Why is carbon monoxide toxic?

It combines with haemoglobin, so the blood carries less oxygen.

Which gas causes acid rain?

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and also nitrogen oxides.

Give two effects of acid rain.

Kills fish in lakes, damages trees, corrodes limestone buildings.

What are particulates?

Tiny solid particles, such as soot, that cause breathing problems.

Why is carbon dioxide a pollutant?

It is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

What is eutrophication?

Excess nutrients cause algae to grow rapidly, which leads to a loss of oxygen and the death of water life.

What causes the oxygen to be used up in eutrophication?

Bacteria decomposing dead algae and plants.

Name two sources of nitrates and phosphates in water.

Fertilisers washed off fields and sewage.

Why are plastics a problem in the sea?

They do not decompose quickly, and animals eat them or become tangled in them.

Give two problems caused by landfill.

It takes up land, releases methane, and can leak harmful liquids into soil and water.

What is bioaccumulation?

The build-up of a harmful substance in an organism, so its concentration rises along a food chain.

Why do top consumers have the highest pollutant concentrations?

Each consumer eats many organisms from the level below, and the pollutant is not broken down.

PollutionIB MYP Biology: Flashcards

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Which pollutant is produced by incomplete combustion?

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Which pollutant is produced by incomplete combustion?: Carbon monoxide (CO), and soot (particulates).
Why is carbon monoxide toxic?: It combines with haemoglobin, so the blood carries less oxygen.
Which gas causes acid rain?: Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and also nitrogen oxides.
Give two effects of acid rain.: Kills fish in lakes, damages trees, corrodes limestone buildings.
What are particulates?: Tiny solid particles, such as soot, that cause breathing problems.
Why is carbon dioxide a pollutant?: It is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
What is eutrophication?: Excess nutrients cause algae to grow rapidly, which leads to a loss of oxygen and the death of water life.
What causes the oxygen to be used up in eutrophication?: Bacteria decomposing dead algae and plants.
Name two sources of nitrates and phosphates in water.: Fertilisers washed off fields and sewage.
Why are plastics a problem in the sea?: They do not decompose quickly, and animals eat them or become tangled in them.
Give two problems caused by landfill.: It takes up land, releases methane, and can leak harmful liquids into soil and water.
What is bioaccumulation?: The build-up of a harmful substance in an organism, so its concentration rises along a food chain.
Why do top consumers have the highest pollutant concentrations?: Each consumer eats many organisms from the level below, and the pollutant is not broken down.

Exam questions on Pollution

A city in northern India has heavy traffic and a coal-fired power station. Residents report smoggy air, breathing problems and damage to the stonework of old buildings. The local coal contains sulfur, and many older engines burn their fuel in a limited supply of air.
Explain how burning the coal at the power station can cause acid rain.2 marks
A lake in a farming area in the UK has become green and cloudy each summer. Farmers spread fertiliser on the surrounding fields, and heavy rain washes some of it into the lake. A leaking sewage pipe also releases waste into one of the streams feeding the lake.
Explain how the leaking sewage pipe could reduce the oxygen in the stream.2 marks
A pesticide that does not break down easily was sprayed on farmland next to a lake in Kenya. Scientists later measured its concentration in organisms from one food chain, in mg per kg of body tissue: 0.04 in microscopic plankton, 0.5 in small fish, 2.0 in large fish and 25 in fish-eating birds.
Describe the trend in the concentration of pesticide along the food chain, and calculate how many times greater the concentration is in the birds than in the plankton.3 marks

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Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).