GPHY 102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Electromagnetic Radiation, Air Pollution, Night Vision

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geography
• Course: GPHY 102
• Professor: Ryan K Danby

Document Summary

Nitrogen (78%) is inert (inactive); it is removed from the air by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. Oxygen (21%) is readily active; oxygen is required by living tissues to convert foodstuffs into energy. Carbon dioxide, other gases, and pollutants (1%) warm the lower atmosphere (the greenhouse effect): air pollutants are unwanted substances that arise from natural or human activities (i. e. , industrialization). Unlike stratospheric ozone, ozone found in the troposphere is an air pollutant. Methane (ch3) is produced by bacteria, in rice paddies, by livestock, and by deforestation. Nitrous oxide (n2o) is released from fertilizers; sulphur dioxide (so2) is released from smelters: electromagnetic radiation is the energy, in the form of waves, that is transported from the sun to the earth. Gamma rays ( <0. 01 nm) are highly energetic (i. e. , generated in the hottest regions of the universe). X-rays ( =10 nm) are best known for their penetrating power and application in medical imaging.