1. Describe how the use of a tall smoke stack might improve air quality near a large industrial facility.
The use of tall smoke stacks may improve the air quality near large industrial facilities because the pollution will rise, mix with the air and disperse into the atmosphere. When this happens the air around the industrial facilities may improve but this also can contribute to acid rain and other conditions when the pollutants are blown downwind. When I drive through Rubber Town in downtown Louisville Kentucky I can see the smoke stacks spewing out pollution, smell the fumes and hear the noise associated with the manufacturing. I am not sure how tall the smoke stacks are but to me the air quality does not seem so good in that area. This could be due to the terrain and how the wind flows to mix with the pollutants and move them out of the industrial area.
2. How can topography contribute to pollution in a city or region? The topography plays a very important role in contributing to the pollution in a city or region. Like here in the Ohio Valley region the pollution tends to stay and linger in the area due to how the wind will blow or circulate it through the terrain. The pollution does not have a chance to rise high enough to disperse and mix with the upper atmosphere to move it out of the area.
3. From where do hurricanes derive their energy? What factors tend to weaken hurricanes? Would you expect a hurricane to weaken more quickly if it moved over land or over cooler water? Hurricanes get their energy from organized masses of thunderstorms, warm water, latent and sensible heat. When these elements come together they produce a lot of precipitation and high winds. Hurricanes will tend to weaken when it comes in contact with cold air and land. The cold air will mix with the warm air and slow down the wind and rain. When the hurricane comes in contact with uneven terrain and friction on the land it will break the wind and slow down the storm. I would expect that hurricanes would weaken quicker over land than cooler water due to the uneven terrain on land verses just loosing its heat.
4. Where is the Bermuda high located during the summer and fall? How might the path of a hurricane, moving toward the west from Africa, be affected by the Bermuda High as the hurricane approaches the United States? During the summer and fall the Bermuda High is located in the Western North Atlantic near Bermuda. Depending on the season the Bermuda High may affect the hurricane that is moving from Western Africa to the United States. Around the Bermuda High the air is less stable and very moist which in turn would charge the hurricane into a stronger storm as it moves toward and approaches the states.
5. How do you think pollutants are removed from the atmosphere? Does this occur quickly or slowly?
Pollutants are removed from the atmosphere through the ice crystals and cloud droplets. These formations in the atmosphere will draw up the pollutants and let them fall to the ground through rain and snow. The earth will filter out the pollutants and recycle the moisture back into the atmosphere and start the process all over again. How quickly or slowly the pollutants are removed from the atmosphere depends on the type of products that are combusted. Some of these products will