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INTRODUCTION:
The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the atmosphere. The
atmosphere consists of four layers called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and
thermosphere. The atmosphere consists of gases mix with liquid and solid particles. The air in
our atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gas (1%). But
when the atmosphere unable to free itself from the substances that are added into it, the
atmosphere will then build up gases and aerosols causes it to become polluted. Generally, any
substance that has been introduced into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living
things and the environment is considered air pollution. Air pollution is any addition to air that
threatens the health, survival or activities of humans or other living organisms. Air pollution
is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate
matter, or biological agent. Air pollution can harm human health, the environment, and cause
property damage. Pollutants are chemicals found at high energy levels in the environment to
cause harm to people or other organisms. It is also substances that are not naturally found in
the air or at greater concentrations or in different locations from usual. The air pollution is
categorized to three following types which are the Natural pollutants, Primary pollutants and
Secondary pollutants. Natural pollutants are the natural phenomena of pollutants that affect
naturally on the atmosphere. Examples of natural pollutants are such as dust from natural
sources, usually large areas of land with little or no vegetation. Primary pollutants are
substances that are directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption or
the carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust. Five major types of pollutants that
released directly to the atmosphere are particulate matter, carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen compounds and hydrocarbons. These major pollutants in the presence of energy
sources can react with one another to form secondary pollutants such as ozone.
2.0.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Energy and climate are highly associated with the built environment. Built environment is
not only comprised of building collections, but also the physical results of various
economic, social and environmental processes (Santamouris & Asimakopoulos, 2001).
Urban micro-climate change effects can be seen when major cities experience the
formation of urban heat islands, due to urban expansion, pollution growth, and the
development of major industrial activities in metropolitan areas (Ghazanfari, Naseri,
Faridani, Aboutorabi, & Farid, 2009). Urbanization promotes the changes of land use and
land cover. Urban scale investigation of climate modification requires one to look into
human activities. Human activities are a major influence of urban climate because the
concentration effects of them
activities may differ considerably from surrounding rural regions. Changes of land cover
will relatively change surface properties, like heat capacity, heat conductivity, albedo,
roughness length, maximum evaporative conductivity, heterogeneity, Leaf Area Index
(LAI), and water features (Mlders, 2011).
A widespread series of biomass burning from the forest fires particularly in Sumatra and
Kalimantan, Indonesia caused a thick, smoky haze over a large portion of Southeast Asia,
especially Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand (Mahmud,
2008; Pentamwa and Oanh, 2008; Permadi and Kim Oanh, 2013; Sastry, 2002). A
significant amount of particulate matter (Wei et al., 1999) from this biomass burning was
transported by south-westerly winds (between June and September) to Malaysia. Heavy
loads of vehicular emissions and biomass burning activities, both at a local or transboundary level have in turn led to serious prolonged haze events being recorded on the
Malaysian Peninsula and at Sabah and Sarawak (Abas et al., 2004b; Afroz et al., 2003).
During haze days in Southeast Asia, the concentration of particulate matter pollutants
smaller than 10 microns (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO 2), nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) was found to be significantly higher when compared to
non-haze day concentrations (Afroz et al., 2003; Mahmud, 2008). The amount of
particulate matter during haze episode was dominated by organic carbon, NO 3-, and SO4
2-
. Seasonal and weather conditions also played an important role in exacerbating the
distribution of air pollutants during hazy condition (Dominick et al., 2012; Norela et al.,
2007; Samoli et al.,
2008). Source apportionment by chemical mass balance receptor modelling indicates that
air pollutants can travel long distances and significantly affect the air of the downwind
area (See et al., 2007).
3.0.
CONTENT
3.1.
There are four types of processes affect air pollution levels which are emissions,
chemistry, transport and deposition process. In emissions process, Chemicals are
3.2.
NO2 and other oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2,
referred together as NOx) are highly reactive gases formed when
oxygen and nitrogen react at high temperatures during combustion or
lightning strikes. Nitrogen present in fuel can also be emitted as NOx
during combustion. In the atmosphere NOx reacts with volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide to produce ground-level
ozone through a complicated chain reaction mechanism. It is
eventually
oxidized to nitric acid (HNO3). Like sulphuric acid, nitric acid
contributes to acid deposition and to aerosol formation.
3.2.4. Particulate matter (PM10)
Particulate matter is the general term used to describe respirable
particles of less than 10 microns in size. Particulate matter is a solid or
liquid matter that is suspended in the air. To remain in the air, particles
usually must be less than 0.1 mm wide and can be as small as 0.00005
mm. Particulate matter can be divided into two types which are coarse
particles and fine particles. Coarse particles are formed from sources
like road dust, sea spray and construction. Fine particles are formed
when fuel is burned in automobiles and power plants. Particulate
matter will have formed in the atmosphere by the transformation of
precursor emissions such as SO2 and NOX to form Sulphur and
nitrates. In addition, significant amount of fine particulates can also
arise from uncontrolled biomass burning activities either within or
from outside the country.
3.2.5. Ozone
Ozone is a gas that can be found in two places. Near the ground which
is the troposphere, that is the major part of smog. The harmful ozone in
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the lower atmosphere should not be confused with the protective layer
of ozone in the upper atmosphere that is stratosphere, which screens
out harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone is not created directly, but is
formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in
the presence of heat and sunlight. VOCs are emitted from various
sources, including motor vehicles, chemical plants, refineries,
factories, consumer and commercial products, and other industrial
sources. Nitrogen oxides are emitted from motor vehicles, power
plants, and sources of combustion. Ozone and the precursor pollutants
that form ozone can also be transported hundreds of kilometers away
depending on wind directions.
3.3.
plant
susceptibility
to
diseases,
pests,
and
other
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4.0.
DISCUSSION
Air pollution occur because of some sources from the various locations, activities or
factors which are responsible for the releasing of pollutants in the atmosphere. These
sources can be classified into two major activities which are natural sources and
anthropogenic sources (human activity). Natural sources include atmospheric reactions,
dust and aerosol, microorganisms, pollen and radioactive substance. Anthropogenic
sources are such as industrial and development activities, motor vehicles, power
generation, everyday routine and open burning.
4.1.
Natural sources
4.1.1. Atmospheric reactions
Atmospheric reactions will cause it to breaks the complex molecules of
organic matters. The products of atmospheric reactions will then come
down to the earth by rain, snowfall etc.
4.1.2. Dust and aerosol
The dust and aerosol which are present in atmosphere comes from
natural sources, usually large areas of land with little or no vegetation,
from seawater, airborne particles, bacteria etc. and remain suspension
in air.
4.1.3. Microorganisms
These microorganisms are in the form of yeast, algae, fungi, bacteria
etc. These organisms can be transported by wind to far distances and
can affect plants, animals, and human beings.
4.1.4. Pollen
These pollen may enter from the flower of plants including the trees,
grasses and weeds and may be transported from place to place by
wind.
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CONCLUSION
Today the world has become highly industrialized and modernized, which makes
human life much easier and more comfortable. In spite of the advantages, the
development of industry does have a lot of disadvantages, especially air pollution. All
over the world, air pollution is increasing at an alarming pace and at the same time, it has
a serious effect on the earth and human health, so more and more people are concerned
about it. As a result, measures are being taken to reduce this kind of pollution. The first
contribution to the atmospheric pollution is natural disaster, causing great damage to
human life, including as volcanic eruption and forest fire. In the second place, another
reason that effect the air is combustion engine exhaust. In fact, many means of
transportation such as cars, motorbikes are partly responsible for air pollution by emitting
great amount of fumes and gas. The more vehicles are in use, the more contaminated
the air becomes. Needless to say, air pollution takes many different forms and arises from
a variety of sources. As its damage to human is growing, everyone now need to make an
effort to reduce the pollution before it is too late.
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6.0.
RECOMMENDATION
Several ways can be recommended to reduce air pollution. There are few ideas that
you can take to help clean our air. Firstly, at home we can conserve energy by turn off
appliances and lights when you leave the room. You also can conserve energy and reduces
production emissions by recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminum
cans. We can also use low-VOC or water based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.
Test your home for radon, a dangerous radioactive gas that is odorless and tasteless. If the
test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effectively. Buy
ENERGY STAR products, including energy efficient lighting and appliances. They are
environmentally friendly products. Moreover, choose efficient, low-polluting models of
vehicles. Plan your trips to save gasoline and reduce air pollution. In the summertime, fill
gas tank during cooler evening hours to cut down on evaporation. Avoid spilling gas and
dont top-off the tank. Replace gas tank cap tightly. When possible, use public
transportation, walk or ride a bike. Lastly, join a carpool to get to work.
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