AEP Air Quality & Atmospheric Science Flashcards
6 cards from real AEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 AEP Air Quality & Atmospheric Science flashcards as text
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for how many 'criteria pollutants'?
Answer: 6
The EPA sets NAAQS for six criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead.
Which NAAQS pollutant is primarily formed through photochemical reactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sunlight?
Answer: Ground-level ozone
Ground-level ozone (tropospheric ozone) forms when NOx and VOCs react in the presence of sunlight, making it a secondary pollutant rather than a directly emitted one.
Under the Clean Air Act, what designation is given to areas that do not meet NAAQS for a specific pollutant?
Answer: Non-attainment area
Areas that fail to meet NAAQS are designated as non-attainment areas and must develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to achieve compliance.
Which emission control program under the Clean Air Act uses a 'cap-and-trade' approach for sulfur dioxide?
Answer: Acid Rain Program
The Acid Rain Program (Title IV of the CAA) established a cap-and-trade system for SO2 and NOx emissions from power plants to address acid deposition.
What does the acronym 'PSD' stand for in Clean Air Act permitting?
Answer: Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) is a Clean Air Act permitting program that applies to new major sources or major modifications in attainment areas.
Which type of air dispersion model is most commonly used by EPA for point source impact assessments?
Answer: AERMOD
AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/EPA Regulatory Model) is EPA's preferred steady-state Gaussian dispersion model for near-field point source applications.