ABSTRACT
Atmospheric processes in pollution dispersion and removal were discussed in Chapter 3. It was noted in that discussion that the atmosphere, serving as a sink for pollutants, has a considerable capacity for self-renewal, that is, for cleansing itself. Although it significantly affects the fate of pollutants, the atmosphere may also experience significant short-or long-term pollution-induced changes. These changes may be local, regional, or global in scale, depending on such factors as sources, long-range transport, movement into the stratosphere, and the accumulation of substances that are only but slowly removed by sink processes. Atmospheric effects may include changes in (1) visibility, (2) the urban climate, (3) quantity and frequency of rainfall and associated meteorological phenomena, (4) precipitation chemistry, (5) stratospheric ozone (O
) depletion, and (6) global warming or cooling. The significance of these changes may be slight (visibility impairment) to potentially very serious (stratospheric O
depletion and changes in climate). Changes in stratospheric O
levels and/or global climate have the potential for adversely affecting the earth’s ecological systems and the well-being of billions of humans.
