Air Pollution
History - Principles
Acute vs. Chronic
Examples: SO2, Acid Rain and
Ozone
Crude Examination of History
2008
‘Present’
Industrial Revolution
Age of the Automobile
-3300 BC
-5300 YBP
Ötzi - man
Climate Change
Acute
Local
Point
SO2
Impacts: Individual, human health
Non-human impacts
Visibility
Chronic
Dispersed
Non-point
Complex
Smog
Acid Precipitation
Longdistance
Transport
Ozone
Ozone-CO2
interactions
Particulates
Heavy
metals
Regulations/Laws
Issues of Social Justice
Ötzi - der Mensch aus dem Eis
Arsenic
Copper
http://www.viewzone.com/oetzi.html
North America’s Largest
Sources of SO2
• Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (1883 to
present)
• Copper Hill/Duck Town, Tennesse (PreEuropean to 1983)
• ASARCO Smelter - Tacoma (1890 1985)
• Anaconda Smelter - MT (1884 - 1980)
• Smelterville/Kellogg, Idaho (1888 - 1981)
• Trail BC
History Continued - Sudbury
Smelting of Nickel & Copper
Point Source
1883
First
Mine
1890
Ground
Level
Roasting
Beds
1928
Roasting
Beds - gone
Tall stacks
1972
Super
Stack
1250’
Acute to Chronic
Local to Distant
Simple to Complex
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/sudbury/air_quality/index.htm
1990’s
Further
Reductions
Sudbury - Ecological Effects
Principles of Acute, Point-Source Air Pollution
Stages of Acute
Air Pollution
Damage
I
90 miles
7000 Lakes
Waste Land
Timber harvesting
I - Visible
Damage on
II
sensitive species
III
II - Sensitive tree
species dies,
IV
other trees show
deformed crowns
III - Shrubs and
IV - Only most herbaceous
tolerant plants plants die
alive
Transition from Acute, Point Source,
Local to Chronic, Non-point source
(or multiple), Distant
• Acid Precipitation
• Result of transferring problem from local to
distant
• Application of technologies to reduce
smoke and soot
• Takes incredible detective work, especially
with terrestrial vs. aquatic systems
• Greatest financial impact: structures
Acid Rain - 1
H+
SO4=
NO3-
http://www.umac.org/ocp/4/info.html
Acid Rain - 2
Bottomline:
• H+ is being added
• SO4= is being added
• NO3- is being added
Acid Rain - 3
Acid Rain - Effects on Forest
Ecosystems
Acid Rain - Effects on Forest &
Aquatic Ecosystems: Major
Detective’s job
• Shallow rooted trees and plants
Where do plants get their
required water and
nutrients?
CO2 - air
N - soil & decomposition
& input of NO3
Other minerals (Ca, Mg,
K) - decomposition &
weathering
Continued
Chemical &
Physical
Rocks
(minerals)
Parent
Material
Secondary
minerals
(clays)
Weathering
1. Parent material
2. Climate
3. Topography
4. Vegetation
5. Time
• Geology of parent material
• Certain soils are more susceptible to acid rain
• Low soil carbon - poor acid buffering capacity
Continued
• H+ acts to remove K+, Mg+, Mn+, Ca++
• NO3- combines with K+, Mg+, Mn+, Ca++
• Combination is very soluble, leaches out
• If H+ very high, then Al+++ is removed.
Clay - Ca++
Organic matter - K+
Clay - H+
Ca++NO3Organic matter -H+ K+ NO3-
Parent
Material
Clay - H+
Organic matter -H+
Al+++
Images
Smog and LA
≤ 60 ppb
> 125 ppb
Regarding the behavior of aspen
in the article you read - select the
false statement
18%
77%
5%
1. Aspen is relatively widely distributed
2. Greatest impact of ozone on aspen is
in the Pacific Northwest
3. Aspen is very sensitive to ozone
Example of an Ozone Episode
Ozone Formed
• Correct precursors
• Sun light, warm temperatures
• Inversion
General Principle
• Chronic levels of a pollutant do not kill
humans, or plants outright; weaken.
• A weakened person or plant -Plant: its productivity or ability to make
biomass decreases. How might this affect
a trophic pyramid or prices of food?
Human: Immune system compromised
• Other factors also weaken humans and
plants.
• THEN some other factor usually kills the
human or plant.
Next Steps
• Laws and Regulations: Clean Air Act of
1970 and modifications
• Combinations of ozone and elevated carbon
dioxide.
• Long-distance transport
• Cap and trade model for controlling SO2