Description

This module is one of three pertaining to the role of optics and lasers in spectroscopy.

When you have finished this module, you will be able to:
• Define pollution and identify the three major types.
• Describe how an integrating sphere photometer works.
• Calculate the increased radiance produced by an integrating sphere photometer.
• Describe Raman spectroscopy and identify which general substances it can detect.
• Convert between wave numbers and wavelength.
• Describe how laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy works and how it is used to identify elements in various substances.
• Describe land pollution and list its typical sources.
• Describe water pollution, what contributes to it, and how it is controlled.
• Describe air pollution, what contributes to it, and how it is controlled.
• Describe how air pollution spreads from one location to another.
• Use Graham’s law to compare the speeds at which different gases spread.
• Describe what is meant by acid rain, what causes it, and how we attempt to control it.
• Describe smog, where it comes from, and how we try to control it.
• Explain how ozone in the atmosphere can be both beneficial and harmful.
• Describe current spectroscopic means of using lasers to detect trace gases.
• Describe global warming, what causes it, and its consequences.
• Identify the Greenhouse gases and explain how they contribute to global warming.
• Define pH and explain how one can measure whether a substance is an acid or a base.
• Name at least five federal watchdog agencies concerned with detecting and controlling pollution in the United States.