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Recently, scientists and ecologists have realized that the worldwide activities of human civilization are influencing and changing the environment at the global level. The burning of fossil fuels and emissions of modern chemicals in the surroundings are affecting adversely the atmosphere. These are producing harmful effects on the environment and the life present on the earth. During the past century, the earth’s temperature has increased by 0.6 °C, most of it during the last three decades. It is mainly caused by Global Warming. This rise in temperature is leading to deleterious changes in the environment. These changes have caused, and will continue to have adverse effects on the biosphere of this planet. Air pollution and Green House effect contribute much towards Global Warming. In this article, we will discuss the differences between Air pollution and Green House gases.
| Table of Content |
Key Takeaways: Air pollution, Greenhouse effect, Global warming, carbon dioxide, Acid rain, Stone leprosy, Biosphere, Environment, Temperature
Also Read: Reproductive Health
What is Air Pollution?
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Air pollution is the occurrence of foreign particles, gases, and other pollutants in the air which adversely affect human beings, animals, vegetation, buildings, etc. As a result of pollution, in plants there is reduced growth and yield, bringing about their premature death. In animals, the major effect of air pollution is on the respiratory system.
Also read: Differences between right lung and left lung
What is Green House Gases?
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The earth's atmosphere acts like a greenhouse' where greenhouses gases such as water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) act like glass windows, permitting short wavelength solar radiation to pass through and reach the earth's surface. But, they do not allow the longer wavelength heat or infrared radiation emitted from the warm earth's surface to escape. They absorb and reflect them towards the earth's surface. These infrared radiations again reach the earth causing it to get further warmed up as in a greenhouse. The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon, responsible for heating the earth's surface and atmosphere. If the earth had no atmosphere and hence no greenhouse effect. The average surface temperature of the earth would have been about -18°C, (the same as that of the moon, which lacks atmosphere) instead, the present average temperature of the earth's surface is about 15°C. The earth is warmer than the moon because it has an atmosphere cover. It is because of the greenhouse gases that life have has been made possible on Earth. But now an increase in the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to Global Warming.
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| Related Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| AIR POLLUTION | Oxides of Nitrogen | Human Diseases |
| Lung Diseases | Disorders of the respiratory system | Emphysema |
The Main Components of Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases
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Air pollution: The primary air pollutants are particulate matter and gaseous pollutants such as- Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, fluorides, Hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons, aerosols and smoke.
Greenhouse gases: The main greenhouse gases are- Water vapour, carbon dioxide, Chlorofluorocarbons and methane.
Effects of Air pollution and Green House Gases
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Air Pollution
Effects on plants-
- Nitrogen oxides cause lesions, necrosis, defoliation, dieback and death of plants.
- Sulphur dioxide causes chlorosis (yellowing of plant leaves) and also necrosis (localized death of cells and tissues). SO2 completely destroys lichens and mosses.
- Fluorides damage leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach, also causes fluorosis (spotting of teeth) in animals. Gaseous fluorides causes leaf chlorosis, necrosis of margins and tips and abscission of leaves, fruits, etc. Maize is highly sensitive to fluorides.
- Hydrocarbons cause premature yellowing and fall of leaves and flower buds, decolouration and curing of sepals and petals.
- Smoke and dust cover up the surface of leaves and reduce the photosynthetic capacity of plants.
Yellowing of a leaf e caused due to air pollution
Also read: Effects of Air pollution on plants
Effects on humans and Animals-
- Nitrogen oxides irritate the respiratory tract.
- SO2 may cause respiratory disorders such as Emphysema, asthma and bronchitis.
- Carbon monoxide combines with the haemoglobin of blood and forms carboxyhaemoglobin, which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Inhaling CO leads to giddiness, exhaustion, reduced vision, nervous and cardiovascular disorders and even death.
- Hydrogen fluoride causes a mottling of teeth, weakening of bones, gastrointestinal and neuromuscular disorders.
- Smoking increases the risk of lung diseases. Not only the smokers are at a risk but also the non-smokers that share the same place.
- The smoke released from vehicles and factories have lead compounds in them and when inhaled it might lead to chronic lead poisoning. It’s symptoms are headaches, loss of appetite, dizziness, anaemia, insomnia and general weakness. Acute lead poisoning leads to stupor, coma and finally death.
Greenhouse Gases
The Greenhouse gases reflect the heat emitted from the earth back to the earth. So, it results in an increase in the temperature of the earth. This is the reason why the surface of the earth remains warmer at night. But now due to an increase in the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the impact of the greenhouse effect has increased, leading to an increase in the annual global temperature of the earth causing global warming. It leads to El Nino Effect. El Nino causes the warming of surface water along the coast of South and North America. This causes strong winds, torrential rains, widespread flooding and mudslides, destroying human dwellings, buildings and crops.
Global warming is the gradual rise in the Annual temperature of the earth
Also read: Strategies to lower CO2 levels from the atmosphere
Differences between Air pollution and Green House Gases
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| AIR POLLUTION | GREENHOUSE GASES |
|---|---|
| Air pollution is the contamination and deterioration of air and air quality due to the addition of large amounts of air pollutants into the atmosphere. | The greenhouse gasses are the gases that cause the greenhouse effect. |
| The harmful air pollutants cause many respiratory diseases in humans and animals, while in plants these affects the normal functioning and normal growth of plants. | An increase in the number of greenhouse gases above a certain threshold limit causes the earth’s atmosphere gets heated more, leading to global warming. |
| The main components of Air pollution are Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, fluorides and smoke. | The main constituents of greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and chlorofluorocarbons. |
| Air pollution is bound to be detrimental for human health | Greenhouse gases are not detrimental to human health. |
Things to Remember
- Air pollution is the contamination of air by various pollutants released in the atmosphere as a result of human activities. Greenhouse gases on the other hand are released in the atmosphere by all living organisms.
- Air pollution is a man-made phenomenon, while the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
- Nitrogen oxides, Sulphur dioxide, fluorides, carbon monoxide and smoke are the common Air pollutants. Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons are the prominent greenhouse gases.
- Carbon dioxide contributes the most to the greenhouse effect.
- Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulphur mix with rainwater and forms acid rain, which damages plants, soil and buildings.
- Air pollution is the cause of various health hazards to humans and animals while an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes global warming.
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Sample Questions
Ques: How is Air pollution caused? (2 marks)
Ans: Air pollution is mainly caused by human activities. The gases released from the industries, factories and vehicles contribute to Air pollution. The gases which are released by a volcanic eruption or any nuclear test also causes air pollution.
Ques: How are greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere? (3 marks)
Ans: Carbon dioxide, the most prominent of all greenhouse gases is released by all living organisms that respire aerobically. Methane is the second most prominent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. The major contributes to its increase are termites which produce methane while digesting wood, freshwater wetlands and Paddy fields, where plants and animals bodies are decayed by methanogen bacteria which release methane. Water vapour is released by the heating up of the surface water of all the water bodies on the earth.
Ques: How does air pollution affect humans? (2 marks)
Ans: The air pollutants when inhaled in small amounts can cause irritation of the eyes, throat, headache and dizziness. But when inhaled in large amounts these can cause many respiratory and lung disorders such as Bronchitis, Emphysema, Asthma and pulmonary infection.
Ques: What is the positive outcome of the Greenhouse effect? (2 marks)
Ans: The Earth’s atmosphere containing greenhouse gases act as windows of a greenhouse which allows the solar radiation of short wavelength to reach the earth’s surface during the day. At night the heat rays of longer wavelength are emitted by the earth back into space. A good portion of this heat is not able to escape the earth because they are reflected back to the earth by the greenhouse gases of the atmosphere.
Ques: How is the Greenhouse effect being linked to Global Warming? (2 marks)
Ans: As a result of industrialization, urbanization and Deforestation, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased threefold. This increase in carbon emissions has resulted in to increase in the process of the greenhouse effect on a large scale on the earth. Thereby, more heat is retained by the earth’s atmosphere causing a rise in the annual temperature of the earth. Thus, it is linked with Global warming.
Ques: What is Stone leprosy? (2 marks)
Ans: The washing away of layers of marble, sandstone and other materials from the surface of monumental structures and buildings caused by Acid rain is termed as Stone leprosy. Many monumental structures like the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar and other similar ones have already started being affected by acid rain.
Ques: The dying out of mosses and lichens in a region indicates what? (2 marks)
Ans: Sulphur dioxide causes chlorosis (yellowing of plant leaves) and also necrosis (localized death of cells and tissues). SO2 completely destroys lichens and mosses. Thus serves as an indicator of the presence of the excess amount of Sulphur dioxide in the air of that region.
Ques: How is acid rain formed? (2 marks)
Ans: The oxides of Nitrogen Sulphur and carbon present in the air mixes with the rainwater droplets to form acids (e.g- Sulphuric acid, nitrous acid, nitric acid, carbonic acids, etc.). So these droplets now form acid droplets which fall on the earth as Acid Rain. This is how Acid Rain is formed.
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