Air Pollution & Control

UNIT -1
POINT And NON-POINT
POINT And NON-POINT
 HEAT ISLAND.
• An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area or metropolitan area that is
significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human
activities....

• The main cause of the urban heat island effect is from the modification of

land surfaces.

• In highly industrialized areas & urbanized areas, the difference in

temperature of 6 C is quite common.
• In such areas, the artificial production of energy approaches nearly 1000
watts/m2, while the solar absorption by the atmosphere averages out to
be only 25 watts/m2.

• Thus the city becomes a Heat Island.

 GLOBAL WARMING
• Some of the Sun’s rays that penetrate the thick layer of co 2 are able to strike the earth and
get converted into heat.

• The heated earth is able to re-rediate this absorbed energy as radiations of longer wave
length. Much of this does not pass through co 2 layer to outer space but gets absorbed by the
co2 and water in the atmosphere and adds the heat that has been already present . Thus
earth’s atmosphere heats up. This phenomenon is called as Green house effect.

• CO2 thus acts like a glass of green house on global scale. The average global temperature
is 150C.
• Burning of fossil fuels and large scale Deforestation increase green house effect. With the
result there will be gradual increase in mean air temperature of several degrees, with
consequent melting of polar ice and rise in sea level .

Global Warming Causes:

• Change in Rain fall pattern

• Turning productive lands to deserts.
• Melting of polar ice caps which results in raising sea level.
• Affect the ozone layer.
 Global Effects of Air Pollution

• The greenhouse effect is a natural process

that warms the Earth's surface. When the
Sun's energy reaches the Earth's atmosphere,
some of it is reflected back to space and the
rest is absorbed and re-radiated
by greenhouse gases.... The absorbed energy
warms the atmosphere and the surface of the
Earth. Examples of Green house gases are
CO2, water vapour, CH3,N2O, CFC, Ozone.
 Impacts of Green house Effect on
Environment.
• GLOBAL WARMING
• DEPLETION OF OZONE LAYER
• Increase CO2 levels, oceans animals die and decompose
more CO2 which raise their normal level of acidity. It
decreases the Biological productivity of marine ecosystems.
• CONTROL OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT:
• Water logging should be avoided.
• Plant trees: Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and, in turn, give off oxygen.
• One tree absorbs around one ton of Carbon dioxide in the
whole of its lifetime.
• Plastics must be Reduce, Recycle and reuse.
 THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
• Sea levels are expected to rise between 10 and 32 inches (26 C
and 82 C) or higher by the end of the century.
• Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.
• Floods and droughts will become more common.
• Less freshwater will be available, since glaciers store about
three-quarters of the world's freshwater. Some diseases will
spread, such as mosquito-borne malaria.
• Ecosystems will continue to change: Some species will move
farther north or become more successful; others, such as polar
bears, won’t be able to adapt and could become extinct.
 OZONE
• Ozone protects us from harmful UV radiations from sun.
The amount of atmospheric ozone is measured by
Dobson spectrometer, and is expressed in Dobson units.
• Depletion of Ozone causes Direct Harmful effects.
• Reduction of Ozone increases the UV Rays on earth.
• It causes Cancer, especially relating to Skin diseases will
occurs.
• The other disorders are Cataract formation, destruction
of aquatic life and effects vegetation and loss of
immunity.
 Air Act-1981
• Salient features of this Air Act:
• In this act air pollution is defined as the
presence of any solid, liquids, or gaseous
substances in the atmosphere in
concentration to the harmful to humans
beings or any other living creatures, plants,
property or environment.
UNIT-2. METEROLOGY AND PLUME DISPERSION
• Meteorology: The Study of Earth’s Atmosphere is called Meteorology.

• Properties of Atmosphere: They are as follows

• Troposphere: It is the lowest gaseous layer of atmosphere and extends to
height up to 10 kms.
• Stratosphere: It is thick layer that lies above the troposphere. This layer is
free from violent weather changes which occur below. It is preferred by the
jet liners. Ozone layer is present. This is blessing because any concentration
of ozone beyond certain levels is injurious to life, plants & animals.
• Mesophere: This layer & the zones above have no significance in the field of
air pollution and its control.
• Ionosphere: It is also known as Thermosphere because of very high
temperature prevailing as much as 870C over the equator.
• The region of atmosphere beyond 700 kms is termed as exosphere. It is
believed to be high temperature region with minimum atomic collisions.
Zones of Atmosphere
Meteorological factors effecting Air Pollution
• Primary Parameters
• Wind direction and speed
• Temperature
• Atmospheric stability
• Mixing Height.
• Secondary Parameters
• Precipitation
• Humidity
• Solar Radiation
• Visibility
 Meteorological Factors of air pollution

• Wind: Instrument for measuring wind speed

are called Anemometer.
• Temperature is measured by Thermometer
• Atmospheric Stability: In well mixed air which
is dry, for every 1000 ft (300 m) increase in
altitude, the temperature decreases by about
3.3 F (about 1.8C). This vertical temperature
gradient is known as Lapse Rate.
 Meteorological Factors of air pollution
• Mixing Height: The Three factors namely wind
direction, wind speed, wind turbulence related to
all three is called as Mixing Height.
• Precipitation: Rainfall or precipitation exerts a
two fold cleansing action on the pollutants
discharged into the atmosphere.
• Precipitation can be determined by Rain gauges.
• Humidity: Moisture content of the atmosphere
influences corrosive action of air pollutants.