What You Need to Know

Key Concept Diagram

Acid rain forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve in atmospheric water to form sulfuric and nitric acids

The greenhouse effect is caused by greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation

Heavy metal pollution (lead, mercury, arsenic) bioaccumulates up the food chain through biomagnification

Water treatment involves coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination

The ozone layer in the stratosphere is depleted by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Key Vocabulary

Acid rain

Rain with a low pH caused by dissolved sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from industrial emissions

Biomagnification

The increase in concentration of a pollutant at higher trophic levels in a food chain

Greenhouse gas

A gas that absorbs infrared radiation and contributes to the warming of Earth's atmosphere

Ozone depletion

The reduction of ozone in the stratosphere, primarily caused by CFCs

Knowledge Check

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

Acid rain is primarily caused by:

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolving in atmospheric water Carbon dioxide dissolving in rainwater Evaporation of seawater Volcanic eruptions only

Question 2

Biomagnification means:

Pollutants break down faster at higher trophic levels Pollutants become more concentrated in organisms higher up the food chain Biodiversity increases up the food chain Organisms grow larger at higher trophic levels

Question 3

CFCs damage the ozone layer because they:

Absorb ultraviolet radiation directly Produce greenhouse gases Release chlorine radicals that catalytically destroy ozone molecules Lower the temperature of the stratosphere

Environmental Chemistry