5.2.3

Air Pollution

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Air Pollution

Air pollution comes from many different sources.

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Burning fossil fuels

  • Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that would otherwise have been locked away for millennia.
    • Methane and carbon dioxide enhance the greenhouse effect, causing global warming and climate change.
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Agriculture

  • Many farming practices, such as rice paddies and cattle farms release huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
  • Industrial processes linked to agriculture (such as producing fertiliser) emit nitrous oxides, which contribute to acid rain.
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Power stations and cars

  • Power stations and cars constantly pump gases into the atmosphere.
  • Sulfur dioxide dissolves in atmospheric moisture to form acid rain, which has been shown to negatively impact forest, freshwater and soil ecosystems as well as human health.
  • Most car exhausts pump out significant amounts of carbon monoxide, which is toxic to humans and other animals because it binds to haemoglobin, reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.
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Cooling systems

  • CFCs are a group of gases released from aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners.
  • CFCs have been linked to creating a hole in the 'ozone layer'- a layer in the Earth's atmosphere that protects us from harmful radiation.

Jump to other topics

1The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3Organism Functions

3.1Respiration

3.2Gas Exchange

3.3Transport

3.4Excretion

3.5Coordination & Response

4Reproduction & Inheritance

5Ecology

6Biological Resources

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