Point 6 of 7 — The Atmosphere: Layers, the Greenhouse Effect and Ozone DepletionQuestion bank: 0 questions (0 with pictures)
06Environmental and climatic consequences
Higher UV-B reaching the surface: skin cancer and cataracts in humans, suppressed immunity, reduced photosynthesis and phytoplanktonproduction — the base of the marine food web and a major carbon sink.
Warming: sea-level rise from thermal expansion and from melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, coastal erosion and salt-water intrusion into the Nile Delta aquifer.
Weather extremes: heat waves, flash floods, longer droughts and shifts in rainfall belts that reduce crop yield.
Acid rain: SO₂ and NOx oxidise and dissolve to H₂SO₄ and HNO₃, which lower the pH of lakes, leach aluminium from soil and corrode limestone buildings and monuments.
Photochemical smog: NO₂ plus hydrocarbons under sunlight give ozone and PAN, which irritate the eyes and lungs and damage vegetation in cities.
Desertification and loss of biodiversity: species that cannot move or adapt disappear; the more diverse an ecosystem, the more resistant it is.
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