- Air pollution is any form of airborne pollution that affects the environment. Pollutants can harm animals directly, but the pollutants can also combine with other factors that change animals' natural resources, like soil, water and nutrients. Air pollution can also directly affect animals' water supplies through acid rain.
- Acid rain is a combination of sulfuric acid and water that occurs in clouds. The water droplets become acidic and fall back to the earth as rain or snow. Acid rain can harm or kill trees and wildlife. Fish are especially susceptible due to their sensitivity to differences in water. When acid rain damages soil, it hampers plants' ability to grow properly.
- Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, have become a large problem because of their ability to destroy ozone molecules, an important layer of the atmosphere. Ozone protects the planet from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. The areas of thin ozone are called ozone holes, and when UV light passes through, it can harm plant life and wildlife. For animals, it can result in skin cancer. Tropospheric ozone molecules are often called "bad" ozone because they are an air pollutant that can destroy the lungs of animals.
- Global warming is caused by additional greenhouse gases that trap extra sunlight by acting as a reflector. When sunlight enters the atmosphere, some is absorbed by the earth, but much is reflected. Too many greenhouse gases reflect too much of it back to the earth. Animals in polar ecosystems and sea animals are at risk due to the climate change. Too great a climate change may kill off animal species that cannot adapt.
- Air pollution affects plant life, which in turn affects animals. Plants and insects are a food source for animals, so damage to either can harm wildlife. Pea aphids, for example, feed on pea plants. If the pea plants are exposed to sulfur dioxide, plants can become unhealthy and may not grow as fast. This affects the aphids, and then affects animals.
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