AP Environmental Science (APES) Atmospheric Pollution Practice Test

Higher temperatures boost the chemical reactions that create ozone in the lower atmosphere, especially when sunlight is strong, and they can also increase the amount of volatile organic compounds that evaporate into the air, providing more material for ozone to form. Winds help by mixing and carrying pollutants away from a source, which tends to reduce local concentrations even as ozone forms elsewhere. Precipitation scavenges soluble pollutants from the air, washing them out of the atmosphere, which lowers their concentrations. The other statements misstate how temperature, wind, and rain interact with ozone formation and pollutant removal.