Lecture 2 and 3- Air

Lecture 2 and 3- Air

1. Acid Rain- precipitated out , polluted by burning fossil fuels

2. Natural Sources- volcanic eruption, dust episodes from storms

3. Residence times: Nitrous Oxide=114 years, Carbon Monoxide = 2 months, lead = several days

4. Stratosphere- contains 90% of ozone, shiled from UV, arctic depletion

5. Troposphere- contains 10% of ozone, harmful impact, smog, toxic to humans and vegetation

6. Ozone = not evenly distributed, thinnest at tropics, thickest at poles, measured in dobson units, created by sun interacting with 02 molecules

7. 1957; measurements monitoring atmospheric chemistry, shows steady downward trajectory of ozone

8. Forman et al paper 1985- people begin protecting the ozone

9. Decling Austral spring ozone- linked to chlorine in stratosphere

10. Transboundary pollutions- summer pollution from N America to Asia, EU pollution to Africa.

11. Evidence from lake sediments- diatoms, some diatoms prefer alkaline, some prefer acid, can track environment changes through species of diatoms

12. Critical Load- the maximum amount of pollution an environment can handle

13. Photochemical smog created by ehicle exhausts- NO2 and sunlight

14. PHYSICAL

15. HUMAN

16. Thomas Migley and the ultra violet- "more impact on the atmsphere than any other organism"

17. LEADED PETROL EGYPT- 6500-11,200 HEART ATTACKS, 830 INFANT DEATHS

18. States and atmospheric governance- early air governance- atmospheric nuisances (coal burning)

19. Acid Rain 1960-1970 scandinavian pollutions originated in the UK

20. 1952 London fog disaster

21. 1953 new committee on air pollution established following london fog disaster

22. 1956- Clean Air Act: the first legislation responding to pollution, smoke free zones, newer energy sources, locate power plants away from centres

23. The environmental justice movement- race, class: patterns of social exposure 1960- environmental apartheid

24. Louisiana Cancer Alley- chemical corridor, chemical plants along mississippi river

25. Diamond, Narco- chemical plant in the 1920s, expanded in the 50s