Air pollution sources
Air pollution takes place when chemicals contaminate the atmosphere affecting its structure and composition and producing significant harmful effects on human health, animals, vegetation and environmental quality.
Air pollutants can be classified according to their origin:
- anthropogenic (man-made) sources, which are the result of various human activities;
- natural sources such as fire particles, volcanic eruptions and degradation of organic matter.
Contaminants can also be classified as:
- primary pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide or nitrogen monoxide, which are directly emitted into the atmosphere from its sources;
- secondary pollutants, as ozone, which are formed as a result of chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
Anthropogenic pollution is caused by major stationary point sources as industries, incinerators and thermoelectric plants, minor stationary point sources as domestic heating systems, and by mobile point sources such as vehicular traffic.
Special reports
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27 March 2012
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29 April 2014
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30 May 2014
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Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
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29 April 2020
Lightning
Man has always been afraid of lightning, in fact in the past lightning was considered a sign of the anger…
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27 March 2012
Rio and the Conventions
In the past years we have heard and read a lot about climate change...
-
10 February 2014
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
29 April 2014
What will the climate be like?
Latest news regarding the Fifth Assessment Report (Part 1)...
-
30 May 2014
Latest news regarding the climate
Most salient news from the Fifth Assessment Report(Part 2)
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
27 March 2012
Rio and the Conventions
In the past years we have heard and read a lot about climate change...
-
10 February 2014
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
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Radars in meteorology
Radar (acronym for radio detection and ranging) monitoring techniques are used to...
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24 February 2011
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
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23 February 2012
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
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7 April 2011
GOES meteorological satellites
The numerous civil and military satellites orbiting around us...
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24 February 2011
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
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23 February 2012
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…