Good Morning

POLLUTIO
N
 Pollution is the introduction of harmful
substances or products into the
environment

Main types of pollution

Water Pollution
 Air Pollution
 Soil Pollution
Pollution may be defined as addition of
undesirable material into the
environment as a result of human
activities.

The agents which cause environmental

pollution are called pollutants.
Air Pollution
 Ahhh!
Pollution!!
 Air Pollution
Chemicals added to the atmosphere by
human activities in high enough
concentrations to be harmful
Air pollution is an undesirable change in
the physical, chemical and biological
characteristic of air that causes adverse
effects on humans and other organisms. 
Two categories of air pollutants

Primary Air Pollutant: Harmful substance

that is emitted directly into the atmosphere

Secondary Air Pollutant: Harmful substance

formed in the atmosphere when a primary air
pollutant reacts with substances normally
found in the atmosphere or with other air
pollutants
Causes of Air Pollution
Burning of Fossil Fuels: 
 We rely on them to fulfill our daily basic needs of transportation.
But, there overuse is killing our environment as dangerous
gases are polluting the environment.
 Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like
coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles
 Carbon Monoxide caused by improper or incomplete
combustion and generally emitted from vehicles is another
major pollutant along with Nitrogen Oxides.
Agricultural activities: 
 Ammonia is a very common by product from
agriculture related activities and is one of the
most hazardous gases in the atmosphere.
 Use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers in
agricultural activities has grown quite a lot.
 They emit harmful chemicals into the air and can
also cause water pollution.
Exhaust from factories and industries: 

 Manufacturing industries release large amount of carbon

monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals

into the air thereby depleting the quality of air.

 Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons and various

other chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land

pollution.
Mining operations: 
 Mining is a process wherein minerals below the
earth are extracted using large equipment.
 During the process dust and chemicals are
released in the air causing massive air pollution.
 This is one of the reason which is responsible for
the deteriorating health conditions of workers
and nearby residents
Effects of Air Pollution
Heat from the sun
shines onto the
Earth.

It passes through a
blanket of gases in
our atmosphere.
Some of the
heat energy
is reflected
back into
space.

Some of the heat

energy is
absorbed by the
blanket of gases.
The ‘greenhouse’ gases are
essential to life on Earth. Without
them heat energy would escape
back into space.

Earth would be
a very chilly
place with an
average
temperature of
-18°C !
The greenhouse gases help to
keep the temperature of the
earth in balance. This process is
called the GREENHOUSE
EFFECT.
The gases work a bit
like glass in a
greenhouse to trap in
warmth.
But the earth is getting
warmer and warmer.
WHY?
Human activities are creating
more greenhouse gases
including carbon dioxide, CO2.

As we burn more
fossil fuels, for
example, the
blanket of
greenhouse gases
becomes thicker.
More greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere mean that more heat
energy is absorbed.

We call this
increase in the
temperature
of the earth
‘global
warming’.
Is the Greenhouse Effect Bad?
Without the greenhouse effect the earth would
be cold as Mars!

• But too much Greenhouse gas

can heat up the Earth too fast
–Rising seas
–Polar ice melting
–Unpredictable storms
Ozone Depletion
 Ozone depletion occurs when the

natural balance between the

production and destruction of

stratospheric ozone is tipped in favor

of destruction.
CFCs are chlorofluorocarbons; they are small
molecules that contain chlorine, fluorine and
carbon atoms. Usually there are only 1-2 carbon
atoms.
CFCs are sometimes called Freons
CFCs are referred to by a number. The most
common CFCs are: CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113
 The ozone layer is destroyed by ozone-depleting

substances (ODS) when those chemicals are released

into the atmosphere and then react with the ozone

molecules.

 CFCs simply do not break down in the lower

atmosphere and they can remain in the atmosphere

 As a consequence of their relative stability, CFCs

are instead transported into the stratosphere

where they are eventually broken down by

ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun, releasing free

chlorine.

 The chlorine becomes actively involved in the

 The net result is that two molecules of ozone are
replaced by three of molecular oxygen, leaving the
chlorine free to repeat the process
 Ozone is converted to oxygen, leaving the chlorine
atom free to repeat the process up to 100,000 times,
resulting in a reduced level of ozone
The “Ozone Hole”
The ozone hole is the
region over Antarctica with
total ozone 220 Dobson
Units or lower. (The avg
total column ozone in the
atmosphere is about 300
DU.)

Ozone hole in Sept 2005. Source: NASA

It’s not over yet!!!
ACID RAIN
 Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that
includes any form of precipitation that contains acidic
components, such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid.
- (EPA) 
 The precipitation is not necessarily wet or liquid; the
definition includes dust, gasses, rain, snow, fog and hail.

 The type of acid rain that contains water is called wet

deposition. Acid rain formed with dust or gases is called
dry deposition. 
 The term acid rain
was coined in 1852
by Scottish
chemist Robert
Angus Smith
Causes
  For example, volcanoes can cause acid rain by
blasting pollutants into the air.

 Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)

released into the air by fossil-fuel power plants,
vehicles and oil refineries are the biggest cause
of acid rain today, according to the EPA.
 Two thirds of sulfur dioxide and one fourth of
nitrogen oxide found in the atmosphere come from
electric power generators.
 A chemical reaction happens when sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxides mix with water, oxygen and
other chemicals in the air.
 They then become sulfuric and nitric acids that mix
with precipitation and fall to the ground.
 Precipitation is considered acidic when its pH level
is about 5.2 or below
 The normal pH of rain is around 5.6
Effects of
Acid
Rain
Effects
 Acid rain affects nearly everything.
 Plants, soil, trees, buildings and even statues can be
transformed by the precipitation.
 Acid rain has been found to be very hard on trees. It weakens
them by washing away the protective film on leaves, and it
stunts growth.
 Acid rain can also change the composition of soil and
bodies of water, making them uninhabitable for local animals
 For example, healthy lakes have a pH of 6.5 or higher.

 As acid rain raises the level of acidity, fish tend to die

off.
 Most fish species can't survive a water pH of below 5.
 When the pH becomes a 4, the lake is considered
dead, according to National Atmospheric Deposition
Program.
 It can additionally deteriorate limestone and marble
buildings and monuments, like gravestones. 
CLIMATE CHANGE
 Climate is the average weather at a given
point and time of year, over a long period
(typically 30 years).
 We expect the weather to change a lot from
day to day, but we expect the climate to
remain relatively constant.
 If the climate doesn’t remain constant, we
call it climate change.
 Average global temperature from 1850 to 2005
increased by about 0.76ºC.
 A further increase of 1.4°C to 5.8°C is projected by
2100
 Global mean sea level rose by 12 to 22 cm during
the last century
 It is estimated that each degree rise in temperature
will place an additional 10% of species at increased
risks of extinction
 Spring snow cover shows 5% stepwise drop during
1980s
 Arctic sea ice area decreased by 2.7% per decade.
Glaciers retreat
 Ocean heat content has increased. Warmer temperatures
not only cause glaciers and land ice to melt (adding more
volume to oceans) but also cause seawater to expand in
volume as it warms.
 The ocean is acidifying

 Much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity

has already been taken up by the ocean, thus
moderating the increase of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
 However, as carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, it forms
carbonic acid, acidifying the ocean.
 Ocean acidification will likely cause serious harm to marine
organisms such as corals.
Water cycle changes:
 The seasonal rhythms of streams and rivers have changed
as winter precipitation falls increasingly as rain instead of
snow, and as earlier spring temperatures cause snow in the
mountains to melt earlier and faster.

 Warmer temperatures also mean higher evaporation rates

and thirstier plants and people, increasing demands for water.
 Projections indicate that on average dry areas will tend to
get drier, and wet areas will tend to get wetter.
 About 40 percent of wild plants and animals

that have been studied over decades are

relocating to stay within their tolerable climate

ranges.

The Arctic is heating up about twice as

rapidly as the rest of the planet.

As sea ice and seasonal snow cover melt,

previously reflective white surfaces are converted

to darker ocean water or vegetation, respectively.

These dark surfaces absorb more solar

radiation, leading to higher air temperatures which

leads to even more rapid melting, and so on.

UNDERSTOOD?
GOOD!