Look up an image:
Explore by theme science

air pollution click to hear : air pollution

The presence in the atmosphere of large quantities of particles or gases produced by human activity; these are harmful to both animal and plant life.
air pollution image
achat d'image achat d'image

See air pollution in : french | spanish
paddy field soil fertilization intensive husbandry deforestation motor vehicle pollution industrial waste acid rain wind smog air pollutants forest fire authorized landfill site polluting gas emission

paddy field click to hear : paddy field

Paddy fields release considerable quantities of methane.

soil fertilization click to hear : soil fertilization

Nitrogen fertilizers used to fertilize the soil also release nitrogen oxides.

intensive husbandry click to hear : intensive husbandry

Bacteria involved in the digestion of ruminants also trigger the emission of methane into the air.

deforestation click to hear : deforestation

Large-scale deforestation leads to increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere since plants alone absorb and retain this gas.

motor vehicle pollution click to hear : motor vehicle pollution

Motor vehicle exhaust contains carbon particles, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and hydrocarbons.

industrial waste click to hear : industrial waste

Depending on their activity, industries emit a great variety of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, heavy metals and hydrocarbons.

acid rain click to hear : acid rain

Rain that contains an unusually high concentration of sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

wind click to hear : wind

Polluted clouds are carried by the wind, sometimes traveling thousands of kilometers; their pollutants then fall in the form of acid rain.

smog click to hear : smog

Harmful haze resulting from the presence of polluting gases; it forms over cities under specific meteorological conditions.

air pollutants click to hear : air pollutants

The principal air pollutants are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, methane and carbon dioxide.

forest fire click to hear : forest fire

Forest fires and brush fires release carbon monoxide, methane and nitrogen oxides.

authorized landfill site click to hear : authorized landfill site

In waste landfill sites, decomposing organic matter produces methane.

polluting gas emission click to hear : polluting gas emission

Most polluting gases are present in the atmosphere in minuscule quantities, but human activity increases their concentration.