Page 375 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 4

Fatih Kara

Introduction

In this article, the opinion that “settlement model from lowlands to
mountains” may be useful in reducing the carbon dioxide (CO ) load on the
2
cities in the light of scientific data and observations. This proposed model,
which was started to be discussed after the recent Kahramanmaraş earthquakes
to minimize the earthquake-related risks, is based on the principle of using
solid rocky soils for settlement, and lowlands for agriculture.

Carbon Dioxide Tends to Accumulate in Areas Close to the Ground
The specific gravity of gases is defined as the ratio of the density of air to
the density of gas under standard conditions (Dembicki, 2017). According to
the ideal gas law, the specific gravity of a gas can be obtained by dividing
the molecular weight of the gas by the molecular weight of air (Dembicki,
2017). As it is known, the molecular weight of CO is about 44 g/mol. Air is
2
mainly composed of nitrogen (N ) and oxygen gases (O ). Their molecular
2
2
weights are about 28 g/mol and 32 g/mol, respectively. CO with a molecular
2
weight greater than that of gases in the air tends to settle down (Idso et al.,
1998; Permentier et al., 2017) (Figure 1). Since extremely high CO may lead
2
to fatal poisoning (Permentier et al., 2017), it is very important to detect the
increasing CO values at an early stage. Therefore, CO it is proposed to place
2 2
1
the detectors in buildings closer to the ground. In a study conducted by Mui
and Shek (2005), higher CO values were determined on the lower floors of
2
double-decker buses than on the upper floors.
Nitrogen Gas(N )
2

Oxygen Gas(O )
2

Carbon Dioxygen Gas(CO )
2

Figure 1. Molecular structure and weight of CO and the basic gases composing the air
2

1 For an example of manufacturer advice, see GasLab. (2020). Gas Safety Alarm Mounting Height.
Florida, ABD. https://gaslab.com/blogs/articles/gas-safety-alarm-mounting-height (Last Access
Date: 16.03.2023)

364 The Journal of Environment, Urban and Climate