Practice Quiz Study Guide
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Composition of the atmosphere. The five most abundant gases in the atmosphere (listed here in alphabetical order): argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen (N₂), oxygen (O₂), and water vapor (H₂O) (you should know approximate concentrations of all but CO₂). Greenhouse gases: water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and others. What do they do?    What weather variable is commonly used to measure atmospheric water vapor content?   Typical values of that variable in Tucson.

Atmospheric evolution. About how old is the earth? What was the earth's first atmosphere composed of?  Where is our present atmosphere thought to have come from? What are the three most abundant gases emitted by volcanoes? What important atmospheric constituent in our present atmosphere did not come from volcanoes? What is the principal source of that gas?  Stromatolites, cyanobacteria, banded iron formation.

Air pollution. Primary and secondary pollutants. Air Quality Index (AQI). A pollutant is considered unhealthy when the AQI exceeds what value?

Carbon monoxide (CO). Toxic. Most abundant of the primary pollutants. What produces most of the CO in Tucson air? Incomplete combustion (what would complete combustion produce). Oxygenated fuels and catalytic converters.  Early morning and wintertime pollutant. What is a surface radiation inversion layer, when do they form? Would a surface inversion layer act to concentrate or disperse CO?  CO is a serious indoor hazard.

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Toxic and aggravates existing respiratory diseases. The world's first pollutant. Natural and manmade sources. Involved in some of the world's worst air pollution disasters: Great London Smog of 1952, Donora (Pennsylvania) 1948. The word smog was first used to describe the combination of sulfurous smoke + fog; the term London-type smog is now used.  Reacts in clouds to form acid rain.  What gas was used in the acid rain demonstration?

Tropospheric ozone (O₃). Ozone aggravates existing respiratory diseases, is harmful to plant life, and damages materials such as rubber. Ozone is a secondary pollutant and is a key component of photochemical smog (also known as Los Angeles-type smog). To produce smog, ozone reacts with hydrocarbons. Peak ozone and photochemical smog concentrations occur on summer afternoons.

Particulate Matter (PM).  Small particles (generally less than 10 micrometers) that are inhaled into the lungs and sometimes enter the bloodstream.  Sources of PM.  PM is a health concern and also affects visiblity.  Scattering of light.  How is PM most effectively removed  from the atmosphere?

Sample questions (from the Fall 2000 quiz packet)
Practice Quiz: 1, 3, 4-7, 9, 12, 13, 16a, 20, EC1        Quiz #1: 1, 2, 4a        Final Exam: 2, 25

Carbon dioxide and climate change (we may not cover all of this section before the Practice Quiz).   Concentrations of CO₂ (and other greenhouse gases) are increasing.  When did this increase begin?  What processes (natural and man-made) add CO₂ to and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere? Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations have been measured since 1958 (Keeling curve).  How were CO₂ concentrations determined before 1958?  Why is increasing CO₂ concentration of concern?  What changes have there been in global average surface temperature in the past 150 years or so? 

Reviews

Tue.,  Sep. 8 Wed., Sep. 9

4-5 pm 4-5 pm

Haury (Anthropology) 129 location not yet known

 There would also normally be a review on Monday afternoon, but next Monday is Labor Day.