AP Environmental Science pollution types, resource depletion, and sustainability concepts.
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- What is ground-level ozone and how does it form?
- A secondary air pollutant created when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in sunlight; a component of photochemical smog.
- Define primary air pollutants.
- Pollutants emitted directly from pollution sources into the atmosphere, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.
- Define secondary air pollutants.
- Pollutants formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions of primary pollutants with other atmospheric chemicals.
- What is photochemical smog?
- A type of smog formed when sunlight causes reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, producing ground-level ozone and other oxidants.
- What are the main components of acid rain?
- Sulfuric acid (from sulfur dioxide) and nitric acid (from nitrogen oxides); formed when these gases react with water vapor in the atmosphere.
- Explain the greenhouse effect.
- Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere by allowing sunlight to pass through but preventing infrared radiation from escaping back to space.
- What does NOx refer to in air pollution?
- Nitrogen oxides, a group of pollutants including nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide; produced primarily from fossil fuel combustion.
- What is PM2.5?
- Particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller; small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
- Define thermal inversion.
- A weather condition where a layer of warm air traps cold air below it, preventing air from rising and allowing pollutants to accumulate near the ground.
- What is the main purpose of the Clean Air Act?
- To regulate air pollutants and establish national air quality standards to protect public health and the environment.
- What is eutrophication in water ecosystems?
- Excessive nutrient enrichment (usually nitrogen and phosphorus) that leads to algal blooms and subsequent oxygen depletion in water.
- Define point source pollution in water.
- Water pollution from a specific, identifiable source such as a pipe, factory, or sewage treatment plant.
- Define nonpoint source pollution in water.
- Water pollution from diffuse sources that cannot be traced to a single point, such as agricultural runoff or urban stormwater.
- What is bioaccumulation?
- The buildup of a substance, usually a toxin, in an organism's body over time as it absorbs more than it can eliminate.
- What is biomagnification?
- The process where the concentration of a substance increases as it moves up the food chain, with top predators accumulating the highest levels.