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The greenhouse effect - Polluting the atmosphere - AQA - GCSE Chemistry (Single Science) Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize

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Learn how human activity is polluting the atmosphere with Bitesize GCSE Chemistry (AQA).

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Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.

Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO ₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO X) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO ₂ and NO X react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground.

While a small portion of the SO ₂ and NO X that cause acid rain is from natural sources such as volcanoes, most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuels. The major sources of SO ₂ and NO X in the atmosphere are:

Burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Two thirds of SO₂ and one fourth of NOX in the atmosphere come from electric power generators.

Vehicles and heavy equipment.

Manufacturing, oil refineries and other industries.

Winds can blow SO ₂ and NO X over long distances and across borders making acid rain a problem for everyone and not just those who live close to these sources.

Forms of Acid Deposition

Wet Deposition

Wet deposition is what we most commonly think of as acid rain. The sulfuric and nitric acids formed in the atmosphere fall to the ground mixed with rain, snow, fog, or hail.

Dry Deposition

Acidic particles and gases can also deposit from the atmosphere in the absence of moisture as dry deposition. The acidic particles and gases may deposit to surfaces (water bodies, vegetation, buildings) quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form larger particles that can be harmful to human health. When the accumulated acids are washed off a surface by the next rain, this acidic water flows over and through the ground, and can harm plants and wildlife, such as insects and fish.

The amount of acidity in the atmosphere that deposits to earth through dry deposition depends on the amount of rainfall an area receives. For example, in desert areas the ratio of dry to wet deposition is higher than an area that receives several inches of rain each year.

Measuring Acid Rain

Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a pH scale for which 7.0 is neutral. The lower a substance's pH (less than 7), the more acidic it is; the higher a substance's pH (greater than 7), the more alkaline it is. Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6; it is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO ₂) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid. Acid rain usually has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4.

Policymakers, research scientists, ecologists, and modelers rely on the National Atmospheric Deposition Program's (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) for measurements of wet deposition. The NADP/NTN collects acid rain at more than 250 monitoring sites throughout the US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands. Unlike wet deposition, dry deposition is difficult and expensive to measure. Dry deposition estimates for nitrogen and sulfur pollutants are provided by the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET). Air concentrations are measured by CASTNET at more than 90 locations.

When acid deposition is washed into lakes and streams, it can cause some to turn acidic. The Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Network measures and monitors surface water chemistry at over 280 sites to provide valuable information on aquatic ecosystem health and how water bodies respond to changes in acid-causing emissions and acid deposition.

Next, learn about the Effects of Acid Rain.

Or, learn more about:

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Introduction to acid rain including its causes and the different types of acid rain.

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What is PM, and how does it get into the air?

PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.

Particle pollution includes:

PM10 : inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller; and

: fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.
How small is 2.5 micrometers? Think about a single hair from your head. The average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter - making it 30 times larger than the largest fine particle.

Sources of PM

These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.

Some are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires.

Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.

What are the Harmful Effects of PM?

Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Some particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter can get deep into your lungs and some may even get into your bloodstream. Of these, particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, also known as fine particles or PM 2.5, pose the greatest risk to health.

Fine particles are also the main cause of reduced visibility (haze) in parts of the United States, including many of our treasured national parks and wilderness areas.
Learn more about health and environmental effects
What is Being Done to Reduce Particle Pollution?

EPA regulates inhalable particles. Particles of sand and large dust, which are larger than 10 micrometers, are not regulated by EPA.

EPA's national and regional rules to reduce emissions of pollutants that form PM will help state and local governments meet the Agency's national air quality standards. Learn about how air quality standards help reduce PM.

How Can I Reduce My Exposure to PM?

You can use air quality alerts to protect yourself and others when PM reaches harmful levels:

AirNow: Every day the Air Quality Index (AQI) tells you how clean or polluted your outdoor air is, along with associated health effects that may be of concern. The AQI translates air quality data into numbers and colors that help people understand when to take action to protect their health.

Go to About AirNow to learn how you can get AQI notifications.

Also learn how the Air Quality Flag Program can help air agencies, schools, and other community organizations to notify their citizens of harmful conditions and adjust outdoor physical activities as needed.

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PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye.

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A comprehensive report on global chemical pollution, including detailed explanations of various pollutants and their chemical properties.

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UNEP address the important issues and linkages between environment and health within the organization and with partner organizations and stakeholders.

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Tackling air pollution

Tackling air pollution takes a combination of approaches, including regulation, land use planning, technological solutions (such as vehicle engine design), and consumer behaviour. Chemistry plays a role in developing technological solutions.

Chemists help to decrease emissions from transport in a variety of ways, ranging from developing cleaner fuels (such as low sulfur fuels) to increasing the efficiency of engines. Chemists are also working to enable new transport technologies - for example, batteries for electric vehicles and fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles, as well as systems to produce fuels from renewable energy sources rather than from fossil fuels.

Another way to reduce pollutant emissions is by fitting pollution control devices to the vehicle exhaust. For example, most petrol engines have three-way catalytic converters to reduce carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from the exhaust.

Platinum or palladium catalysts oxidise carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons to produce carbon dioxide and water, while rhodium catalysts reduce nitrogen oxides to produce nitrogen and oxygen. Chemists, materials scientists, and engineers develop and improve the catalysts, absorbers, and particulate filters that reduce pollutant emissions.

In the future, even the clothes you wear and our buildings could purify the air. Photocatalytic clothing can break down nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds using just oxygen and light. The same technology has been used in paint and cement, allowing buildings to clean the air around them.

What we do

In 2013 we brought together atmospheric chemists to discuss the role of aerosols in the atmosphere at our Faraday Discussion: Tropospheric Aerosol - Formation, Transformation, Fate and Impacts. You can read the papers published alongside the discussion in the Faraday Discussions journal.

Many of our members are actively engaged in understanding, monitoring and tackling air pollution. Our Automation and Analytical Management Interest Group hold an annual meeting on monitoring ambient air.

We awarded a blue plaque to Johnson Matthey PLC in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the world's first commercial catalytic converters being manufactured on this site, and the subsequent development of catalysts and filters for gasoline and diesel vehicles that have cleaned billions of tonnes of pollutants from the environment worldwide. You can read more about the evolution of catalytic converters in Education in Chemistry, our magazine for teachers.

You can also see our public lecture given by Professor Alastair Lewis of the University of York, entitled 'Air pollution past, present and future'.

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How chemistry is helping to improve the environment around us

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As we strive towards a better world, we work to ensure chemistry's contributions are realised. Chemistry can help us to understand, monitor, protect and improve the environment around us.

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Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog. The smoke usually came from burning coal. Smog was common in industrial areas, and remains a familiar sight in some cities today.

Today, most of the smog we see is photochemical smog. Photochemical smog is produced when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and at least one volatile organic compound (VOC) in the atmosphere. Nitrogen oxides come from car exhaust, coal power plants, and factory emissions. VOCs are released from gasoline, paints, and many cleaning solvents. When sunlight hits these chemicals, they form airborne particles and ground-level ozone-or smog.

Ozone can be helpful or harmful. The ozone layer high in the atmosphere protects us from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation. But when ozone is close to the ground, it is bad for human health. Ozone can damage lung tissue, and it is especially dangerous to people with respiratory illnesses like asthma. Ozone can also cause itchy, burning eyes.

Smog is unhealthy to humans and animals, and it can kill plants. Smog is also ugly. It makes the sky brown or gray. Smog is common in big cities with a lot of industry and traffic. Cities located in basins surrounded by mountains may have smog problems because the smog is trapped in the valley and cannot be carried away by wind. Los Angeles, California, United States, and Mexico City, Mexico, both have high smog levels partly because of this kind of landscape.

Many countries, including the United States, have created laws to reduce smog. Some laws include restrictions on what chemicals a factory can release into the atmosphere, or when the factory can release them. Some communities have "burn days" when residents can burn waste such as leaves in their yard. These limits on chemicals released into the air reduce the amount of smog.

Smog is still a problem in many places. Everyone can do their part to reduce smog by changing a few behaviors, such as:

Drive less. Walk, bike, carpool, and use public transportation whenever possible.

Take care of cars. Getting regular tune-ups, changing oil when scheduled, and inflating tires to the proper level can improve gas mileage and thus reduce emissions.

Fuel up during the cooler hours of the day-night or early morning. This prevents gas fumes from heating up and producing ozone.

Avoid products that release high levels of VOCs. For example, use low-VOC paints.

Avoid gas-powered yard equipment, like lawn mowers. Use electric appliances instead.

Fast Fact

Where the Air Is Not So Clear
During the early 1900s, Mexico City, Mexico, was known for having some of the cleanest air in the world. Author Carlos Fuentes wrote a novel about the city in 1959 and called it Where the Air is Clear. Today, however, Mexico City is one of the smoggiest places on Earth.

Fast Fact

Undercover
During the Great Smog of 1952, coal pollution blanketed the city of London, England. More than 4,000 people died from respiratory ailments as a result. The smog was so thick that the city had to shut down roads, railways, and the airport. Robbers used the cover of smog to break into houses and shops.

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Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility

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Atmospheric pollution guide for KS3 chemistry students - BBC Bitesize

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Human activities release polluting gases into the atmosphere. These activities include farming animals for food, burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Find out more with this guide for KS3 chemistry students aged 11-14 from BBC Bitesize.

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Pollution - Monitoring and maintaining the environment - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology (Single Science) Revision - OCR Gateway - BBC Bitesize

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Revise monitoring and maintaining the environment with BBC Bitesize GCSE Biology.

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GCSE Chemistry - Global Warming & Climate Change

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Effect of Air Pollutants on Health | Environmental Chemistry | Chemistry | FuseSchool

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What is Climate Change? Explore the Causes of Climate Change

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Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats to ocean health worldwide. But, there are many solutions to plastic pollution that you can participate in today. This article covers some of the basic facts about ocean plastic pollution and provides several specific plastic pollution solutions that everyone can take part in.

The Ocean Plastic Pollution Problem

With skyrocketing plastic production, low levels of recycling, and poor waste management, between 4 and 12 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year-enough to cover every foot of coastline on the planet! And that amount is projected to triple in the next 20 years. Let that sink in for a moment.

In the ocean, plastic pollution impacts sea turtles, whales, seabirds, fish, coral reefs, and countless other marine species and habitats. In fact, scientists estimate that more than half of the world's sea turtles and nearly every seabird on Earth have eaten plastic in their lifetimes. Plastic pollution also mars otherwise beautiful beaches, coastlines, and snorkel and dive sites worldwide, even in remote areas such as Midway Atoll.

One of the reasons that plastic pollution is such a problem is that it doesn't go away: "plastics are forever." Instead, plastic debris simply breaks down into ever-smaller particles, known as microplastics, whose environmental impacts are still being determined.

Plastic Pollution Solutions: 7 Things You Can Do Today

Everyone can do something to help solve the plastic pollution problem, and millions of people worldwide are already taking action to reduce their plastic use. Here are seven ways you can make a difference, starting today.

1. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics

Wherever you live, the easiest and most direct way that you can get started is by reducing your own use of single-use plastics. Single-use plastics include plastic bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, dry cleaning bags, take-out containers, and any other plastic items that are used once and then discarded.

The best way to do this is by a) refusing any single-use plastics that you do not need (e.g. straws, plastic bags, takeout utensils, takeout containers), and b) purchasing, and carrying with you, reusable versions of those products, including reusable grocery bags, produce bags, bottles, utensils, coffee cups, and dry cleaning garment bags. And when you refuse single-use plastic items, help businesses by letting them know that you would like them to offer alternatives.

2. Support Legislation to Curb Plastic Production and Waste

As important as it is to change our individual behaviors, such changes alone are insufficient to stop ocean plastic pollution. We also need legislation that reduces plastic production, improves waste management, and makes plastic producers responsible for the waste they generate. There are a variety of ways that you can support local, national, and international legislation that provide critical solutions to reduce plastic pollution. One such effort in the United States is the 2021 Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, a comprehensive federal bill that aims to address the plastic pollution crisis, and there are a number of state level initiatives to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation that makes plastic producers and distributors responsible for their products and packaging at the end of life.

At the international level, hundreds of organizations and businesses successfully worked together with United Nations member states to enact a global plastics treaty, signed by 175 member states, that will set global rules and regulations to reduce plastic pollution. And legislation that limits, taxes, or bans unnecessary single use plastic items, such as plastic bags, takeout containers, and bottles, has been successfully enacted in many places globally, and you can support the adoption of such policies in your community too. Here is a comprehensive resource and toolkit on legislative approaches to limiting plastic bags, foodware, microplastics, and more.

3. Recycle Properly

This should go without saying, but when you use single-use (and other) plastics that can be recycled, always be sure to recycle them. At present, just 9% of plastic is recycled worldwide. Recycling helps keep plastics out of the ocean and reduces the amount of "new" plastic in circulation. If you need help finding a place to recycle plastic waste near you, check Earth911's recycling directory. It's also important to check with your local recycling center about the types of plastic they accept.

4. Participate In (or Organize) a Beach or River Cleanup

Help remove plastics from the ocean and prevent them from getting there in the first place by participating in, or organizing a cleanup of your local beach or waterway. This is one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight ocean plastic pollution. You can simply go to the beach or waterway and collect plastic waste on your own or with friends or family, or you can join a local organization's cleanup or an international event like our Global Ocean Cleanup or the International Coastal Cleanup.

Take Our 7-Day Fight Plastic Waste Challenge

Join the global movement to fight plastic waste with our 7-day challenge. With just a few minutes a day, you'll be on your way to reducing ocean plastic pollution from home.
Take the Challenge

5. Avoid Products Containing Microbeads

Tiny plastic particles, called " microbeads," have become a growing source of ocean plastic pollution in recent years. Microbeads are found in some face scrubs, toothpastes, and bodywashes, and they readily enter our oceans and waterways through our sewer systems, and affect hundreds of marine species. Avoid products containing plastic microbeads by looking for "polythelene" and "polypropylene" on the ingredient labels of your cosmetic products (find a list of products containing microbeads here).

6. Spread the Word

Stay informed on issues related to plastic pollution and help make others aware of the problem. Tell your friends and family about how they can be part of the solution, or host a viewing party for one of the many plastic pollution focused documentaries, like A Plastic Ocean, Garbage Island: An Ocean Full of Plastic, Bag It, Addicted to Plastic, Plasticized, or Garbage Island.

7. Support Organizations Addressing Plastic Pollution

There are many non-profit organizations working to reduce and eliminate ocean plastic pollution in a variety of different ways, including Oceanic Society, Plastic Pollution Coalition, 5 Gyres, Algalita, Plastic Soup Foundation, and others. These organizations rely on donations from people like you to continue their important work. Even small donations can make a big difference!

These seven ideas only scratch the surface for ways you can help address the growing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. The important thing is that we all do something, no matter how small. For more ideas and resources, sign up to join our Blue Habits community of people worldwide committed to joyful daily actions that improve ocean health.

Reduce Plastic Pollution From Home with Our 7-Day Challenge

Join the global movement to fight plastic waste by participating in our 7-day challenge.
Take the Challenge

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7 Ways to Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today

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Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats to ocean health worldwide. But, there are many solutions to plastic pollution that you can participate in

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Everything We Know About Ocean Plastic Pollution So Far | The Ocean Cleanup

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The problem with plastic - and how we can solve it | BBC Ideas

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How Can We Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions | Environmental Chemistry | Chemistry | FuseSchool

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Explore ocean science and the impacts of plastic pollution on the environment with interactive stories and simulations with activities suitable for grades 5-12. Check out how plastic moves through our world, how ghost gear is retrieved, and travel through time to find out how and why plastic has infiltrated every part of our lives.

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Explore ocean science and the impact of plastic pollution through interactive stories and activities suitable for grades 5-12.

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In addition to exploring Recycle City, you can play two games in which you'll make decisions about reducing waste and energy use.

There's more to Recycle City than just sightseeing! Try some of these activities.

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In addition to exploring Recycle City, you can play two games in which you'll make decisions about reducing waste and energy use. There's more to Recycle City than just sightseeing! Try some of these activities.

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Chemical Reactions in Environmental Pollution

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Chemical Reactions in Environmental Pollution

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A comprehensive digital textbook chapter focusing on chemical reactions involved in various types of pollution, with interactive examples and assessments.

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Games, Quizzes, and Videos about the Environment | US EPA

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Games, quizzes, and other fun stuff for students and educators.

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Interactive simulations demonstrating the chemical processes involved in acid rain formation and its environmental effects.

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How do strong and weak acids differ? Use lab tools on your computer to find out! Dip the paper or the probe into solution to measure the pH, or put in the electrodes to measure the conductivity. Then see how concentration and strength affect pH.

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Over the years, lots of action has been taken to try and save our ozone layer, and scientists are now saying it's all been worth it!

The UN have reported that the ozone layer could completely heal in just decades, as a direct result of what humans have done to help it.

But what is the ozone layer, why was it in trouble, and what's been done to help it?

Read on to find out!

What is the ozone layer and why do we need it?

When the Sun comes out, you have to put sun cream on. This is because harmful radiation, called ultraviolet rays, can damage your skin.

Well, think of the ozone layer as planet Earth's sun cream, protecting the Earth from the Sun's radiation.

It is absolutely crucial for life on Earth - without it, our planet would be uninhabitable.

What is the ozone layer?

The ozone layer is a thin sheet of gas that surrounds planet of Earth

It absorbs 98% of the harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun

UV rays are the ones that cause sunburn, and can be really damaging to our health

What's happened to the ozone layer?

The ozone layer has been damaged over many years, in part due to chemicals called CFCs.

It stands for chlorofluorocarbons, which are made up of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms.

They could be found in fridges, air conditioners and spray cans.

The harsh chemicals would interact with the gas in the ozone and cause it to wear away.

This led to ozone weakening over Antarctica, and elsewhere around the world.

These areas allow harmful UV radiation to get through, which can have really negative impacts on our health.

What was done to fix it?

In 1987, an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol was signed to ban CFCs - in fact, it later became the first agreement to have every country in the United Nations sign up to it.

By promising to no longer using the harmful chemicals in every product, these countries not only aimed to protect the ozone from further damage, but also allowed it to repair itself.

A new UN assessment has found that it'll take this long for parts of the ozone layer to heal:

2066 over the Antarctic, where ozone depletion was the worst

2045 over the Arctic

in about twenty years everywhere else

A healing ozone layer is positive news for the environment.

However, the researchers involved in the UN report have said we need to be careful, as we can't guarantee that this recovery will continue.

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What is it the ozone layer, why was it damaged, and what's been done about it? - CBBC Newsround

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Over the years, lots of action has been taken to try and save our ozone layer, and scientists are now saying it's all been worth it! The UN have reported that the ozone layer could completely heal in just decades, as a direct result of what humans have done to help it.

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Whatever happened to acid rain? - Joseph Goffman

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What is Acid Rain? | National Geographic

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Causes and Effects of Climate Change | National Geographic