AEP AEP Air Quality & Atmospheric Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which greenhouse gas has the highest 100-year global warming potential (GWP) among common industrial gases?
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has a 100-year GWP of approximately 23,900, making it the most potent greenhouse gas regulated under common frameworks.
Question 2: What term describes the formation of a temperature inversion that traps air pollutants near the ground surface?
- Convective mixing
- Fumigation
- Atmospheric stability class F
- Subsidence inversion (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Subsidence inversion
A subsidence inversion occurs when descending air warms and creates a stable layer that traps pollutants below, commonly associated with high-pressure systems.
Question 3: Under the Clean Air Act, which program specifically regulates emissions of mercury, dioxins, and other toxic air pollutants from industrial sources?
- NAAQS
- New Source Review
- NESHAP (Correct answer)
- Acid Rain Program
Correct answer: NESHAP
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulate emissions of 187 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from major and area source categories.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a Title V Operating Permit under the Clean Air Act?
- Authorize construction of new emission sources
- Consolidate all applicable air requirements into a single permit (Correct answer)
- Establish air quality standards for criteria pollutants
- Fund state air monitoring programs
Correct answer: Consolidate all applicable air requirements into a single permit
Title V operating permits consolidate all applicable Clean Air Act requirements into one document, providing a clear and enforceable record of a facility's air compliance obligations.
Question 5: Which Pasquill-Gifford stability class represents the most unstable atmospheric conditions?
- Class A (Correct answer)
- Class C
- Class E
- Class G
Correct answer: Class A
Class A represents the most unstable atmospheric conditions, occurring under strong solar radiation and light winds, leading to vigorous vertical mixing and rapid pollutant dispersion.
Question 6: The Montreal Protocol primarily targets which class of air pollutants?
- Greenhouse gases
- Ozone-depleting substances (Correct answer)
- Sulfur oxides
- Nitrogen oxides
Correct answer: Ozone-depleting substances
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to phase out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
AEP AEP Air Quality & Atmospheric Science 2
Which greenhouse gas has the highest 100-year global warming potential (GWP) among common industrial gases?