Lecture 32: Particulate Matter in the Air
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary contributor to respirable particles indoors in developed countries?

  • Automotive exhaust
  • Wood and coal stoves
  • Tobacco smoke (correct)
  • Fireplaces

    • Which size category of particulate matter consists mostly of carbon-containing material?

  • PM 1
  • PM 2.5
  • PM 10 (correct)
  • PM 4

    • What is the range of usual concentrations of particulate matter in bars and waiting rooms?

  • Above 1000 μg/m3
  • 100 μg/m3 to 300 μg/m3
  • Below 10 μg/m3
  • 500 μg/m3 (correct)

    • What is the size range (in micrometers) of particulates included in PM2.5?

    <p>Below 2.5 μm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following does the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a standard for in ambient air?

    <p>$PM_{10}$ levels</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of populations are especially at an elevated risk of mortality and morbidity due to particulate matter in the air?

    <p>Asthmatics and the elderly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary source of lead in ambient air?

    <p>Leaded petrol combustion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the potential health impacts of lead exposure in children?

    <p>Learning disabilities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used to describe the rate at which dry air cools as it rises in the atmosphere?

    <p>Dry adiabatic lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What process causes air to cool as it rises in the atmosphere?

    <p>Expansion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the degree of stability of the atmosphere?

    <p>Rate of change of temperature with altitude</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of moist adiabatic lapse rate?

    <p>Dependent on moisture content</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does wind contribute to the dispersion of air pollutants?

    <p>Enhances diffusion of pollutants</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines how much dilution occurs in air pollutant concentration?

    <p>Wind speed and direction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does compressed air warm up during its delivery process?

    <p>By doing work on surroundings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What measuring system is used by meteorologists to report wind speeds?

    <p>Beaufort scale</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe an atmosphere where the air from different altitudes mixes thoroughly?

    <p>Stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when the environmental lapse rate is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

    <p>A rising air parcel becomes cooler and denser than its surroundings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of atmosphere has neutral stability?

    <p>Neutral</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the most common types of inversion layers mentioned in the text?

    <p>Elevated subsidence inversion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When does a super adiabatic condition prevail?

    <p>When the air temperature drops more than 1°C/100m</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens in an atmosphere under stable conditions?

    <p>There is very little vertical mixing and pollutants disperse slowly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe air that has physical forces that make it want to remain at a given altitude?

    <p>Stable air</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What encourages pollutant dispersal and increases air quality?

    <p>Unstable air</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the temperature of a parcel of air as it moves upward in the atmosphere?

    <p>It expands and cools</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What indicates that the atmosphere is neutrally stable?

    <p>Environmental lapse rate equals dry adiabatic lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what type of atmosphere does a raised parcel of air become warmer and less dense than the surrounding environment?

    <p>Unstable atmosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What process is assumed to be adiabatic in studying the movement of air parcels?

    <p>No heat transfer across the boundary</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is used to compare the stability of the atmosphere based on the temperature change with altitude?

    <p>Adiabatic lapse rate vs. environmental lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does an unstable atmosphere enhance?

    <p>Buoyancy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What indicates an atmosphere that tends to return displaced air masses neither to their original position nor continue their displacement?

    <p>Neutral stability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes an atmosphere to be categorized as super adiabatic?

    <p>Environmental lapse rate &gt; Dry adiabatic lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of PM2.5 particulates mentioned in the passage?

    <p>Containing a significant amount of water and acid forming chemicals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is PM2.5 described as being rather uniformly distributed throughout urban regions?

    <p>Because it penetrates easily into buildings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What health issue is ozone particularly linked with according to the passage?

    <p>Asthma episodes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are hydrocarbons included among the criteria air pollutants, according to the passage?

    <p>Because they are generally biochemical inert and pose little hazards</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the passage suggest about the effect of air pollution on deaths and hospital admissions?

    <p>There is no clear level below which the public is protected</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are hydrocarbons like benzo(a) Pyrene considered hazardous?

    <p>Being potent carcinogens with biological activity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary source of larger particulates included in PM10?

    <p>Soil blown by wind</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which population is mentioned as being particularly at risk due to particulate matter in the air?

    <p>Elderly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic size range of particulates included in PM2.5?

    <p>0-2.5 μm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT listed as a source of particulate matter in the air (aerosols)?

    <p>Industrial factories</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a standard for in ambient air?

    <p>$265 \mu g/m^3$</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary contributor to respirable particles indoors in developed countries?

    <p>Tobacco smoke</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe an atmosphere where a raised parcel of air becomes warmer and less dense than the surrounding environment?

    <p>Unstable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe an atmospheric condition where a rising air parcel becomes cooler and denser than its surroundings and tends to fall back to its original position?

    <p>Stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What encourages the dispersion and dilution of pollutants in the atmosphere?

    <p>Super adiabatic conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what type of atmosphere does a raised parcel of air become warmer and less dense than the surrounding environment?

    <p>Super adiabatic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which type of atmosphere does a raised parcel of air experience no buoyant force and is said to be neutrally stable?

    <p>Neutrally stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of lapse rate is said to occur when the air temperature drops less than 1°C per 100m?

    <p>Sub adiabatic lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What indicates that the atmosphere is neutrally stable?

    <p>The environmental lapse rate is equal to the dry adiabatic lapse rate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What influences the dispersion of pollutants by restricting vertical mixing in the atmosphere?

    <p>Elevated subsidence inversion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used to describe an atmosphere where a raised parcel of air experiences physical forces that make it want to remain at a given altitude?

    <p>Stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of stability in the atmosphere allows for very little vertical mixing and leads to pollutants building up rapidly in the environment?

    <p>Stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which condition prevails when the environmental lapse rate is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

    <p>Super adiabatic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of inversion layer is often associated with the subtropical anticyclone and results from warmed descending air achieving higher temperatures than the air below?

    <p>Elevated subsidence inversion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used to describe an atmosphere that tends to return displaced air masses neither to their original position nor continue their displacement?

    <p>Neutral stability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for efforts worldwide to remove lead from gasoline?

    <p>To decrease air pollution from gasoline combustion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used for the process that causes air pollutants to be transported and diluted in the atmosphere?

    <p>Atmospheric dispersion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which atmospheric condition leads to the expansion and cooling of a rising parcel of air?

    <p>Adiabatic condition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the rate at which dry air cools as it rises in the atmosphere?

    <p>Adiabatic lapse rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does an increase in wind strength and direction contribute to in terms of air quality?

    <p>Increases air quality by scattering pollutants</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of meteorology in understanding air quality?

    <p>To study the dispersion and dilution of air pollutants</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the impact of compressed air warming up during its delivery process?

    <p>It increases the risk of condensation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How are wind speeds typically reported by meteorologists?

    <p>'Beaufort Scale'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    'Adiabatic' means there is no heat exchange between what?

    <p>'The rising parcel of air and surrounding air'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the temperature at which fresh air needs to be delivered to a cabin?

    <p>The altitude of the aircraft</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of PM2.5 particulates mentioned in the passage?

    <p>PM2.5 particulates have a uniform distribution throughout urban regions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason hydrocarbons like benzo(a) Pyrene are considered hazardous?

    <p>They are potent carcinogens.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What health risks are associated with PM2.5, sulfate, and possibly ozone according to recent research?

    <p>Higher rates of deaths from and complaints about lung disease and heart disease</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are hydrocarbons included among the criteria air pollutants?

    <p>Because they play a major role in photochemical smog formation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is not known about the cause of health effects related to air pollution according to the text?

    <p>The predominant factor causing the effects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do particulates in the fraction PM2.5 differ from other air contaminants described in the passage?

    <p>They penetrate easily into buildings and are relatively evenly dispersed throughout urban regions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What factor complicates studies on the health effects of air pollution in developing countries?

    <p>Presence of multiple contributing factors like cigarette smoking, indoor pollution, and viral infections</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is likely true about the impact of air pollution at much greater levels encountered in developing countries?

    <p>The impact could be significantly greater due to multiple factors contributing to poor air quality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the passage suggest about the effect of particulate air pollution on deaths and hospital admissions?

    <p>Even at low levels, some excess deaths occur linked to particulate air pollution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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