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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Pollution and Environmental Quality

Smog

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/smɑːɡ/nounCommon term

In environment & climate, smog means: A thick haze of air pollution over a city, formed from smoke, vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions and often made worse by sunlight and still weather.

In Turkish: smog, duman sis, fotokimyasal sis

How it is used

The word comes from 'smoke' and 'fog'. Photochemical smog forms when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, creating ground-level ozone. Winter smog is linked to coal and wood burning and temperature inversions. Cities issue smog alerts and may restrict traffic.

Example sentences

  1. A thick layer of smog covered the city for three days during the cold spell.

  2. The authorities issued a smog alert and advised children to stay indoors.

Common collocations

  • smog alert
  • photochemical smog
  • thick smog
  • winter smog
  • air qualityHow clean or polluted the air is, measured by the levels of pollutants such as fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide.
  • particulate matter (PM)Tiny solid or liquid particles in the air, such as dust, soot and smoke. The smallest ones, PM2.5, can travel deep into the lungs and even into the bloodstream.
  • ozone layerA layer of gas high in the atmosphere, mainly 15–35 km above the Earth, that absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
  • pollutionThe presence in air, water or soil of harmful substances, or of noise, light or heat, at levels that damage people's health, wildlife or the environment.

More terms: Pollution and Environmental Quality

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