Everything You Need to Know About Smog

Air pollution is most commonly caused by fuel combustion in vehicles and coal burning power plants. Smog can also be caused naturally from volcano eruptions, which releases large amounts of sulfur dioxide. Every day fossil fuels are being used in industries, and for generating heat and electricity which greatly increases smog. Until we find an alternative that is cleaner for the environment then fossil fuels smog could continue to be a large problem in the future.

In attempt to prevent air pollution many different methods are being used. Industries use scrubbers in their smokestacks to cut back on their pollution emissions. People can cut down on personal emissions by driving energy efficient cars, making their homes energy efficient, recycling, and planting trees. Also you may consider driving a hybrid car, and composting your garbage. By reducing pollutions we can make earth a cleaner, safer place to live.

Smog forms most often in valleys and other places where wind circulation is affected by the shape of the land. It is most dominant in the summer months when it is warmer and there is a increased amount of sunlight. Smog is the worst at noon when the sun’s rays are the strongest. It clears up later in the evening after the sun goes down.

Smog is negatively affecting the carbon cycle. In the carbon cycle plants that undergo photosynthesis absorb carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen through photosynthesis. At the same time humans and animals are converting oxygen into carbon dioxide through cellular respiration. Carbon is also added into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. As carbon is being added into the environment faster than plants can consume it, it creates an imbalance in the carbon cycle. With excess carbon in the carbon cycle it leads to large amounts of smog and a large-scale increase of the greenhouse effect.

In the greenhouse effect some of the sun’s rays are trapped by the earth’s atmosphere for a while before being released into space. With an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide due to air pollution the suns rays are reflected back to earth for longer causing a massive increase in the earth’s overall temperature which is referred to as global warming.