Answer question
Interpret the data you have gathered & report what you’ve learned (20 points).
How to earn those 20 points:
For 10 of the 20 points, interpret and explain the ScoreCards you viewed on the American Lung Association site (e.g. what are the problem pollutants at your locations? What produces them? Define AQI.)
Scroll down to the bottom of the AirNow site (Links to an external site.). Click on the links to “Explore” (Fires, Embassies & Consulates (yes, there is some international data), Archived Dates, Air Quality Webcams). Sign up for the EnviroFlash Email notifications or download the AirNow app to your phone for your future use. Do a deep dive on one of the links, and report what you see and learn (under the Archived Dates, it’s fun to look at the AQI loop for past dates – when did we have those big fires in the Pacific Northwest? Does the map for that date (Links to an external site.) reflect the fires?
Interactive Air Quality Map from Air Now website; showing air quality in the U.S.
For 10 of the 20 points: once you’ve found the archived maps (Links to an external site.) on the AirNow site (Links to an external site.), identify any seasonal trends you see regarding air quality in your home zip code/”area” or elsewhere. For example, how does August air quality generally compare to February air quality (look at 2018, and other prior years)? There is usually a seasonal difference, but perhaps you notice another pattern. Now’s your chance to share with me. Indicate what patterns you observe in looking at the current AQI vs. past indices for the same site.
OR,
For 10 of the 20 points: explore and explain what you learn from one of the other options at the bottom of the AirNow site (“Fires”, “Embassies and Consulates”, “Air Quality Webcams”). Of course, screenshots of relevant material are always helpful!
Once you have responded to all of the prompts above (including four screenshots and your responses to item 7 options above), organize them within your word-processing program (Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs), and save the entire document as a pdf (.doc or .docx will be accepted if pdf is not available to you), and click the “Submit Assignment” button in the upper right, and then upload the file in the window that appears below. Not sure how submit files? Remember to utilize our campus help desk or Canvas’ help hotline. I don’t have access to an Apple computer so please do not submit a pages file format.
Other questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I’m looking forward to reading your responses!
(Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
Rubric
Assignment – Outdoor Air Quality
Criteria Ratings Pts
Screenshot of Scorecard for home zip from State of the Air
view longer description
5 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
5 / 5 pts
Screenshot of Scorecard for “away” zip from State of the Air
view longer description
5 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
5 / 5 pts
Screenshot of AirNow AQI Map for home zip
view longer description
5 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
5 / 5 pts
Screenshot of AirNow AQI Map for “away” zip
view longer description
5 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
5 / 5 pts
Interpret and explain the ScoreCards you viewed on the American Lung Association site (e.g. what are the problem pollutants at your locations? What produces them? Define AQI.
view longer description
10 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
7 / 10 pts
Explain what you have learned as a result of your deep dive into the data (define terms, identify patterns, explain those patterns, etc.)
view longer description
10 pts
Full Marks
0 pts
No Marks
0 / 10 pts
Total Points: 27
Why should we be concerned about air quality?
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution (both indoor and outdoor) is “the single biggest environmental health risk”, responsible for 1 in 8 (or 7 million total) deaths around the world each year.
What is air pollution?
Our ES1 textbook authors define air pollutants as gases and particulate material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate or harm people or other living things.
Which outdoor pollutants are the worst offenders?
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created under President Nixon when he signed the Environmental Policy Act, is responsible for setting standards for and monitoring emissions of 6 Criteria Pollutants (this is the EPAs “most wanted” list of air quality offenders). Use Criteria Pollutants link for background on the air pollutants you encounter in this exercise.
Take about 7.5 minutes to watch the following video; pay particular attention to the content which describes ground-level/Tropospheric Ozone and Particulate Matter (PM).
Lab Objectives:
Utilize two of the informational tools available online (“State of the Air” and “AirNow”) to learn and report back about the air quality where we live.
Purpose:
To bring course content home; apply concepts to our own lives (in other words answer the question, what does this have to do with me?!).
Assignment:
Enter your home zip code (if zip code doesn’t work, start with your state, and then choose your county/”area” from the list that appears) into the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” (Links to an external site.)
American Lung Association State of the Air site
Copy and paste a screenshot of the results of your search into a word processing program. By results, I mean the scorecard/grades for your home zip code or “area”. (Hint: to those that aren’t familiar with screenshots – on my keyboard, I select the “prt sc” button to copy what appears on my computer monitor and then I paste it into a word processing program). It should look something like this (but larger):
Wake County North Carolina Air Quality Scorecard, shows “B” for Ozone & PM
Screenshot #1 (“State of the Air” (Links to an external site.) for your home zip code/”area” – 5 points)
Do the same for another community, in another geographic area (shop around to find something interesting and/or different from your home zip code/”area”).
Hillsborough County Florida State of the Air Scorecard, F for Ozone and A for PM
Screenshot #2 (“State of the Air” (Links to an external site.) for another community of your choosing – 5 points)
Now take a look at the current air quality for those two places on the EPA’s AirNow site (Links to an external site.)(use their help page (Links to an external site.) for guidance as to how to best utilize the site).
Copy and paste a screenshot of the AirNow AQI map for each location into the same word processing document.
Air Now for Raleigh NC, Ozone & PMAir Now for Tampa FL Ozone & PM
Screenshot #s 3 & 4 (AirNow AQI map for your home zip/”area” and your other location – 5 points each for a total of 10 points)
Do a status check: at this point, you should have captured four screenshots. Have you got them all? You’ve completed half of the assignment. 20 points down, 20 to go! √
Now, let’s see what you can make of the information you’ve gathered!
7. Interpret the data you have gathered & report what you’ve learned.Explain what you have learned as a result of your deep dive into the data (define terms, identify patterns, explain those patterns, etc.)
How to earn those 20 points:
For 10 of the 20 points, interpret and explain the ScoreCards you viewed on the American Lung Association site (e.g. what are the problem pollutants at your locations? What produces them? Define AQI.)
view longer description
(20 points).
Scroll down to the bottom of the AirNow site (Links to an external site.). Click on the links to “Explore” (Fires, Embassies & Consulates (yes, there is some international data), Archived Dates, Air Quality Webcams). Sign up for the EnviroFlash Email notifications or download the AirNow app to your phone for your future use. Do a deep dive on one of the links, and report what you see and learn (under the Archived Dates, it’s fun to look at the AQI loop for past dates – when did we have those big fires in the Pacific Northwest? Does the map for that date (Links to an external site.) reflect the fires?
Interactive Air Quality Map from Air Now website; showing air quality in the U.S.
For 10 of the 20 points: once you’ve found the archived maps (Links to an external site.) on the AirNow site (Links to an external site.), identify any seasonal trends you see regarding air quality in your home zip code/”area” or elsewhere. For example, how does August air quality generally compare to February air quality (look at 2018, and other prior years)? There is usually a seasonal difference, but perhaps you notice another pattern. Now’s your chance to share with me. Indicate what patterns you observe in looking at the current AQI vs. past indices for the same site.
OR,
For 10 of the 20 points: explore and explain what you learn from one of the other options at the bottom of the AirNow site (“Fires”, “Embassies and Consulates”, “Air Quality Webcams”). Of course, screenshots of relevant material are always helpful!
Once you have responded to all of the prompts above (including four screenshots and your responses to item 7 options above), organize them within your word-processing program (Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs), and save the entire document as a pdf (.doc or .docx will be accepted if pdf is not available to you), and click the “Submit Assignment” button in the upper right, and then upload the file in the window that appears below. Not sure how submit files? Remember to utilize our campus help desk or Canvas’ help hotline. I don’t have access to an Apple computer so please do not submit a pages file format.
Other questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I’m looking forward to reading your responses!
(Links to an external site.)
This is my assignment. I already did it. But #7 question is not correct. I want you to write it please.
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