Human Activity Impact on NO2 and CO Comparison
Lynn Dietrich
Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars
Abstract
Human activity can change the world incredibly fast. We have to monitor those changes the best we can in order to understand any damage that is being done. We use satellites and specialized instruments to monitor the changes in our atmosphere. The levels of pollution that humans are responsible for has to be monitored so that any danger can be avoided. We have to study the components of the atmosphere to understand what is harmful and what is not.
Human Activity Impact on NO2 and CO Comparison OMI, or Ozone Monitoring Instrument, is an instrument that records ozone and other atmospheric parameters (Brill). OMI monitors
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Nitrogen dioxide is formed when lightning strikes (Cotton, 2013). When lightning strikes, the heat causes nitrogen and oxygen to react to form NO, which cools and forms NO2 (Cotton, 2013). It can also be formed by internal combustion engines, power stations, heaters, and gas stoves (Cotton, 2013). Humans are responsible for a large amount of NO2 emissions. If you look at a map of NO2 concentrations, the highest levels will be in large cities with lots of people and cars. NO2 has both a local and global effect. It helps create smog that can be dangerous for people to be around in a city. It also acts as a greenhouse gas that can be harmful to the atmosphere and affect the whole world. It is being studied to see the effects on humans and the …show more content…
It is formed when hydrocarbon fuels are burned (Thompson). CO is mainly produced by industrial processes, some fires, and internal combustion engines (Blakemore and Jennett, 2016). Like NO2, the highest levels of carbon monoxide will be found in places with large cities and industries. Carbon monoxide has local and global effects. High amounts are dangerous to people’s health locally. CO can be spread by winds throughout the troposphere, having a global effect (Ichoku). Carbon monoxide is being studied to see its role in atmospheric chemistry and the ability of the atmosphere to cleanse itself of harmful pollutants (Ichoku). Humans are the source of a huge amount of pollution. Human activity has caused nitrogen dioxide levels to rise. This rise has increased pollution levels and has hurt the atmosphere. Human activity has also caused carbon monoxide levels to rise, but unlike NO2, carbon monoxide can easily be spread around the world by wind. The spread of carbon monoxide has added to pollution and hurt the atmosphere. Human activity can have a very drastic effect on our world in a relatively short amount of time. With the help of satellites and monitoring instruments, we can see those effects and try to act on the data before any major damage is done. As humans continue to pollute the environment, scientists continue to monitor the constant changes in the atmosphere and other components to try and understand
Climate Change- Climate is a long term change in the Earth's weather, especially due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. According to research, it was discovered that the Earth's temperature rose by 0.6 degrees Celsius (C) and predicted that the sea surface temperature may rise by up to 1 degrees C over the next 50 years. Unfortunately, carbon dioxide and methane gas levels are the highest they have ever been for the last 420000 years. These two gases with water vapour, nitrous oxide and halocarbons create the five predominate greenhouse gases, effecting the environment greatly. Furthermore, it is evident that an average person release 4 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Due to this fact, carbon dioxide
Even if all countries in the world contribute to the air pollution, the developed countries take the leading role on releasing carbon monoxide in the air. This toxic air increases risk of the ozone layer depletion, which potentially would expose UVB radiation at the earth. This UVB radiation has negative consequences on humans, animals, plants and other planetary creatures. In addition to UVB radiation the polluted air by itself can cause serious health problems for humankind. Moreover, this process would cause the earth to become warmer which consequence of global warming. Industries and transportation takes the first place for the source of emissions of air
I enjoyed reading the book that was assigned, Field Notes from a Catastrophe, Man, Nature and Climate Change, by Elizabeth Kolbert. This source contained extensive research and the following statements in the preface are its thesis; this is a book about watching the world change. Humans aren’t the first species to alter the atmosphere; that distinction belongs to early bacteria, which, some two billion years ago, invented photosynthesis. But we are the first species to be in a position to understand what we are doing.
When a huge amount of nitrogen oxide is being emitted into the air it forms smog and acid rain. Acid rain can damage everything that it falls on mainly the environment; it contaminated human resources such as water and etc. Once the acid rain contaminates the water resources it deteriorates the water quality causing more nitrogen to be in the water. With more nitrogen present in the water it upset the chemical balance of nutrients/ minerals that are being consume by the aquatic plants and animals. As a result, it can lead up to depletion in oxygen which are the key component of all living things. Without oxygen there would be no
This report will compare and contrast the characteristics and roles of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere and their relation to human activity and health. Three main missions, Ozone Monitoring Instrument, Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere, and Atmosphere Infrared Sounder, pertinent to this study are included. These missions are also compared and contrasted to each other, similar to the two gasses that are the focus of this report. Concerning the gasses, NO2 will be thoroughly discussed. What it is, how it forms and its relation to human activity are also encompassed. In addition to this topics, whether or not NO2’s effects are local and global and the reason it is being studied are conversed. The topics
Several different scientific measurements have illustrated the fact that the climate of the Earth is indeed changing. Firstly, measuring the temperature of both the air and the sea through thermometers indicates the changes from the average (IFM-SEI 2011). In addition, soil has been analyzed to examine the forms of isotopes and levels of oxygen and carbon. Radiocarbon dating has also been utilized as have recordings of number, intensity, and the location of extreme weather events and natural disasters within the last century.
There are so many pollutants in the air today. They come from many different sources. The most common types of gases come from automobiles, power plants, and industrial companies. This leads to poor quality in the air, along with global warming, and heavy pollution. The gases that are released into the air can be very dangerous for humans and animals alike. Many of the toxins cause cancer and other diseases. This has been going on for many, many years. The United States and China are two good references to compare.
Air pollution are impacting the environment, and it is imperative that laws are enforced to help build and sustain a better air quality. Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our health. Stimulation to our eyes, nose, throat, and breathing infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia are all short-term effects. You’re head might hurt, you might want to puke, and you might have allergic reactions. Short-term air pollution can put people with asthma and emphysema in a worse condition. Long lasting breathing disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to your brains, nerves, livers, or kidneys are all long-term effects. If you’re exposed to air pollution continuously, it would affect children’s lungs and may complicate medical conditions for the elders. Some people argue and deny the bad air problem. They claim that pollution may actually be good for the Earth. The hazy weather caused by pollution has made plants far more productive when it comes to scrubbing greenhouse gasses out of the air. Pollution has turned plants into better carbon dioxide processing machines. But this is bad for our own health. Pollution is causing global warming which leads to massive ice land melting. Polar bears and other animals that live there are losing there habitats and even dying. Melting ice could also lead to more sea water which would bury some cities or land near the coastal areas. There is already a tremendous amount of people on this planet. If our land decreases, and our population continues to increase, some people would have to start living on another planet; therefore, making it a priority to address the areas
Earth is the only place in the universe that can support human life. It is very important that we realize this fact and take very good care of it. Various human activities cause the destruction of earth. Human beings can live a few days without food and water however humans can last only a few seconds without oxygen. Various human activities lead to the aggravation of the quality of air. Gases produced by human activities mainly due to exploitation of resources and industrialization cause air pollution. Green house gases mainly chlorofluorocarbons; carbon
Human activities such as pollution and deforestation, has changed the climate as a whole, leading to an increased amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere. The effects of this has led to higher sea levels, loss of sea ice and an increase in heat waves across the globe.
The human race all around the world wonders if the climate is changing due to human activity or if it is just a natural occurrence. At certain parts of the Earth's surface, the climate can be observed much differently than other locations. As the years go by the average temperature of the Earth increases by little intervals. There are several different reasons why people believe the climate is changing every year. However, the increase of worldwide population and production of heat to the atmosphere is due to the increase of human activities that take place on a daily basis. Human activity is the main cause of the global climate change. The human impact on climate exceeds any known changes due to natural processes. The impact of this human activity is often misunderstood when looking at climate change.
Pollution is another major factor that is threatening our world today. One example of pollution is nitrogen. Humans are adding about 130 to 150 million tons over the 90 to 150 tons that are produced by the nitrogen cycle. This excess in nitrogen causes coastal waters and estuaries to grow toxic algae, killing the fish and trapping the solar heat in the air. Another example of pollution is methane. Methane is produced by gases released by cows, termite mounds or by the bottom of rice paddy. If found in the air methane is very poisonous. By raising more cattle, cutting more tropical forests, thus increasing the amount of termites, and by growing more rice, the methane concentration in the air is almost twice as higher as it was 160,000 years ago. Smoke is another pollution factor. Smoke that is produced by cars contains carbon dioxide (CO2). This carbon dioxide in the air causes global warming, which results in the green house effect and climate changes. Satellite studies show that perhaps we will increase the temperature by 3.6 degrees by the year 2001. The warmer the weather the more water it can hold, the higher the precipitation will be. The higher the precipitation the more clouds, the more rain, and the more snow there will be. This will result in more storms and floods. Studies by Thomas Karl of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that the total winter precipitation in the US has increased to about 10% since
The United States releases twenty tons of carbon monoxide per person per year. Carbon Monoxide release is a result of burning fossil fuels with an insufficient amount of oxygen that causes the formation of carbon monoxide that pollutes our environment. Everyday fuel is burnt by cars, airplanes, large factories and manufacturing plants. This is causing a very large and deadly problem for our environment. When gases used on earth are released into the atmosphere they act as a blanket and trap radiation that is then redirected to earth. This concept is called the Greenhouse Effect (Bad Greenhouse, 1).
Every human activity has a particular effect on objects surrounding his or her environment, be it physical, mental, or social. But notably, the most evident might be the effect of human activity on global warming. Global warming is quickly becoming a major topic of concern worldwide, and has been stirring up controversy everywhere with its adverse effects seen all over the world. It causes rise of the temperature, leading to – among other things - melting of the polar ice and glaciers, increase in sea level, and extreme weather events. Its effects can also be felt in the form of natural disasters like drought, floods, and tornadoes. Of recent,
By driving vehicles, using plants that burn coal, humans are harming the natural system created by the earth. This is causing more CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide to be released. When nitrous oxide is in the atmosphere, it has a lifespan of about 114 years. Methane is approximately 12 years spent in the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide is a little more difficult to determine its lifespan in the atmosphere due to there being several processes that remove it. About 80% of carbon dioxide is dissolved into the ocean, and can take between 20 and 200 years to do. The other 20% can stay in the atmosphere for possibly hundreds of thousands of years. Methane is created and released by fossil fuels, rice patties, waste dumps, and cow farms. Nitrous Oxide is created and released by the using of fertilization, industrialization, and combustion.