Polluted Cities Assignment
In this assignment, we are going to explore the pollutants found in the air of the world’s major cities and some the affects those pollutants have on the environment. You will pick a major city (population of at least 1 million) and research its air quality. Examples of some major world cities:
Atlanta Rio de Janeiro Delhi
New York Tokyo Dhaka
Dallas Beijing Madrid
Los Angles Paris Rome
Seattle London Cairo
Mexico City Moscow Seoul
Karachi Riyadh Berlin
Manila Sydney Cape Town
You will include the following information in your final report on your city:
1. Name of the city
2. Population of the city
3. Any topographical/climatic features around the city that contribute to poor air quality. Are there mountains or higher terrain that hold the air pollutants near the ground within the city?
4. Air quality index (if available for your city)
5. Levels of:
a. CO (Carbon monoxide)
b. NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide)
c. O3 (Ground level ozone)
d. SO2 (Sulfur dioxide)
e. Particulate matter
6. Pictures showing your cities air quality on “good” air quality days and “bad.”
7. Effects of the air quality on the local environment
a. What environmental problems have occurred in the local area?
i. Include respiratory disease incidence rates
ii. Discuss any issues with acid precipitation
8. What regulations are in place to help the cities air quality?
9. A picture or pictures that illustrate the air quality of the city you choose.
Web sites that may be of use:
http://air.ipe.org.cn/en/index.aspx : Info on China
http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environment_Watch/air_pollution_statistics.html
www.environmentaldefense.org: Environmental Defense Fund
http://www.airnow.gov: Air Now – air quality indexes
http://www.euro.who.int/air: World Health Organization
http://econ.worldbank.org: World Bank
http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/index.html: EPA site on U.S air quality
