EESA10H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Great Smog Of London, Sulfur Dioxide, Indoor Air Quality
Document Summary
Case study 1: london smog, 1952: since industrial revolution, coal was a very important energy source. It contains sulfur and once it burns the sulfuric gases are released in the atmosphere. Figure shows the average smoke and sulphur dioxide levels for 12 london sites and the relationship with deaths recorded during the smog period in december 1952. The peak in the number of deaths coincided with the peak in both smoke and sulphur dioxide pollution levels. It is very common in indonesia the method of slash-and-burn to use the land for agriculture. There were not significant effects at the time because the fires were controlled by monsoons (rains) so other areas were not burned: however, in 1997 monsoons were late. So, the fires spread and became very violent: there were so many gases released in the atmosphere, smoke from fires blanketed an area larger than the continental united states, the same thing happened in 1998.