ENVR SCI-1301 Brittany Sims

  Air Pollution Basics   Sulfur Pollutants :  Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is an incredibly important gaseous air pollutant. It is colorless but not odorless, known to have a pungent smell to it. Sulfure can combine with many other compounds to become oxidized, depending on which compound SO2 combines with the average atmospheric residence time is between 1 to 4 days. Although it may disperse long distances from its point of emission, this kind if dispersal is known as long-range transportation of air pollution. When combined with ammonium nitrate, this is what forms a fine particulate haze you see in larger cities.    Nitrogen Pollutants :  Nitric Oxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3) are the more important nitrogen-based gases. Ammonia is a colorless gas and is mostly emitted from wetlands, produced through the decomposition of dead biomass, and stays within the atmosphere for up to seven days.  Nitric Oxide (NO) is colo...

Reading Material:  https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/733795962/how-georgia-became-a-surprising-bright-spot-in-the-u-s-solar-industry Video:    https://vimeo.com/217896697   1. Exploratory Probe basic facts and knowledge found in the reading and video. ( What research evidence supports _________? Type up several facts and basic knowledge from the reading. Relate this to what you find in other resources, prior activities for stronger scores.)) Georgia is becoming the leading state for solar energy with the development of the largest solar plant in the Western hemisphere. This is a bit surprising given that Georgia does not have a state-level mandate for renewable energy.  “Installation of solar energy has fallen more than 70% in the past decade… becoming cost competitive with traditional forms of energy.” ( Hsu, A., & Kelly , 2019, para. 14) Large solar power plants can come together quickly, they can be fully built within a year. With these projects popping up a...

 Alternative Energy:  "Energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm the environment, especially by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. The arguments being made for alternative energy at the moment would be the inefficiency of being able to distribute energy without losing it. An example would be heat coming from a lightbulb or heat coming from the battery of your computer. The heat being produced is energy wasted that did not transfer completely into the system to run these appliances. But as we learn more, and technology continues to advance alternative energy will become more prominent across the U.S.              Wind energy is a form of renewable energy that harnesses the power of wind to generate electricity. It has become greatly popular to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and decrease the amount of greenhouse gases we are releasing onto the planet currently. There are many advantages when i...