UNIT-I

INTRODUCTION
PART-A

1. What is Atmosphere?
Atmosphere is the air surrounding the earth. It is a mixture of different gases. It contains life-
giving gases like Oxygen for humans and animals and carbon dioxide for plants. Generally,
atmosphere extends up to about 1600 km from the earth’s surface. However, 99 % of the
total mass of the atmosphere is confined to the height of 32 km from the earth’s surface.

2. What are the uses of atmosphere?

 It envelops the earth all round and is held in place by the gravity of the earth.
 It helps in stopping the ultraviolet rays harmful to the life and maintains the suitable
temperature necessary for life.

3. Write the composition of Earth’s atmosphere.

Atmospheric gases are reckoned in two categories: major gases and trace gases. The major
gases in Earth's atmosphere include nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), water vapour (1-4%) and
argon (0.93%). Trace gases include carbon dioxide (380 ppm), neon (18 ppm), helium (5
ppm), methane (1 ppm), krypton (1 ppm), hydrogen (0.5 ppm), nitrous oxide (0.3 ppm),
sulphur dioxide (0.1 ppm), and ozone (0.04 ppm).

4. Define the Structure of the atmosphere.

The atmosphere can be divided into five layers according to the diversity of temperature and
density. They are:

1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere (Ionosphere)
5. Exosphere

5. Show the extents of atmospheric layers.

6. Define air pollution.

Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances including
gases, particles, and biological molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. It may
 cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans; it may also cause harm to other living
organisms such as animals and food crops, and may damage the natural or built environment.
Both human activity and natural processes can generate air pollution.

7. Describe the scope of air pollution.

Satellite observation of air pollution allows for wider geographicalscope, and in doing so
can facilitate studies of air pollution'seffects on natural capital and ecosystem resilience.
Many air pollution-related aspects of the sustainability of development in human systems
are not being given their due attention.

8. What are the scales of air pollution?

 Micro-scale problems range from those covering less than a centimeter to those the
size of a house or slightly larger.
 Meso-scale air pollution problems are those of a few hectares up to the size of a city
or country.
 Macro-scale problems extend from countries to states, nations, and in the broadest
sense, the globe.

9. What are the effects of pollution on property?

Damage to property is an important economic aspect of pollution. It covers corrosion of
metals, soiling, eroding of building surface, fading of dyed material, rubber cracking and
deterioration of works of art.

10. How pollution decreases the aesthetic value?

Pollutants damage the protective coatings. So, areas under high pollution require frequent
painting. Common pollutants cause damage are O3, H2S, SO2 and aerosol. H2S cause
darkening of surfaces covered with paint containing white lead.

11. How air pollutants damage the building materials?

 Smoke and aerosols adhere to stone, brick and building surface to produce unsightly
coatings.
 SOx in presence of moisture react with limestone and change the colour (Tajmahal).
 CO2 in presence of moisture produce carbonic acid, which causes leaching problem.
 Due to pollutants, the cleaning expenses will be more.

12. What are the effects of pollutants on visibility?

One of the earliest recognized symptoms of air pollution was the reduction of visibility. The
urban smogs (smoke+fog) will cause an extreme loss of visibility, often to as little as a few
meters, where the presence of smoke and sulphur dioxide led to nucleation and growth of fog
droplets. With the growth of traffic emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic
compounds, photochemical smog has become more frequent. A further reduction of visibility
occurs as the aerosol particles grow. 
13. What is air quality index?
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air
is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health
effects which human may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.

14. What are the sources of air pollution?

 Burning of fossil fuels in electricity generation, transport, industry and households;

 Industrial processes and solvent use, for example in the chemical and mining industries;
 Agriculture;
 Waste treatment;
 Natural sources, including volcanic eruptions, windblown dust, sea-salt spray and
emissions of volatile organic compounds from plants.
15. List any four sources of air pollution.

 mobile sources – such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains

 stationary sources – such as power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and
factories
 area sources – such as agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces
 natural sources – such as wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes.

16. Briefly explain the formation of ozone.

Ozone is formed throughout the atmosphere in multistep chemical processes that require
sunlight. In the stratosphere, the process begins with an oxygen molecule (O2) being broken
apart by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. In the lower atmosphere (troposphere), ozone is
formed by a different set of chemical reactions that involve naturally occurring gases and
those from pollution sources.

17. Write the classification of air pollutants.

Classification of Air Pollutants: Air pollutants are classified based on their origin, chemical

composition and the state of the matter. Classification based on origin: Air pollutants are
divided into two categories, based on their origin-primary and secondary.

18. List out the various air pollutants caused by nuclear energy program.

 The environmental impact of nuclear power results from the nuclear fuel cycle, operation,

and the effects of nuclear accidents.
 The greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear fission power are much smaller than those
associated with coal, oil and gas, and the routine health risks are much smaller than those
associated with coal. This potential risk could wipe out the benefits.
19. What is ozone Layer depletion?
The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere, about 20 to 30 km (12
to 19 miles) above the earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. The
ozone layer protects living things from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun; without the
protection of the ozone layer, millions of people would develop skin cancer and weakened
immune systems.

20. Write a short note on “Global Warming”.

 Global warming is a slow and steady rise in Earth's surface temperature. Temperatures
today are 0.74 °C (1.33 °F) higher than 150 years ago. Many scientists say that in the
next 100–200 years, temperatures might be up to 6 °C (11 °F) higher than they were
before the effects of global warming were discovered.
 Most noticeable changes by this increase in temperature is the melting of ice caps all
around the world. Sea level is rising steadily as a result from continental ice melting into
the sea. As a prediction, many cities are soon to be partially submerged in the ocean.
Consequently, many part of the world have a major increase in temperature.

21. What are secondary air pollution?

 A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants
(primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere.
 Examples of a secondary pollutant include ozone, which is formed when hydrocarbons
(HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine in the presence of sunlight; NO2, which is
formed as NO combines with oxygen in the air; and acid rain, which is formed when
sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides react with water.
22. Briefly explain the formation of Ozone
Photochemical (summer smog) forms when pollutants such as nitrogen oxides
and organic compounds react together in the presence of sunlight. A gas called ozone is
formed Nitrogen Dioxide + Sunlight + Hydrocarbons .

23. List out any four sources of Air Pollution.

1. Combustion process
2. Chemical processes
3. Petroleum operations.
4. Metallurgical processes

24. Briefly Explain Particulate matters.

Particulate matter," also known as particle pollution or PM, is a complex mixture of extremely
small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including
acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles.
25. Effect of Pollution Damage to Plants.
 With the destruction and burning of the rain forests more and more CO2 is being released
into the atmosphere. Trees play an important role in producing oxygen from carbon
dioxide.
 A 115 year old Beech tree exposes about 200,000 leaves with a total surface to 1200
square meters.

26. What are the effects of photo chemical smog?

 Eye irritation,
 Vegetation Damage,
 Visibility Reduction,
 Cracking of Rubbers

27. Define Acid rain.

Acid rain is produced by the burning of fossil fuels. It is formed when emissions of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen and oxidants to form
various acidic compounds. These compounds then fall to the ground in either wet or dry form.
Refer to all precipitation-rain, snow, and dew which is more acidic than normal.

28. Define aerosols.

An aerosol can be defined as a dispersion of solid and liquid particles suspended in gas.
Atmospheric aerosols, unsurprisingly, refer to solid and liquid particles suspended in air. Aerosols are
produced by dozens of different processes that occur on land and water surfaces, and in the
atmosphere itself. Aerosols occur in both the troposphere and the stratosphere, but there are
considerable differences in the size ranges, chemical nature and sources of the aerosols that occur in
these two atmospheric layers.

29. Effect on Ozone Formation.

The reformulated gasoline containing MTBE decreases the ozone formation in the
atmosphere. The oxygen present in the MTBE added to the gasoline ensures more complete
combustion of fuel hydrocarbons and thus UBHC released to the atmosphere are reduced. As stated
earlier, a reduction in NOx level is also achieved using MTBE-gasoline blends. Both hydrocarbons
as well as NOx are precursors of ozone formation. Thus a reduction in the concentrations of
precursors decreases the ozone formation in the atmosphere.

30. What are Effects of Air Pollutants.

Air pollution effects may also be divided into several categories, with such effects
encompassing those that are health-related as well as those associated with damage to
materials or which cause decreases in atmospheric aesthetic features. Examples of effects on human
health include eye irritation, headaches and aggravation of respiratory difficulties. Plants and crops
have been subjected to undesirable consequences of air pollution, including abnormal growth
patterns, leaf discoloration or spotting and death.
31. Write the classification of air pollutants.
According to origin

 Primary pollutants
 Secondary pollutants

According to state of matter 

 Gaseous air pollutants

 Particulate air pollutants

32. What is green-house gas?

A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal
infrared range. Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect.[1] The primary greenhouse gases
in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface would be about −18 °C
(0 °F),[2] rather than the present average of 15 °C (59 °F).[3][4][5] The atmospheres
of Venus, Mars and Titan also contain greenhouse gases.

33. What are the major pollutants produced by human activity?

Human activity is a major cause of air pollution, especially in large cities. Human air

pollution is caused by things such as factories, power plants, cars, airplanes, chemicals, fumes
from spray cans, and methane gas from landfills. One of the ways that humans cause
the most air pollution is by burning fossil fuels.

34.What are the secondary pollutants produced by human activity?

Secondary pollutant form when primary pollutants emitted directly from a combustion process react

in the atmosphere. Primary pollutants include ammonia, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon
monoxide. Secondary pollutants include ground-level ozone, acid rain and nutrient enrichment
compounds.

35. List the sources of air pollutants.

 mobile sources – such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains
 stationary sources – such as power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories
 area sources – such as agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces
 natural sources – such as wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes.

36. State the effects of air pollutants.

Air pollution can also cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Long-term
health effects from air pollution include heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such
as emphysema. Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people's nerves, brain, kidneys,
liver, and other organs.

37.What are the effects air pollution on materials.

 Most importantly the affects of soiling, degradation, corrosion and erosion

caused by So2 are very much serious.
 The effect of air pollution on materials may be seen in terms of
discoloration, material loss, structural failing and soiling.

38.What are the effects air pollution on animals.

Animals depend on oxygen that comes from the air, and when the air is contaminated,
harmful gases and particulates are inhaled. Experts agree that pollution affects animals in the same
way as it does humans. The pollution that animals inhale can accumulate in their tissues over time,
causing damage to their organs.

39. What is the need of ozone layer?

Ozone is a gas in the atmosphere that protects everything living on the Earth from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun. Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, it would be
very difficult for anything to survive on the surface. (Think of a very bad sunburn, only much
worse!) Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet radiation, nor can the plankton that
serve as food for most of the ocean life. The ozone layer acts as a shield to absorb the UV rays,
and keep them from doing damage at the Earth's surface.

40. Illustrate the serious of effects of ozone depletion.

Effects of ozone layer depletion. Skin Cancer: exposure to UV rays from sun can lead to
increased risk for developing of several types of skin cancers. Malignant melanoma, basal and
squamous cell carcinoma are the most common cancers caused by exposure to UV rays. Eye
Damage: UV rays are harmful for our eyes too.

41. What are the main ozone depleting substances.

Ozone depleting substances are man-made gases that destroy ozone once they reach the
ozone layer. The ozone layer sits in the upper atmosphere and reduces the amount of harmful
ultra violet radiation that reaches Earth from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation can have detrimental
effects on both humans and the environment such as inducing skin cancer and cataracts,
distorting plant growth and damaging the marine environment. 

42. Write the solution for ozone depletion.

The main cause of ozone layer depletion is the build-up of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in the
atmosphere. When the CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, high UV radiation reacts with these
and releases chlorine atoms. These free chlorine atoms react with ozone thereby leading to
the depletion of the ozone layer.
43. What are the natural contaminants?
Air pollution can result from both human and natural actions. Natural events that pollute the air
include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds
and natural radioactivity.

44. Write the names of Ozone depleting substances?

 chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
 hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
 hydrobromoflurocarbons (HBFCs)
 halons
 methyl bromide
 carbon tetrachloride
 methyl chloroform.

45. Define ozone concentration.

Ozone concentrations refer to the quantity of ozone (O3) molecules in the air.

Ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, is formed when emissions
of ozone precursors from power plants, factories, cars and other sources react with
sunlight in the atmosphere.

46. Explain the term particulate matter.

Similar term(s): PM, suspended particulate matter, total suspended particulates, black smoke,
inhalable particles, thoracic particles, respirable particles.
Definition:
Sum of all microscopic solid and liquid particles, of human and natural origin, that remain
suspended in a medium such as air for some time. These particles vary greatly in size,
composition, and origin, and may be harmful.
Particulate matter may be in the form of fly ash, soot, dust, fog, fumes etc.

47. Define Ambient Air Quality.

Ambient air quality refers to the condition or quality of air surrounding us in the outdoors.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by
the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that is applicable nationwide. The CPCB has been
conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

48. What are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards?

Pollutant Time Concentration in Ambient Air
Weighted
Industrial, Ecologically Sensitive Area
 Residential, Rural (notified by Central
Average and Other Areas Government)
Sulphur Dioxide Annual* 50 80 20 80
(SO2),  24
µg/m3 hours**
Nitrogen Dioxide Annual* 40 80 30 80
(NO2),  24
µg/m3 hours**
Ozone (O3) µg/m3 8 hours* 100 180 100 180
1 hour**
Lead (Pb)  Annual* 0.50 1.0 0.50 1.0
µg/m3 24
hours**
Carbon Monoxide 8 hours* 02 04 02 04
(CO) mg/m3 1 hour**
49. What is meant by Emission standards?
Emission standards are the legal requirements governing air pollutants released into
the atmosphere. Emission standards set quantitative limits on the permissible amount of
specific air pollutants that may be released from specific sources over specific timeframes.
They are generally designed to achieve air quality standards and to protect human life.

50. Mention an Emission standard of India.

Bharat stage emission standards (BSES) are emission standards instituted by the Government
of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and Spark-
ignition engines equipment, including motor vehicles. The standards and the timeline for
implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of
Environment & Forests and climate change.