The Model of Creation

“For by Him were all things created,

that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were
created by Him, and for Him.”
Colossians 1:16

God created all life

Air: Climate and Pollution
Part 1: The Atmosphere and
Climate
AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Element Parts per Million
Nitrogen 780,800
Oxygen 209,500
Argon 9,300
Carbon Dioxide 300
Neon 18.2
Helium 5.2
Krypton 1.1
Hydrogen 0.5
Nitrous Oxide 0.5
 Evolution of the Atmosphere
• 4.5 billion years ago, our atmosphere was mostly hydrogen, helium,
methane, and ammonia (left-overs)
• Volcanic eruptions released water vapor, carbon dioxide, and
nitrogen
• As the Earth cooled, the water vapor in the atmosphere began to
condense and produce clouds and rain
• carbon dioxide dissolved in the newly formed oceans
• 3 billion years ago, blue-green algae evolved in the oceans, and
they produced oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. This
oxygen leaked into the atmosphere
• Due to the presence of oxygen, the formation of ozone was possible
in the upper atmosphere, which allowed life to leave the oceans and
move onto land
• The present day atmosphere was formed after billions of years of all
the processes
 What Does All This Mean?
Since any biological change is
dependent on life first originating by
natural processes, the model of evolution
is without a foundation.

Why should I accept evolution when you

cannot produce the evidence?
I already have a faith. Tell me about your
faith and I will tell you about my faith.

Therefore . . .
 Logical Deduction
It is rational (reasonable) to believe
that God, and not unknown events,
created life
Composition of the Dry Atmosphere
• Nitrogen = 78%
• Oxygen = 21%
• Argon = 1%
• The above values are rounded. There are also
trace gases (in concentrations of parts per
million and parts per billion)
– Carbon Dioxide = 370 ppm (0.037%)
– Methane (0.00017%)
– Ozone (0.000004%)
– CFCs (0.00000002 %)
 Water Vapor
• Water vapor is a highly variable gas in the
atmosphere – both spatially and
temporally
• Antarctica can have values very close to
0%
• The atmosphere in the very humid tropics
can be up to 4% water vapor
The
atmosphere
has four
distinct
zones of
contrasting
temperature
.
 Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere

•Layers in the atmosphere

are defined by temperature

•Earth's atmosphere thins out

to near nothingness several
hundred kilometers above the
surface

•99% of the total mass of the

atmosphere exists below 30
km altitude
 Troposphere and Stratosphere
Troposphere
•0 to 15 km altitude
•The lowest region of the atmosphere, where life & weather exist.
•Temperature decreases with altitude.
•Long-wave radiation emitted from Earth is absorbed by the atmosphere, the
atmosphere becomes less dense with increasing altitude, less air to absorb
•Top of the troposphere is known as the tropopause

Stratosphere
•15 to 50 km altitude
•Temperature increases with altitude.
•Heating occurs because ozone (O3) absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
•Top of the stratosphere is known as the stratopause
 Mesosphere and Thermosphere
Mesosphere
•50 to 90 km altitude
•Temperature decreases with altitude
•The lowest temperatures in the entire atmosphere are found at the
mesopause during summer at high latitudes, 130 K (-226°F) can occur
•Top of the mesosphere is known as the mesopause

Thermosphere
•90 to 500 km altitude
•Temperature increases with altitude above 90 km, and is constant above
200 km.
•This heating is due to absorption of solar radiation (wavelengths less than 0.2
microns) by molecular oxygen (O2).
•The highest temperatures in the atmosphere can be found in the
thermosphere, 2000 K can occur
Part 3: Climate and Air
Pollution
• Over the past 20 years,
developed countries
have made progress in
improving air quality.
• Unfortunately, air
quality in the developing
world has been getting
worse.
Human-Caused Global Climate
Change
• Global mean surface temperatures have
increased about 0.9 degrees F over the
past 100 years.
• Much of this change is now understood
to result from a number of human
activities, primarily the burning of oil, gas,
and coal.
• CO2 levels are increasing 0.5% a year.
Air Pollution System
 Chlorofluorocarbons
• CFCs are a man-made compound that were
used as propellants and refrigerants
• CFCs destroy stratospheric ozone (to be
detailed in Chapter 2)
• Concentration of CFCs have leveled off
since laws were enacted to prohibit their use
• CFCs are very stable compounds and will
stay in the atmosphere for about 100 years
 Methane
• The concentration of methane in the
atmosphere has doubled since the
beginning of the Industrial Revolution
• Sources of methane are decaying organic
substances, burning of forests, coal
mining, and cattle dung
• Methane is an important greenhouse gas
1970 Clean Air Act (amended repeatedly until 1990) sets standards
for 6 key pollutants. States then implement plans to comply.
Criteria Pollutant Major Sources Health Impacts and Environmental Other Important Considerations
Damage

Sulfur dioxide 65% from power plants; Causes asthma attacks at high Precursor to particulate matter
produced by combustion concentrations; Causes acid rain
of sulfur-bearing fuels
(e.g., coal, oil) and
smelter ore
Nitrogen dioxide 29% as a combustion Damages soil and water bodies due Precursor to ground-level ozone and fine
product from power plants to eutrophication and nitrogen particulate matter
saturation; Causes acid rain

Ozone At ground level, formed Strong lung irritant, associated with Main component of "photochemical smog"
when NOx reacts with decreases in lung function, lung
volatile organic tissue damage, chronic lung and
compounds in the heart diseases; Damages crops and
presence of sunlight forests;

Particulate matter Emitted directly by Power Strongly associated with chronic lung Causes regional haze conditions,
(PM) plants, and formed in and heart disease; damaging visibility in national parks Like
atmosphere from sulfur ground-level ozone, PM can cause
and nitrogen oxide damage hundreds or thousands of miles
emissions beyond point of emission, due to long-
range transport on prevailing wind and
weather patterns

Carbon monoxide Released principally by Deadly at high concentrations; Largely a problem of central city areas
cars and trucks Displaces oxygen in blood at levels
found in many urban centers
Lead Emitted by lead smelters Neurotoxin, deadly in high doses; Total lead emissions dropped 96% from
and garbage incinerators, Impairs brain development in 1970 to 1987due to elimination of leaded
and, in trace amounts, children; Inhibits proper development gasoline
during coal combustion of fetuses
 Primary and Secondary
Pollutants
• Primary Pollutants: Those emitted directly
from sources (CO, SO2, VOC, CO, lead,
PM)
• Secondary Pollutants: Those formed in the
atmosphere by chemical interactions
among primary pollutants and normal
atmospheric constituents. (Ozone,
photochemical oxidants)
 Major Air Pollutants:
Problems
• Sulfur dioxide - acid rain, health damage,
visibility reduction
• Nitrogen oxides - acid rain, eutrophication,
growth of weedy species
• Carbon monoxide - inhibited respiration
• Lead and mercury - neurological damage
• Chlorofluorocarbons - ozone depletion
• Particulate matter - lung damage, cancer
• Volatile organic compounds - CO, CO2
production in the atmosphere
Indoor Air Pollution
• Smoking - diseases
related to smoking
responsible for 20%
of deaths in the U.S.
• In less-developed
countries, poorly
ventilated heating
and cooking fires
represent the
greatest source of
indoor air pollution.
 Sulfur Containing Compounds
• Carbonyl sulfide (COS), carbon disulfide
(CS2), dimethl sulfide ((CH3)2)S), hydrogen
sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• Sources are: biological decay, combustion of
fossil fuels and organic matter.
• SO2 combines with water to produce sulfuric
acid - major component of acid rain: 2SO2 +
O2 = 2SO3: SO3 + H2O = H2SO4
 Nitrogen-Containing
•
Compounds
Nitrous oxide (N2O): colorless, odorless, “laughing
gas”, emitted by natural sources, chemically inert,
not considered an air pollutant.
• Nitric oxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxide (NO2) = NOx:
emitted by combustion at high temperatures.
Together with hydrocarbons are important in
formation of ozone. Lifetime about 1 day. Combines
with water to form nitric acid, component of acid
rain.
• Released by stationary and mobile sources.
 Carbon Monoxide
• Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, poisonous
gas formed when carbon in fuels is not burned
completely.
• It is a byproduct of highway vehicle exhaust, which
contributes about 60 percent of all CO emissions
nationwide. In cities, automobile exhaust can cause as
much as 95 percent of all CO emissions. These
emissions can result in high concentrations of CO,
particularly in local areas with heavy traffic congestion.
• Other sources of CO emissions include industrial
processes and fuel combustion in sources such as
boilers and incinerators.
 Particulates
• Particles of average diameter 10 microns or less
(PM10). Tend to be easily inhaled and lodge in
lungs. Larger particles not readily inhaled.
• Sources are combustion process (particular diesel
combustion), unpaved roads, fires.
• PM2.5 particles with average diameter less than 2.5
microns. Considered even more problematic than
PM10
• New EPA regs. For PM2.5 now under consideration
 TYPES OF EMISSIONS
• Stationary Sources
– power plants, factories, industrial sites
• Mobile Sources
– cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, aircraft, off-
road vehicles
• Area Wide Sources
– agriculture, paved and unpaved roads,
construction
• Natural Sources
– biogenic, wildfires, windblown dust
Part 5: Effects of Air
Pollution
 Possible Implications of and
Debate Surrounding Global
•
Warming
More heat waves
• Winners: Siberia,
• More extreme storm Scandinavia
activity • Losers: most of U.S.
• Changes in rainfall, (particularly SE;
snowfall patterns Washington may be
• Ecosystem effects nicer), island states
• Higher sea levels • Skepticism
• Kyoto Protocol
• More disease
Energy and the "Greenhouse
Effect"
 Increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide levels have risen by 30% in the last 200 years.

2000-about
365 ppm

The IPCC projects that, if

unchecked, atmospheric carbon
dioxide concentrations
will range from 650 to 970 ppm
by 2100.
Thinning of the Ozone Layer

Evidence from
satellites of thinning of
the Ozone layer led to
the Montreal Protocol
for reducing CFCs
 Ozone Hole

1979 1990 1999

1988
1982 1992 1997
1984 1986 1994

Darkest blue areas

represent regions of
maximum ozone depletion

2004
October Average Ozone Hole

Low High
Ozone Ozone
 Ozone Depletion
• …Very reactive in
Stratosphere!
– Each Chlorine atom
breaks down 100,000
Ozone molecules
– Bromine even more
efficient!
• Creation of Ozone Holes
– Polar
– Seasonal
 Ozone Facts
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

100 60
Thermosphere

80 50

Altitude (miles)
40
Altitude (km)

Mesosphere
60
30
40
90% of ozone is in the
20
stratosphere
20
10
10% of ozone is in the troposphere
Troposphere
0 0
0 2 4 6 8
Ozone (parts per million)
 Ozone Facts
Ozone is the Earth’s natural sunscreen
100 60
Thermosphere

80 UVc - 100% Absorption 50

Mesosphere
UVb - 90% Absorption

Altitude (miles)
40
Altitude (km)

UVa - 50% Absorption & Scattering

60
30
40
20

20
10
Troposphere
0 0
0 2 4 6 8
Ozone (parts per million)
 Ozone Holes
• Antarctic Hole
– Discovered 1985
– Dramatically Low O3
– Seasonal
– Largest Ozone Hole
• Arctic Hole
– Much smaller than Antarctic Hole
– Sometimes euphemized as the Ozone “Dimple”
 What chemicals
cause ozone loss?
 Source Chemicals
Other gases
Methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3) Other halons
3400 1% HCFCs (e.g., HCFC-22 = CHClF2) 4%
20 Halon-1301 (CBrF 3)
4% CFC-113 (CCl2FCClF2)
5%
3000 7% Carbon tetrachloride 14%
(CCl 4) Halon-1211 (CBrCIF 2)
12% 15
CFC-11 (CCl 3F) 20%
2000 5-20%
23% 10 Methyl bromide (CH 3Br)

CFC-12 (CCl 2F2)

1000
5
32% 27- 42% Very-short lived gases
Methyl chloride (CH 3Cl)
Natural (e.g., bromof orm = CHBr 3)
sources 16% 15%
0 0

• Cl is much more abundant than Br

• Br is about 50 times more effective at O3 destruction
From Ozone FAQ - see http://www.unep.org/ozone/faq.shtml
 Atmospheric Chlorine Trends from
NOAA/ERL - Climate Monitoring Division
102 years

CFC-12
to 19 9 2
s up
of CFC CFC-11
ro wth
Stea
d y g
50 years

CH3CCl3
CCl4
42 years
85 years
CFC-113

5 years

Updated Figure made by Dr. James Elkins from Trends of the Commonly Used Halons Below Published by Butler et al. [1998],
All CFC-113 from Steve Montzka (flasks by GC/MS), and recent updates of all other gases from Geoff Dutton (in situ GC).
What causes the ozone
hole?
How does chlorine get from our refrigerators
to the Antarctic stratosphere?

Cl catalytically destroys
O3

Cl reacts with CH4 or CFC-12 photolyzed in

NO2 to form non- stratosphere by solar UV,
reactive HCl or releasing Cl
ClONO2

Cl released by
PSCs Carried into stratosphere in
the tropics by slow rising
circulation
CFC-12 released in troposphere
Polar Stratospheric Clouds

Central, Sweden January 14, 2003 - P. Newman

 Ozone Hole timeline
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
230 230 230 230
Temp

220 220 220 220

210 210 210 210
200 200 200 200
190 190 190 190
180 180 180 180
 Polar night falls  Sunlight induces catalytic O3 loss
and temp cool
 PSCs begin to form
 Chlorine is freed into reactive forms
T become too warm for PSCs, O3 loss stops 
Ozone hole breaks-up, mixes low ozone across SH 
150 150 150 150
Ozone

100 100 100 100

50 50 50 50

0 0 0 0
Cold T  PSCs + high Cly  het reactions  Large catalytic loss
Retreating Gangotri glacier

Receding
glacier
tracked
since 1780

In the last 25
years,
Gangotri
Glacier has
retreated
more
than 850m
(2 788 ft)
Tornadoes
are local
cyclonic
storms
caused by
rapid
mixing of
cold, dry air
and warm,
wet air.
Ecosystem damage caused by sulfur dioxide
emissions and acid rain.
 Health Facts
• UV plusses: produces vitamin D in the skin -
necessary to maintain levels of calcium and
phosphorus (~10-15 minutes twice a week) QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

• UV minuses:
are needed to see this picture.

– Eye damage: cataracts, photokerititus

Cataract
(snowblinding), ocular cancers
– Skin cancers: basal, squamous, melanoma
– photoaging
– Damage to various land species
– Damage to aquatic species
– Increased pollution levels in urban environments Melanoma

• Tropospheric ozone is a pollutant: aggravates

asthma, reduces lung capacity, and increases QuickTime™ and a
susceptibility to respiratory illnesses like TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

pneumonia and bronchitis

Mexico City
 Trouble In Paradise!
• Increased Surface UV Radiation
– Higher rates of Skin Cancer
• Southern Chile experienced 66% increase
in Melanoma
• Australia and New Zealand have highest
skin cancer rates in the world.
• Can lead to increased Tropospheric Ozone
• Melting of Polar Ice Caps!
 What Has Been Done?
• CFCs Banned in many countries
• HCFCs Introduced
– Pros
– Cons
• HFCs Introduced
– Pros
– Cons
 The Future
• Ozone depletion slowing down
dramatically
• Key: Reduction in Methyl Bromide
 The Future
• 4% Reduction of Antarctic Ozone Hole by
2015
• Ozone Recovery: 2050?
GOD GAVE US A BEAUTIFUL WORLD TO LIVE IN

He gave us dominion over the things He created

It is our choice now --- are we going to destroy it . . . or

take care of it?

TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR EARTH…

IT IS THE ONLY PLACE WE’VE GOT

PEIRCE M. JUSAYAN, DVM, MSES