Global warming

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What is global warming?

Over the last few hundred

years, the average
temperature of the Earth’s
oceans has been rising.
This is global warming.

Why is this a problem?

Global warming increases the

energy in the atmosphere, making
it turbulent – more storms, more
droughts, more floods.

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What about the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is a theory to explain why

global Light
warming
reaches usis happening.
from the
Sun. Some of it is absorbed
by the Earth and warms it. With more greenhouse
Some is reflected back into gases, more infrared is
space. reflected back to the
Earth, and it gets warmer
still.

The Earth gives off infrared

radiation because it has
been warmed by the Sun.

Some infrared radiation is

reflected back by the
greenhouse gases. This
In the atmosphere makes the Earth warmer
is a layer of than it would be without
greenhouse the greenhouse gases.
gases.

Thedoes
How world
theneeds the greenhouse
greenhouse effect.
effect explain Without
global it the
warming?
Earth would be too cold for most organisms to live.
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The key greenhouse gases

A greenhouse gas is a gas in the atmosphere that reflects

infrared radiation back to Earth.
Do these gases act as greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
gas greenhouse gas?
carbon dioxide yes
methane yes
CFCs yes
ozone yes
nitrogen oxide yes

One of these gases in particular is on the rise, causing the

‘enhanced greenhouse effect’. Which gas?
What processes produce this gas?
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 Acid rain

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What is acid rain?

Rain is naturally slightly acidic. Why?

Because carbon dioxide in the air dissolves in the falling

water to make carbonic acid.
carbon dioxide + water carbonic acid
normal rain acid rain
So what’s acid rain?

It’s a term used for rain that

is more acidic than normal.

Acid rain forms when acidic gases

in the air dissolve in the rain.
These gases come from burning
fossil fuels.

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How acidic is acid rain?

Acid rain is more acidic than normal

rain. But how does it compare with pH 1 pH 2
other acids? pH 3 pH 4
pH 6 pH 7
Match the pH to the substance.
substance pH
unpolluted rain pH 6
car battery acid pH 2
acid rain from a polluted area pH 4
acid in your stomach
pH 1
pure water
pH 7
vinegar
pH 3

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What causes acid rain?

All of these processes produce acidic gases which

cause acid rain.
Rank them in order, starting with the worst offender.

1. generating
transport (cars,electricity
planes, trains, etc.)
domestic
2. transport
(fires
(cars,
at home)
planes, trains, etc.)
generating
3. industrialelectricity
furnaces and boilers
industrial
4. forest fires,
furnaces
volcanoes
and boilers
and other natural sources
forest
5. domestic
fires, volcanoes
(fires at home)
and other natural sources

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Meet the acid gases

The main acidic gases are:

• sulphur dioxide (SO2) • nitrogen oxides (N2O, NO, NO2)

Acidic gases in the air can cause lung problems.

deaths per day/sulphur dioxide (ppb)

Roughly how many
extra deaths occurred
from the 5th to the 9th
of December? deaths per day

Is it fair to say that acid sulphur dioxide

concentration
gases caused these
deaths?
date, December 1952

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How is acid rain formed?

Acid rain can fall many miles from the source of the pollution.

Acid gases react together Falling rain

in the clouds – sunlight dissolves the
encourages this reaction. acidic gases.

Acid gases rise in

the air. Dry deposition – acid
particles fall to the
ground in dust.
Acid rain falls to
the ground. It
makes soil, lakes
and rivers more
Burning fuels release acidic acidic.
gases, mainly sulphur
dioxide (power stations) and
oxides of nitrogen (vehicles).

What problems does acid rain cause?

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It takes a while...

Acid rain is a dilute acid solution.

The acid in your stomach is
stronger and more corrosive.

But acid rain is dangerous because it acts over many

years.
Think how much rain falls on a building over 200 years!

Even a slight increase in the acidity of rain could have

serious effects over this timescale.

And because the changes from day to day are small, people
do not notice them.

Why does this make it even more dangerous?

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But the effects are serious

Acid rain reacts to dissolve

away rocks such as
limestone. This destroys
valuable buildings.

It makes rivers and lakes more acidic.

This causes problems on moors and
mountains where the ground is already acidic.

It allows poisonous chemicals such as

aluminium salts to dissolve in water and soil.
They poison trees and fish.

It reduces the growth of plants, including food crops.

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Hope or horror?

Is pollution getting worse – or better?

Try to match the year to the
3719 6460
amount of acidic gas produced. 1188 875
We’ve added a guess for 2010. 4854

year thousand tonnes of SO2

produced in UK
1970 6460
1980 4854
1990 3719
2000 1188
2010 875

If you drew a graph of this data, what would it look like?

Can you explain this trend?
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Good news, bad news

So is the pollution problem getting better?

Decide whether each headline is
good news or bad news.

Levels of acidic We are developing

gases in the more and more
atmosphere are gadgets and devices
falling. that use energy.

Modern devices We are Governments all over

are more energy- using cars the world have agreed
efficient than old more and to cut emissions of
ones. more. acidic gases.

What do you think? How could we do better?

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Quiz

1. Sulphur dioxide is an acidic gas made by...

a) burning scrap metal
b) burning fossil fuels
c) cows as they digest grass.

2. Acid rain is caused by...

a) acidic gases in the atmosphere dissolving in falling
rain
b) ozone in the atmosphere dissolving in falling rain
c) increased sunlight.

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Quiz

3. The best way to reduce acid rain is by...

a) releasing alkaline gases into the air
b) pushing rain clouds out to sea with jet engines
c) reducing the production of acidic gases.

4. Which of the following is NOT caused by acid rain?

a) damage to buildings made of limestone
b) damage to lakes in some highland areas
c) asthma.

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True or false?

True or False?

1. Plants
2.
3.
4. The
Global
Carbon
rise
tend
warming
dioxide
in carbon
to increase
contributes
is dioxide
causing
theingreenhouse
asignificantly
the
holeatmosphere
in the effect
ozone
to theisby
layer.
giving
probably
greenhouse
outdue
carbon
effect.
to human
dioxide.
activity.

TRUE!
FALSE!
FALSE! Yes,
Again,
Plants
CFCsmost
take
most
arescientists
causing
inscientists
carbon the
agree
dioxide
now
hole
with
accept
induring
the
thisozone
this
statement.
the day
layer,
for
 statement.
photosynthesis,
which is letting more
so they
ultraviolet
tend to reduce
radiation
the
reach
greenhouse
us. This is not
effect!
the same problem as global
warming.

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