Solving the Smog Puzzle on Earth and from Space: Good vs. Bad Ozone

LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP Solving the Smog Puzzle on Earth and from Space: Good vs. Bad Ozone Presented by: Michael Tinnesand, Ginger Butcher, and Bryan Duncan April 1, 2013 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Eastern time 1

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Introducing today s presenters Michael Tinnesand Retired high school chemistry teacher Former Associate Director, ACS Education Division Ginger Butcher Education lead, NASA s Aura Mission Author of NASA educational publications about the Electromagnetic Spectrum and Earth Science Bryan Duncan Deputy Project Scientist, NASA s Aura Mission Studies air pollution around the globe using data collected by instruments on the Aura satellite 4

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Los Angeles 1943 Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times Collection, Department of Special Collections, UCLA Library 6

What do you think was the main ingredient in the LA smog? A. Secret gas warfare attack from Axis spies B. Particulate matter from backyard trash burning C. Pollution from local rubber factory manufacturing rubber for the war effort D. Smoke from burning coal for heating Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times Collection, Department of Special Collections, UCLA Library E. None of the above 7

Answer: None of the above Photo courtesy Creative Commons 2.5 A. Secret gas warfare attack from Axis spies B. Particulate matter from backyard trash burning C. Pollution from local rubber factory manufacturing rubber for the war effort D. Smoke from burning coal for heating E. None of the above 8

SMOG = smoke + fog Smog is a catch-all word for a mix of pollutants London-type smog contained Sulfur oxides Soot & ash (particulate matter) Sulfuric acid 1952 London Fog Credit: N T Stobbs, Creative Commons License 9

Something different about Los Angeles smog Unlike smog from coal, LA smog caused: Deterioration of rubber Damage to plants Damage to black cherry tree leaves 10

The first piece to the puzzle Arie Haagy Haagen-Smit an organic chemist from the Netherlands LA smog smelled different, it had a bleach-like odor Applied techniques he used to study pineapple flavor to test the composition of smog Aire Haagen-Smit 11

Unraveling the Mystery- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 12

Sources of VOCs in LA air 13

In Haagy s experiments, he used ozone to oxidize VOCs in the lab, but what was the oxidizing agent in the LA air? If it was indeed ozone, how was this powerful oxidant being produced in the air? A. Un-combusted gasoline fumes from tailpipes B. Particulate matter (soot) and sunlight C. Sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxides D. Sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and VOCs E. VOCs and nitrogen oxides 14

Answer D A. Un-combusted gasoline fumes from tailpipes B. Particulate matter (soot) and sunlight C. Sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxides D. Sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and VOCs E. VOC s and Nitrogen oxides 15

NOx is the other piece of the puzzle. The first reaction happens inside a car engine as it runs. At high temperature, nitrogen reacts with oxygen like this: N2 + O2 2 NO Once released from the exhaust, the NO can react with gases in the air to produce NO2: NO NO2 This mix of NO and NO2 is called NOx. 16

All the pieces of the puzzle! 17

Bad Ozone EPA map of Air Quality on August 12, 2002. The air in many parts of the U.S. frequently contains unhealthy concentrations of ozone. 18

Overall, how has the quality of the earth s air changed over the past 10 years in the US? A. Getting better B. Staying the same C. Getting worse D. I don t know 19

Answer: A It s getting better 20

Answer: A It s getting better 21

The LA Smog Story 22

Air Quality Improving Globally 23

Taming the culprits of smog Reduce VOCs and NOx Regulations - eventually leading to 1970 Clean Air Act Gasoline pump sleeves - reduce escaping VOCs More efficient engines - more complete combustion Reformulating gasoline - burns more efficiently Technology - e.g., catalytic converters 24

Catalytic Converters 25

Measuring Ground Level Ozone: Schoenbein Paper Lab Activity First Reaction 2KI + 03 + H2O 2KOH + O2 + I2 Second Reaction I2 + starch blue complex Photo credit: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research ChemMatters Magazine, Vol. 20 Special Issue #1, September 2002 26

Ozone Attack Lab Activity Source: University Center for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_7_2_28t.htm 27

The Story of Good Ozone 28

Ozone in the Stratosphere Natural creation of ozone in the stratosphere Natural destruction of ozone in the stratosphere O + O 3 2 O 2 29

What are the Ozone- Destroying Chemicals? Part 1 Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs 30

What are the Ozone- Destroying Chemicals? Part 2 Release of chlorine from reservoir gases 31

What are the Ozone- Destroying Chemicals? Part 3 The Catalytic Cycle 32

Seasonal Changes In the Ozone Hole 33

If humans continued to release more and more ozone depleting substances into the atmosphere, how long do you think it would take for ozone to deplete to harmful levels around the globe? A. By 2020 B. By 2040 C. By 2080 34

Answer If humans continued to release more and more ozone depleting substances into the atmosphere, how long do you think it would take for ozone to deplete to harmful levels around the globe? A. By 2020 B. By 2040 C. By 2080 35

A Frightening Scenario: The World Avoided 36

Montreal Protocols 37

Destruction of the Ozone Layer 38

When do scientists expect global ozone to return to levels of 300 du? A. In 10-20 years B. In 40-50 years C. In more than 70 years 39

When do scientists expect global ozone to return to levels of 300 du? A. In 10-20 years B. In 40-50 years C. In more than 70 years 40

The World Avoided cont. with protocol without protocol We simulated a world avoided, and it s a world we should be glad we avoided. -NASA Scientist Paul Newman 41

AURA Collecting Data 42

Labs with UV Beads: The Stanford Solar Center Lab - Consumer Watchdogs: Sunscreens/Sunglasses Lab Developing a UV Rating System http://solar-center.stanford.edu/activities/uv.html 43

REEL Science Contest Ship Tracks and our Environment Ozone in the Stratosphere The Water of the Water Planet http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/reelscience.html 44

Annotated Bibliography ACS Education Division acs.org/education NASA Scientific Visualization Studio http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html The Stanford Solar Center http://solarcenter.stanford.edu/activities/uv.html ChemMatters Magazine and ChemMatters AURA podcast www.acs.org/chemmatters Ozone Hole Poster http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozoneholeposter/ Ozone Watch http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov 45

Thanks to today s presenters! Michael Tinnesand Retired high school chemistry teacher Former Associate Director, ACS Education Division Ginger Butcher Education lead, NASA s Aura Mission Author of NASA educational publications about the Electromagnetic Spectrum and Earth Science Bryan Duncan Deputy Project Scientist, NASA s Aura Mission Studies air pollution around the globe using data collected by instruments on the Aura satellite 46

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