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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

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Herb

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

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Flexed Biceps

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

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Writing Hand

Unit 4 -Water & Aquatic Food Production Systems & Societies

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Deciduous Tree

Unit 5 - Soil Systems & Terrestrial Food Production Systems & Societies

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Cloud

Unit 6 - Atmospheric Systems & Societies

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Thermometer

Unit 7 - Climate Change & Energy Production

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Briefcase

Unit 8 - Human Systems & Resource Use

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Bar-Chart

Internal Assessment

Alright, time to put on your environmental detective hats because today, we&#39;re investigating pollutants. They&#39;re the villains of our environmental stories, but just like in any good story, not all villains are the same!

These are the bad guys caught red-handed! Primary pollutants are active as soon as they&#39;re released and directly harm our environment.

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Example 1: CO2 (Carbon Dioxide): Imagine you&#39;re at a campfire, roasting marshmallows, but every time you add another log, you&#39;re releasing CO2 from that burning wood into the air. The same happens in big industries when they burn fossil fuels (like coal, oil, or gas). This released CO2 is a primary pollutant and is one of the main contributors to global warming. It&#39;s like throwing a hot blanket over the Earth and causing it to heat up!

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Example 2: CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons): You know when you&#39;re spraying deodorant or air freshener? You&#39;re actually releasing CFCs into the air. These chemicals, once upon a time, were super popular in aerosols but now we know they damage the ozone layer, that&#39;s like Earth&#39;s sunscreen against harmful UV radiation.

These are the sneaky villains! They form from primary pollutants through physical or chemical changes. 
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Example 1: Carbonic Acid: When CO2 gets mixed with seawater, they form a secondary pollutant called carbonic acid. Imagine this like a soda&#39;s fizziness which is fun to drink, but not so fun for calciferous shelled organisms or corals. This acid can actually dissolve their shells, just like leaving a tooth in a soda can dissolve it. Yikes! 
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Example 2: Acid Precipitation: Here&#39;s another disguise our primary pollutants can take. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), which come from car exhausts or power plants, can react with water to form acid rain. It&#39;s like the sky is crying acid, and this can damage everything from trees to buildings! 
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Example 3: Ozone: This is a real plot twist. We need ozone in the upper atmosphere to protect us from UV radiation, but at ground level, it&#39;s harmful! NO2 (a type of NOx) can form ozone that contributes to photochemical smog. It&#39;s like a choking, gray fog that can cause health problems and makes our cities look like a scene from a dystopian movie.

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So, you see, not all pollutants are the same. They have different sources, different impacts, and different ways of messing with our environment. But understanding them is the first step in becoming an environmental superhero! Now, go out there and share what you know with your friends, because knowledge is the power to change the world. Let&#39;s do this!

Pollutant Showdown: Heroes & Villains

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Standard Level

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

Pollutant Showdown: Heroes & Villains

Table of content

Primary pollutants

Unlock the Full Content!

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

Pollutant Showdown: Heroes & Villains

Table of content

Primary pollutants

Unlock the Full Content!