16 Integration of sciences
- Technology: how modern technologies (sensors, satellites, scrubbers, catalytic converters, renewable energy, smart grids, electric vehicles) reduce air pollution and improve quality of life.
- Environmental science: how to assess the environmental impact of human activities on the atmosphere (measure pollutant concentrations, compare with standards, estimate emissions) and propose sustainable solutions.
1Global warming
Key points
- rise in surface air temperature; burning fossil fuels; greenhouse gases CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, CFCs, water vapour; short-wave in, long-wave trapped
2Effects
Key points
- ice melts → coastal flooding, loss of polar species and biodiversity; hurricanes, floods, droughts
3Strategies
Key points
- public transport; energy efficiency, LED, renewables; afforestation
4CO
Key points
- incomplete combustion; HbCO; 200–250× affinity; hypoxia, anaerobic respiration, lactic acid
5Acid rain
Key points
- SO₂ → SO₃ → H₂SO₄; NO₂ → HNO₃; harms lungs, plants, soil, limestone buildings
6Science and technology
Key points
- scrubbers; clean energy; satellites; weather stations; climate models; forecasting for health, farming, ecosystems