Internet Webquest - Ozone

• What is Surface Ozone?

-               Surface ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, refineries, & chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

• How does ozone both enable life on Earth and threaten life on Earth?

-               Stratospheric ozone filters potentially keeping ultraviolet light from reaching the earth’s surface and surface ozone is an air pollutant that has harmful effects on the respiratory systems of plants, animals and humans.

• How does surface ozone form?

-               Surface level ozone is produced in smog from combustion products.

• How does surface ozone affect health?

-               Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including asthma. Ground level ozone can also reduce lung function.

Blog Post - Ozone

Surface Ozone is very harmful to the respiratory systems of plants, animals, and humans. Surface ozone is created whenever pollution from vehicles, power plants and chemical plants chemically react in contact with sunlight. Ozone enables life by keeping ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth’s surface; ozone blocks 100% of UVC rays, 90% of UVB rays, and 50% of UVA rays. Ozone threatens life because of surface ozone. Surface ozone is an air pollutant and it has harmful effects on the respiratory systems of plants, animals and humans. Surface ozone forms from combustion products. Ozone is terribly harmful to your health; it can cause many health problems such as asthma. Ground level ozone can reduce lung function. 

Internet Webquest - Aerosols

• What are aerosols or particulates?

-              Aerosols are tiny liquid or solid particles suspended in the air.

• What is the source of aerosols in the atmosphere?

-              Sources include volcanoes, sea spray, dust, smoke, wind erosion, ice particles, and pollen.

• How do aerosols affect the climate and climate change?

-              They can directly reflect sunlight back away from the Earth. They can interact with clouds in complex ways leading to changes in cloud reflectivity, cloud lifetime, cloud height and cloud precipitation.

• How do aerosols affect life on Earth?

-              The protective layers of the atmosphere, mainly the ozone layer and the ionosphere, are being shredded by the aerosol clouds. This threatens all life on planet earth exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

Blog Post - Aerosols

Aerosols are very tiny solid particles or liquid particles suspended in the air as a gas. Aerosols come from many different things; they can come from volcanoes, sea spray, dust, smoke, wind erosion, ice particles, or even pollen. Aerosols have a heavy affect on climate and climate change. Aerosols can reflect sunlight away from earth, they can interact with clouds in different ways leading to changes in cloud reflectivity, cloud lifespan, the height, and the precipitation. Aerosols are destroying the ozone and the ionosphere, thus threatening any life on earth due to high levels of radiation.