Atmospheric Pollution

When there is a change in the atmosphere it greatly affects the environment. If the presence of any gas becomes a threat to health whether in higher or smaller amounts and if new gases are added to the atmosphere, it is called Air pollution. Several harmful gases and dust particles reach the atmosphere through different ways.

Acid Rain

Due to the atmospheric pollution, a lot of acid particles get mixed up with rain water and falls as acid rain. The carbon dioxide in the air mixes with the water vapor and carbonic acid is formed. The water vapor and acids that are mixed in the atmosphere, fall as rain and snow on the Earth. When the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the intensity of the acid rain also increases. Acid rain causes a number of problems. Continuous acid rain pollutes the water. When the drinking water gets polluted with acid, it causes problems for the kidneys, weakening of bones and affects the growth of children. Continuous acid rain stunts the growth of plants. It can lead to the deterioration of agricultural sector and even threaten food security.

Greenhouse Effect

The gases like  carbon dioxide and methane, and eater vapor found in the atmosphere play an important role in regulating the temperature. These are the greenhouse gases. The glass houses used in cold regions to grow plants are known as greenhouses. The temperature in these houses is usually higher than the outside temperature. This is because the glass allows the incoming short wave radiation of the sun to enter without any obstruction and prevents the escape of the outgoing long wave radiation. So the temperature in the glass houses remains high. In this way the atmosphere with the help of greenhouse gases retain the temperature, it is called the greenhouse effect. When the amount of greenhouse gases increases, the amount of heat absorbed by them also increases which in turn rises the atmospheric temperature.

Global Warming

Due to the industrialization the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased. The urbanization and the increase in the number of vehicles have also added to this. Due to the influx of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere the temperature on the Earth increases. If the atmospheric pollution increases, the greenhouse gases will increase and so also the atmospheric temperature. The increase in the average temperature in the atmosphere near the surface of the Earth is global warming.

Ozone Depletion

Comparatively, very little amount of ozone is present in the atmosphere. It is from about 18 to 55 kilometers above the Earth's surface in the stratosphere. This region where ozone is present is called the ozone umbrella or ozone layer. This ozone layer filters the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun and prevents them from reaching the Earth. If the ozone in this layer decreases, the ultraviolet rays of the sun will fall on the Earth. This will be harmful to all living things including man. The sprays, paints and other articles we use release Chloroflurocarbon (CFC) and these gases are agents which cause destruction of the ozone layer. The depletion caused to the ozone layer is called the ozone hole. Studies reveal that the density of the ozone in the atmosphere in the polar and mid latitudinal regions has decreases. As a result, the amount of ultraviolet rays from the sun that reach the Earth's surface has also increased. The problems caused by the ozone depletion are change in climate, destruction to agriculture and forests, increase in incidence of skin cancer, diseases like cataract and blindness to eyes and the destruction of the organic linkages in our food chain.

Ozone day

The world celebrates September 16th as Ozone Day. It is to convey the importance of protecting the ozone layer that this day is celebrated.