LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP
Solving the Smog Puzzle on Earth and
from Space: Good vs. Bad Ozone
Presented by: Michael Tinnesand, Ginger Butcher,
and Bryan Duncan
April 1, 2013
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern time
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Introducing today’s presenters…
Michael Tinnesand
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Retired high school chemistry teacher
Former Associate Director, ACS Education Division
Ginger Butcher
• Education lead, NASA’s Aura Mission
• Author of NASA educational publications about the
Electromagnetic Spectrum and Earth Science
Bryan Duncan
• Deputy Project Scientist, NASA’s Aura Mission
• Studies air pollution around the globe using data collected by
instruments on the Aura satellite
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Los Angeles 1943
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times Collection,
Department of Special Collections, UCLA Library
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What do you think was the main
ingredient in the LA smog?
A. Secret gas warfare attack
from Axis spies
B. Particulate matter from
backyard trash burning
C. Pollution from local
rubber factory
manufacturing rubber for
the war effort
D. Smoke from burning coal
for heating
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times Collection,
Department of Special Collections, UCLA Library
E. None of the above
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Answer: None of the above
A. Secret gas warfare attack
from Axis spies
B. Particulate matter from
backyard trash burning
C. Pollution from local
rubber factory
manufacturing rubber for
the war effort
Photo courtesy – Creative Commons 2.5
D. Smoke from burning coal
for heating
E. None of the above
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SMOG = “smoke” + “fog”
Smog is a catch-all word for a mix of pollutants
London-type smog contained
• Sulfur oxides
• Soot & ash
(particulate matter)
• Sulfuric acid
1952 London Fog
Credit: N T Stobbs, Creative Commons License
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Something different
about Los Angeles smog
Unlike smog from coal, LA smog caused:
Deterioration of rubber
Damage to plants
Damage to black cherry tree leaves
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The first piece to the
puzzle
Arie “Haagy” Haagen-Smit – an
organic chemist from the
Netherlands
LA smog smelled different, it
had a bleach-like odor
Applied techniques he used to
study pineapple flavor to test
the composition of smog
Aire Haagen-Smit
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Unraveling the MysteryVolatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
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Sources of VOCs in LA air
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In Haagy’s experiments, he used ozone
to oxidize VOCs in the lab, but what was
the oxidizing agent in the LA air? If it was
indeed ozone, how was this powerful
oxidant being produced in the air?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Un-combusted gasoline fumes from tailpipes
Particulate matter (soot) and sunlight
Sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxides
Sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and VOCs
VOCs and nitrogen oxides
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Answer D
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Un-combusted gasoline fumes from tailpipes
Particulate matter (soot) and sunlight
Sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxides
Sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and VOCs
VOC’s and Nitrogen oxides
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NOx is the other piece
of the puzzle.
The first reaction happens inside a car engine as it runs.
At high temperature, nitrogen reacts with oxygen like this:
N2 + O2 Æ 2 NO
Once released from the exhaust, the NO can react with gases in
the air to produce NO2:
NO Æ NO2
This mix of NO and NO2 is
called NOx.
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All the pieces of the
puzzle!
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Bad Ozone
EPA map of Air Quality on
August 12, 2002.
The air in many parts of the U.S.
frequently contains unhealthy
concentrations of ozone.
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Overall, how has the quality of the
earth’s air changed over the past 10
years in the US?
A.
Getting better
B.
Staying the same
C.
Getting worse
D.
I don’t know
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Answer: A
It’s getting better
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Answer: A
It’s getting better
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The LA Smog Story
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Air Quality Improving Globally
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Taming the culprits of smog –
Reduce VOCs and NOx
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•
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Regulations - eventually leading to 1970 Clean Air
Act
Gasoline pump sleeves - reduce escaping VOCs
More efficient engines - more complete
combustion
Reformulating gasoline - burns more efficiently
Technology - e.g., catalytic converters
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Catalytic Converters
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Measuring Ground Level Ozone:
Schoenbein Paper
Lab Activity
First Reaction
2KI + 03 + H2O ➞ 2KOH + O2 + I2
Second Reaction
I2 + starch ➞ blue complex
Photo credit: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
ChemMatters Magazine, Vol. 20 Special Issue #1, September 2002
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Ozone Attack
Lab Activity
Source: University Center for Atmospheric
Research (UCAR)
http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_7_2_28t.htm
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The Story of Good Ozone
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Ozone in the Stratosphere
Natural creation of ozone in the stratosphere
Natural destruction of ozone in the stratosphere
O + O3 Æ 2 O2
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What are the OzoneDestroying Chemicals? Part 1
Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs
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What are the OzoneDestroying Chemicals? Part 2
Release of chlorine from reservoir gases
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What are the OzoneDestroying Chemicals? Part 3
The Catalytic Cycle
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Seasonal Changes
In the Ozone Hole
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If humans continued to release more and
more ozone depleting substances into
the atmosphere, how long do you think it
would take for ozone to deplete to
harmful levels around the globe?
A.
B.
C.
By 2020
By 2040
By 2080
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Answer
If humans continued to release more and
more ozone depleting substances into
the atmosphere, how long do you think it
would take for ozone to deplete to
harmful levels around the globe?
A.
B.
C.
By 2020
By 2040
By 2080
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A Frightening Scenario:
The World Avoided
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Montreal Protocols
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Destruction of the
Ozone Layer
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When do scientists expect global
ozone to return to levels of 300 du?
A. In 10-20 years
B. In 40-50 years
C. In more than 70 years
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When do scientists expect global
ozone to return to levels of 300 du?
A. In 10-20 years
B. In 40-50 years
C. In more than 70 years
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The World Avoided cont.
with protocol
without protocol
“We simulated a world avoided, and it’s a world we should be glad we avoided.”
-NASA Scientist Paul Newman
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AURA Collecting Data
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Labs with UV Beads:
The Stanford Solar Center
Lab - Consumer Watchdogs: Sunscreens/Sunglasses
Lab – Developing a UV Rating System
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/activities/uv.html
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REEL Science Contest
Ship Tracks and our
Environment
Ozone in the
Stratosphere
The Water of the
Water Planet
http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/reelscience.html
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Annotated Bibliography
• ACS Education Division acs.org/education
• NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html
• The Stanford Solar Center http://solarcenter.stanford.edu/activities/uv.html
• ChemMatters Magazine and ChemMatters AURA podcast
www.acs.org/chemmatters
• Ozone Hole Poster
http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozoneholeposter/
• Ozone Watch http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov
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Thanks to today’s presenters!
Michael Tinnesand
•
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Retired high school chemistry teacher
Former Associate Director, ACS Education Division
Ginger Butcher
• Education lead, NASA’s Aura Mission
• Author of NASA educational publications about the
Electromagnetic Spectrum and Earth Science
Bryan Duncan
• Deputy Project Scientist, NASA’s Aura Mission
• Studies air pollution around the globe using data collected by
instruments on the Aura satellite
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Thank you to the sponsor of
tonight’s web seminar:
This web seminar contains information about programs, products, and services
offered by third parties, as well as links to third-party websites. The presence of
a listing or such information does not constitute an endorsement by NSTA of a
particular company or organization, or its programs, products, or services.
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National Science Teachers Association
David Evans, Ph.D., Executive Director
Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director,
Conferences and Programs
NSTA Web Seminar Team
Al Byers, Ph.D., Assistant Executive Director,
e-Learning and Government Partnerships
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Jeff Layman, Technical Coordinator, Web
Seminars, SciGuides, and Help Desk
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