1) What is AQI? What levels are there for air quality? The Air Quality Index (AQI) reports levels of ozone and other common air pollutants. The higher the AQI rating for a pollutant, the greater the danger. The AQI is divided into several categories. There
hazardous, very unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy for sensitivve groups, moderate, good.
2) What is Ozone and why are children most at risk? Ozone forms naturally in the upper atmosphere surrounding the Earth and protects life from the damaging ultraviolet light emitted by the sun. At ground level, the same ozone is harmful to living things; it is an air pollutant that damages human health, vegetation, and many man-made materials.
Children are most at risk from exposure to ozone because they are often active outside during the summer and their lungs are not fully developed. Long-term exposure to ozone may lead to premature aging of the lungs and chronic respiratory illnesses. Ground-level ozone is also responsible for 1 to 2 billion dollars of crop damage in the United States each year.
3) How does air speed and wind affect the level of smog in the city? Explain.Smog tends to linger more when the air is still, hot or cold, humid and high pressure. The still air prevents the smog from being dispersed into the surroundings. Hot air can contain more water vapor which leads to increased humidity, the water vapor traps the particulate matter. Cold conditions are more conducive to forming fog and mist and this too can trap the smoke etc. High pressure tends to bring settled weather and hence there's less likely to be any wind, it also means there's more pressure pushing down and keeping the smog closer to the ground.
4) How does temperature affect the level of smog in the city? Explain.
with all of the Co2 and all of the other gases in city, the more the heat goes up, the thicker the Smog will get because off all the gases, and all of the gases will be coming together, wich will form a big kind of "killing cloud"
5) Which type of emission has the greatest affect on air quality? Identify and explain why.
high population, high temperature, high population, car/truck emissions high
6) Would you expect there to be more smog on a cloudy day or a clear day? Explain.
More smog on cloudy days because it traps all of the pollutants and smog
RESET the simulator and try to create the WORST conditions for smog in your city- you should be able to get the air quality index up to unhealthy levels- What are the readings for each of your variables to produce the nastiest city air? Discuss.
Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. Weather and geography affect the location and severity of smog. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can occur more quickly and be more severe on a hot, sunny day. When temperature inversions occur (that is, when warm air stays near the ground instead of rising) and the wind is calm, smog may remain trapped over a city for days. As traffic and other sources add more pollutants to the air, the smog gets worse. Ironically, smog is often more severe farther away from thesources of pollution, because the chemical reactions that cause smog take place in the atmosphere while pollutants are drifting on the wind.
hazardous, very unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy for sensitivve groups, moderate, good.
2) What is Ozone and why are children most at risk? Ozone forms naturally in the upper atmosphere surrounding the Earth and protects life from the damaging ultraviolet light emitted by the sun. At ground level, the same ozone is harmful to living things; it is an air pollutant that damages human health, vegetation, and many man-made materials.
Children are most at risk from exposure to ozone because they are often active outside during the summer and their lungs are not fully developed. Long-term exposure to ozone may lead to premature aging of the lungs and chronic respiratory illnesses. Ground-level ozone is also responsible for 1 to 2 billion dollars of crop damage in the United States each year.
3) How does air speed and wind affect the level of smog in the city? Explain.Smog tends to linger more when the air is still, hot or cold, humid and high pressure. The still air prevents the smog from being dispersed into the surroundings. Hot air can contain more water vapor which leads to increased humidity, the water vapor traps the particulate matter. Cold conditions are more conducive to forming fog and mist and this too can trap the smoke etc. High pressure tends to bring settled weather and hence there's less likely to be any wind, it also means there's more pressure pushing down and keeping the smog closer to the ground.
4) How does temperature affect the level of smog in the city? Explain.
with all of the Co2 and all of the other gases in city, the more the heat goes up, the thicker the Smog will get because off all the gases, and all of the gases will be coming together, wich will form a big kind of "killing cloud"
5) Which type of emission has the greatest affect on air quality? Identify and explain why.
high population, high temperature, high population, car/truck emissions high
6) Would you expect there to be more smog on a cloudy day or a clear day? Explain.
More smog on cloudy days because it traps all of the pollutants and smog
RESET the simulator and try to create the WORST conditions for smog in your city- you should be able to get the air quality index up to unhealthy levels- What are the readings for each of your variables to produce the nastiest city air? Discuss.
Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. Weather and geography affect the location and severity of smog. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can occur more quickly and be more severe on a hot, sunny day. When temperature inversions occur (that is, when warm air stays near the ground instead of rising) and the wind is calm, smog may remain trapped over a city for days. As traffic and other sources add more pollutants to the air, the smog gets worse. Ironically, smog is often more severe farther away from thesources of pollution, because the chemical reactions that cause smog take place in the atmosphere while pollutants are drifting on the wind.