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How does Oil affect the Environment?
Fossil fuels are burnt on a huge scale.
The Release of Particles.
The burning of fossil
fuels releases particles into
the air.
These particles (sometimes called
particulates) contain mainly
carbon atoms and come from unburnt
hydrocarbons.
The particles are a pollutant and health
hazard which cause
breathing problems for people who suffer from asthma.
Some of these particles are very
small (see nanoparticles).
What is Global Dimming?
The particles have two
effects on the temperature
of the
environment.
High up in the atmosphere
they absorb
some
of the
energy from the Sun and
prevent it from reaching
the Earth's surface.
This is called global dimming and has
a cooling
effect
on the climate. Scientists have evidence that
particles
in the atmosphere have
this effect.
Big volcanoes
erupting in the past
have put a lot of particles high up
into the atmosphere and have had a global
cooling effect.
The particles also cause an increase in the rate
of water
vapour in the
atmosphere condensing
to form clouds. Clouds
reflect some of the
Sun's energy back into space. An
increase in the
rate of cloud
formation also has a cooling
effect.
The cooling
effect from particles in the
atmosphere is small
compared to the effect of
global warming
from burning
fossil fuels.
The particles eventually fall out of the atmosphere
back down to the ground and make
surfaces darker.
Particle emissions
from industrial chimneys
can be reduced by using an electrostatic
charge.
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