the index's pollutant
components (i.e., carbon
monoxide, ozone, nitrogen
dioxide and sulfur dioxide) are
reported in ppm but
PM2.5 particulate matter is
reported in μg/m3.
5.3.2 Preventive Measures for Air Pollution

•There are three main types of preventive

measures:
1. To reduce the emission of air pollutants
2. To treat air pollutants properly
3. Use plants to clean up air pollutants
Reducing the Emission of Air Pollutants
• Develop clean energy sources, e.g: wind energy,
solar energy, hydro energy …
• Reduce consumption of fossil fuels
• Replacing petroleum and diesel with electricity
• Developing better public transport system
• Limiting the number of private cars
Reducing the Emission of Air Pollutants
• Change agricultural practices: Do not clear land
by burning, do not practice slash-and-burn
farming
• Controlling forest fire
Treat the Air Pollutants Properly

•Use technology to treat air pollutants, e.g:

Use exhaust purifier in motor vehicles
Use Plants to Clean up Air Pollutants

Plants can
1. regulating the weather
2. blocking, filtering and absorbing dusts
3. absorb harmful gases in the air
5.3.3 Protecting the Ozone Layer
• The ozone layer protects the organisms on Earth
from excessive UV rays
• The ozone layer has been depleting due to
human activities
• The ozone layer at the Antarctic, the Arctic and
the Tibetan Plateau is slowly disappearing, ozone
holes are being formed
The Ozone Layer
• The ozone hole is the most serious at the
Antarctic region
• The ozone holes are mainly caused by CFC’s
(chlorofluorocarbons)
• CFC’s are used in coolants of air conditioners and
refrigerators and as propellants in aerosol sprays
Effect of the Ozone Layer Depletion
• Depletion of the ozone layer decrease UV rays
absorption, causing excessive UV on Earth
• UV rays brings harmful effects to human health
and the ecological environment
• Excessive exposure to UV rays causes eye
diseases such as cataract
• Cases of skin cancer increased
Effect of the Ozone Layer Depletion
• Stronger UV radiation decreases the qualities of
some crops
• Affect the variation of organisms in different
ecosystems by changing the composition of
species in forests and grasslands
• Speed up ageing of materials used in buildings,
packaging, spray coatings…. Especially in tropical
areas
Protecting the Ozone Layer

•In 1985, the international society has

reached an agreement in the Vienna
Convention for the Protection of
the Ozone Layer to work hard in
controlling the production and consumption
of CFC’s