Archive for year: 2023

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 1

Course Description Explores an in-depth study of advanced air quality control science and management practices. Addresses health effects, environmental impacts, monitoring, modeling, and treatment.

Course Textbook Godish, T., Davis, W. T., & Fu, J. S. (2015). Air quality (5th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe methods for monitoring air pollution. 2. Critique air pollutant modeling equations and/or software. 3. Assess health effects of air pollution. 4. Examine causes of indoor and outdoor air pollution. 5. Evaluate health risks of air pollution exposure. 6. Estimate the impact of air pollution on the environment. 7. Evaluate air pollution control technologies.

Credits Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit.

Course Structure

1. Study Guide: Each unit contains a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson, required reading assignments, and supplemental resources.

2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.

3. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses lesson material. 4. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook

and/or outside resources. 5. Suggested Reading: A Suggested Reading is listed in Unit II. Students are encouraged to read the resource

listed if the opportunity arises, but they will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Reading. 6. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are part of all CSU term courses. More information and specifications

can be found in the Student Resources link listed in the Course Menu bar. 7. Unit Assessments: This course contains four Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units I, III, V,

and VII. Assessments are composed of written-response questions. 8. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units II-VIII. Specific

information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.

9. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions.

10. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control Course Syllabus

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 2

CSU Online Library The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library webpage. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard. The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail (library@columbiasouthern.edu) and telephone (1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page. Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other services.

Unit Assignments Unit II Mini Project Over the course of these remaining seven units, we will be developing a course project. We will do a single section of the course project in every unit, completing one section of the course project in each unit, and then adding the subsequent work in the following unit. This unit work will be in the form of mini projects, and in Unit VIII, you will submit the entire project. Throughout the course, your instructor will provide you with feedback on every unit you submit; therefore, it is important to implement the feedback you receive in the upcoming unit(s). You will be required to integrate an online resource in your final submission. The Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Reference Center is a good online database for this course project. Our course project will be to develop a document titled A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility that will serve as a simulation of our work as a contract environmental engineer to a small vehicle body shop located in the state of Texas. The Scenario: You have been contracted with a vehicle body repair shop named Texas Car Body Repairs, USA to engineer and write a state (Texas) air permit application for a carefully designed interior lining (painting) facility. According to Texas state laws and EPA laws, the facility must have an air permit before construction begins. Once the facility is completed, the construction air permit will then become the operational air permit for the facility. As a result, your client wants the air permit application to automatically align the interior surface coating facility into operational compliance with state and federal air quality laws. Consequently, it is extremely important for you to write the air permit application to meet the air permit criteria using the state guidance document and considering the equipment and chemicals already planned for the facility operations. Your client has presented you with the following specifications regarding the facility operations plan:

Interior Liner Coating Material

10 gallons coating/vehicle

2 gallons of solvent/vehicle

Vehicle Lining Application

Apply interior liners to two (2) vehicles/day

Work five (5) hours/day and four (4) days/week

Vehicle Lining Curing

Cure interior liners of two (2) vehicles/day

Work five (5) hours/day and four (4) days/week

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Interior Liner Cure

Heater fuel source is natural gas- fired drying oven

Heater generates 2.1 million (MM) Btu/hr at maximum 2,500 hrs/year

Vehicle Lining Design

Cross-draft air plenum

Vehicle interior is the spray area

Exhaust Fan 10,000 ft3/min (CFM)

1 exhaust fan

Air Makeup Unit

5760 ft3/min (CFM)

1 air makeup unit

Filter Openings

20.0 ft2 each Two (2) filter openings

Coating WV VOC content 2.8 lb/gal coating

Coating VM Coating volume

1.0 gal

Water Content Per gal/coating 1.0 lb/gal

Water Density Per gal/water 8.34 lb/gal

Coating VW Water volume Calculation

Exempt- solvent Content

Per gal/coating 0.5 lb/gal

Exempt- solvent Density

Per gal/exempt solvent

6.64 lb/gal

Coating Ves Exempt solvent volume

Calculation

The client has designed an interior coating spray painting system that allows the interior of a vehicle to be coated (such as for new vehicles, or vehicles being restored after fire damage or other catastrophic interior damage). The operations will involve a stripped-down vehicle body being brought into the facility’s shop. The shop is a steel building with a finished concrete floor and a paint booth for each vehicle. The vehicle will be placed in the spray booth. The booth will be opened at one end of the booth for makeup air. The exhaust air will flow through an exhaust chamber at the other end of the vehicle (see Cross-Draft Automotive Spray Booth in Appendix F of the TCEQ Regulatory Guidance Document). For each vehicle, once the liner application operations are completed the forced curing (drying) operations will immediately commence. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, Appendix B and Appendix K of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Regulatory Guidance document (Click here to access the document), and the Unit Lesson within the Study Guide. Consider reading the Suggested Reading.

2. Using APA style (title page, abstract page, body with level 1 headings, and a reference page) for a research paper, begin drafting a proposal document. You will add to this document in every unit with another level 1 heading.

3. Make your Unit II work your first level 1 heading titled “General Considerations for Operation,” and describe the scenario that is presented above. You may find it convenient to present the tabulated information in your General Considerations section of the permit for future reference throughout the rest of the course. This submission (and every submission through Unit VII) needs to be a minimum of at least a one page in length, double-spaced.

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 4

NOTE: In the following units (Units III through VIII), the unit lessons will contain information related to the interior surface coating operation by means of practical examples. Consequently, it is imperative that you read the unit lessons within the study guide every week, use the TCEQ’s (2011) regulatory guidance document, and consider the current (as well as previous) material from your textbook in every unit. This project will serve as a comprehensive demonstration of your applied learning of engineering air quality. Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. Unit III Mini Project As a continuation of our course project due in Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the next section, “VOC and ES Content per Vehicle,” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit your continued draft for grading. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit II and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit II project assignment.

3. Open the Unit III Study Guide, read the Unit III Lesson, and review the calculations demonstrated and explained regarding VOC and ES weights per gallon and per vehicle for our scenario.

4. Make your Unit III work your second level 1 heading titled “VOC and ES Content per Vehicle.” Describe and demonstrate (illustrate) the calculations for both the VOC and ES weights for this section of your project.

You are required to describe and demonstrate the VOC and ES calculations in a minimum one-page, double-spaced document. Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. Unit IV Mini Project As a continuation of our course project due in Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the next section, “Operational Air Emission Rates,” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit your continued draft for grading. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit III and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit III project assignment.

3. Open the Unit IV Study Guide, read the Unit IV Lesson, then review the calculations demonstrated and explained regarding emission rate calculations and “potential to emit” statistical model calculations for our scenario.

4. Make your Unit IV work your third level 1 heading titled “Operational Air Emission Rates.” Describe and demonstrate (illustrate) the calculations for the following for this section of your project: (a) calculating maximum hourly and annual emission rates, (b) emission rate averaged over a five-hour period, and (c) potential to emit.

You are required to describe and demonstrate the “Operational Air Emission Rates” in a minimum one-page, double- spaced document. Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. Unit V Mini Project As a continuation of our course project due in Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the next section, “Operational Face and Filter Velocities,” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit your continued draft for grading.

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 5

Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit IV and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit IV project assignment.

3. Open the Unit V Study Guide, read the Unit V Lesson, then review the calculations demonstrated and explained regarding face velocity calculations and filter velocity calculations for our scenario.

4. Make your Unit V work your fourth level 1 heading titled “Operational Face and Filter Velocities.” Describe and demonstrate (illustrate) the calculations for the following for this section of your project: (a) calculate the face velocity and (b) filter velocity of the spray booth in a minimum one-page, double-spaced document.

Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. Unit VI Mini Project As a continuation of our course project due in Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the next section, “VOC Content Minus Water and Exempt Solvent,” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit your continued draft for grading. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit V and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit V project assignment.

3. Open the Unit VI Study Guide, read the Unit VI Lesson, then review the calculations demonstrated and explained regarding VOC content minus water and exempt solvent calculations for our scenario.

4. Make your Unit VI work your fifth level 1 heading titled “VOC Content Minus Water and Exempt Solvents.” Describe and demonstrate (illustrate) the calculations for the following for this section of your project: (a) calculate the gallons of water in one gallon of coating and (b) pounds of VOC in one gallon of coating (without the water and exempt solvent). This submission should be in a minimum one-page, double-spaced document.

Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. Unit VII Mini Project As a continuation of our course project due in Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the next section, “Heater and Oven Combustion Emissions,” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit your continued draft for grading. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit VI and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit VI project assignment.

3. Open the Unit VII Study Guide, read the Unit VII Unit Lesson, then review the calculations demonstrated and explained regarding calculations for emissions of products of combustion from heaters and ovens for our scenario.

4. Make your Unit VII work your sixth level 1 heading titled “Heater and Oven Combustion Emissions.” Describe and demonstrate (illustrate) the calculations for the following for this section of your project: (a) nitrous oxides (NOx), (b) carbon monoxide (CO), (c) particulate matter (PM), (d) volatile organic compounds (VOC), and (e) sulfur dioxide (SO2) for BOTH hourly emissions (short-term) in lbs./hr. AND annual (long-term) emissions in tons/year. Your response should be in a minimum one-page, double-spaced document.

Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 6

Unit VIII Project To finish our course project due in this Unit VIII, A Permit By Rule (PBR) Application for an Interior Surface Coating Facility, complete the final two sections, “Pollution Control Technologies” and “Process Flow Diagram” of your proposal by following the instructions carefully, and then submit the completed, final draft of your proposal for grading. Instructions

1. Closely read the Required Reading assignment from your textbook, the TCEQ (2011) document, and the Unit Lesson in the Study Guide.

2. Open your proposal draft from Unit VII and make any improvements to your draft using your professor’s feedback from the Unit VII project assignment.

3. Open the Unit VIII Study Guide, read the Unit VIII Lesson, then consider the control technology options available for our scenario.

4. Make your first Unit VIII section your seventh level 1 heading titled “Pollution Control Technologies.” Select appropriate control technologies to be used in the final exhaust air from the spray booth for the following pollutants: (a) gases and vapors, (b) aerosol particles, and (c) noise levels of 90 dBA at 1,000 Hz. Be sure to defend your suggested engineering controls with literature.

5. Make your second Unit VIII section your eighth (final) level 1 heading titled “Process Flow Diagram.” Map out the entire process by developing a drawing of the process. You might consider reviewing the drawings located within Appendix G and Appendix J in the TCEQ (2011) document and Figure 10.12 on page 381 of your textbook as good examples of clear and understandable process drawings to help you construct your own Process Flow Diagram.

6. Be sure that your Abstract and References pages are updated before you submit your final project for a grade. NOTE: Please compile (Units II-VIII) and submit your entire project as one document. Include an article reference from the CSU Online Library within your final project submission that is tied to the course project. The Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Reference Center online database is a good online database for this course project. Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

APA Guidelines The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center.

Grading Rubrics This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities. Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments). The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions. The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment. Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 7

Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.” Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below. Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums. Ask the Professor This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non- public nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the professor within 48 hours. Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information. Student Break Room This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers.

Grading

Discussion Boards (8 @ 2%) = 16% Assessments (4 @ 8%) = 32% Mini Projects (6 @ 7%) = 42% Unit VIII Project = 10% Total = 100%

Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT) The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 8

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control Course Schedule

By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep this schedule for reference as you progress through your course.

Unit I The Atmosphere and Atmospheric Pollutants

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 1: Atmosphere  Chapter 2: Atmospheric Pollution and Pollutants  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Assessment by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

Unit II Engineering for Outdoor Air Quality

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 4: Atmospheric Effects  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide  Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

Unit III Engineering for Indoor Air Quality

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 11: Indoor Air Quality  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Assessment by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 9

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control Course Schedule

Unit IV Engineering for Indoor Air Quality, Part Two

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 5: Health Effects  Chapter 12: Environmental Noise  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday,11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday,11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

Unit V Engineering Air Quality for Ecological and Structural Health

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 6: Welfare Effects  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday,11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday,11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Assessment by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

Unit VI Engineering Air Quality Monitoring Systems

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 7: Air Quality and Emissions Assessment  Chapter 8: Regulation and Public Policy  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control 10

MEE 6501, Advanced Air Quality Control Course Schedule

Unit VII Statistical Modeling for Engineered Air Quality

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 7: Air Quality and Emissions Assessment, pp. 269-277  Chapter 3: Atmospheric Dispersion, Transport, and Deposition, pp. 77-98  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Assessment by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)  Mini Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

Unit VIII Utilizing Pollution Control Technologies for Engineered Air Quality Control

Review:  Unit Study Guide

Read:  Chapter 9: Control of Motor Vehicle Emissions  Chapter 10: Control of Emissions from Stationary Sources  Additional Reading Assignment(s): See Study Guide

Discuss:

 Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

 Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student’s Discussion Board response by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Submit:  Project by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time)

Notes/Goals:

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SUS 103 Lab:

Oceans: Warming & Sea Level Rise

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the next two labs are to help you better understand what is happening in our

oceans due to climate change. This lab will be focused on the warming oceans and sea level rise

including how they will influence future human migration. The lab next week will be focused on

ocean acidification. By the end of this lab you should be able to better understand and discuss

the following concepts.

Ocean Warming:

• The factors that explain why 93% of the incoming solar radiation is going toward heating the oceans rather than land surfaces.

• How the thermal inertia of the ocean helps to minimize the warming of the Earth’s climate system.

• How warmer water impacts coral reefs and the “ocean food web”. • The impacts to cultures that have a close relationship to life surrounding the coral reefs.

Sea Level Rise:

• The difference between “sea ice” and “land ice” in relationship to sea level rise. • How melting of part or all of the Greenland Ice Sheet could raise sea level. • How the Antarctic Ice Sheet may cause significant impacts to sea level rise. • The impact that sea level rise could have on US towns and cities using a computer model

that predicts sea level rise in relationship to global average temperature rise.

Human migration:

• What is a “climate refugee”? • What is the difference between a “political refugee” and a “climate refugee”? • What are “Rights of Asylum” and how might this relate to climate change?

Questions are in blue and are worth 1 point unless otherwise noted.

SECTION I – OCEAN WARMING

Ocean Warming. 93% of incoming solar radiation has gone toward warming the Earth’s oceans.

70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean but they are dark in color so absorb more heat

than land surfaces.

While ocean warming has a profound impact on ocean organisms, the rate at which the ocean

warms is mediated by the Thermal Inertia it takes to change water temperature. Your Lab

Instructor will perform a “thermal inertia demonstration” with balloons to help better

understand the thermal inertia of oceans and how they absorb heat to maintain equilibrium with

the air temperature.

The ocean surface waters have warmed due to increasing air temperatures over the past century

and have caused massive outbreaks of coral bleaching and dying coral throughout the world.

There is great risk to coral in the future and the 2018 IPCC findings will be discussed. Two short

videos from the “Years of Living Dangerously” series will be shown to demonstrate this issue.

(for reference these videos are parts 1 Here, and part 2 Here)

Questions for Section I:

Q1: Why does the ocean absorb more of the incoming solar radiation than land surfaces?

(2 reasons)

Q2: The balloon did not pop, how might this provide a demonstration of the thermal

inertia of the ocean?

Q3: How much of the additional heat caused by the anthropogenic greenhouse effect has

been absorbed into the ocean? How much has it raised the ocean’s surface temp?

Q4: What impact do warmer ocean temperatures have on coral reefs? What percentage of

coral reefs have died due to warming oceans in the last 30 years?

Q5: What percentage of the ocean species are supported by coral reefs?

Q6: What does the IPCC say will happen to coral reefs with a 1.5 deg. C global average

temperature rise? With a 2.0 deg. C rise?

Q7: Essay Question. What did you know about coral reefs before this class? Consider

for a few minutes what is happening to the coral reefs and discuss in depth your thoughts

on this. 100-200 words minimum. (4 pts)

SECTION II – SEA LEVEL RISE

In this section we will be learning about how increased melting of land ice can lead to sea level

rise. First, we will discuss the how much the sea level has currently risen and how much it is

expected to rise by year 2100. Then as a class we will calculate how much the sea level would

rise if the entire Greenland Ice Sheet were to melt.

Then we will use the new interactive sea-level rise visualization website developed at Princeton

University to get an idea of potential impacts on various cities by the year 2100 given alternate

greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.

Q8: How much as the ocean risen so far? How much is it expected to rise by 2100?

Q9: How much worse could it rise by 2100? What would cause this?

I. How much could sea level rise if all of the ice on Greenland and Antarctica melts? Important note on precision: Numbers must be both accurate and REALISTIC in science. Your

calculations below should not be reported to more than one decimal point, also called one significant

digit; in other words, only report the first number after the decimal point.

Think about why that is? What do the numbers beyond the 9 after the decimal point in 7.95682341

meters means? Do you think we really can measure beyond a 10 th of a meter (one decimeter) when

talking about melting glaciers?

Also consider, would it be MEANINGFUL to measure melting in centimeters or below when melting is

happening on the order of meters? Maybe if we were measuring through a microscope we could take a

measurement in that range. But we are not measuring at this level of precision when we are calculating

sea level rise from melting glaciers.

Q10: Work with your group and use Google and find the following two numbers.

Confirm you have the right numbers with your Lab Instructor, then follow the series of

calculations to find the sea level rise if the entire Greenland Ice Sheet were to melt. (4

pts)

The estimated volume of Greenland ice (km3):________

The area of the Earth’s oceans (km2): ________

Use these values to calculate a rough estimate of the number of feet sea level would rise

if all the ice on Greenland melted (see equation below) ___________

Greenland Ice Volume (km3) = Earth’s Ocean Area (km2)

Multiply your answer by 0.9167 to account for the expansion coefficient of ice (water

will take up less volume than ice, this is why ice floats) ____________

Multiply your answer above by 1.019 to account for the increased density of sea water

(salty water takes up more space)__________ _

Multiply this final answer by 3281 ft/km to get your results in feet _______ This is the

potential sea level rise if the entire Greenland Ice Sheet were to melt.

Q11: What is the potential sea level rise if the entire Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt?

Q12: How likely is it that the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets will melt by 2100?

After 2100?

II. Visualize how sea level rise is expected to affect US cities For this exercise we will be using a web program recently developed at Princeton University

to visualize the impact of sea level rise on “US Cities That Could Be Lost to the Seas”.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/mapping-choices-us-cities-we-could-lose-to-sea-

level-rise-19542

Read the opening page here and working together as a class, answer the following questions:

Q13: Does this website project: 1) when these changes will occur? or 2) at what level of

CO2 emissions these changes will occur?

Q14: How many US towns and cities do they say are destined to have most of their

homes submerged given the current CO2 emitted to the atmosphere?

Q15: How many US towns and cities do they calculate could have most of the homes

submerged given:

a) unabated emissions for the rest of this century?

b) drastically cut emissions for the rest of this century?

Use the program. The web program starts with a series of slides for you to consider. At the

final slide in this series watch the animation of the timeline of US cities becoming inundated

with sea water. Then click on Miami Florida and note:

Q16: The % of Miami’s population that will be affected by sea level rise given the

current CO2 concentrations:

30%, 50%, 100%

Q17: The % of Miami’s population that would be affected by the CO2 concentrations

expected by 2100 with unchecked pollution:

30%, 50%, 100%

Q18: The % of Miami’s population that would be affected by the CO2 concentrations

expected by 2100 with extreme carbon cuts:

30%, 50%, 100%

 Click on the street level view and notice if you see differences or not.

 Then zoom out from these images to see that the reason you didn’t see differences were because both images were entirely under water.

 Now click on the plus symbol “+” in the upper right corner of this screen and go to a page titled “Icons Under Water”, or click on this link:

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/global-icons-at-risk-from-sea-level-rise-pictures-

19633

 Scroll the center bar of this image to the right and the left to view how these icons will look after 2ºC and 4ºC of warming.

Q19: Which of the following are NOT included in these images:

Miami FL, Manhattan NY, Portland OR

Q20: Name 6 major coastal cites from around the world that will be impacted due to

rising sea levels.

After watching two more short “Years of Living Dangerously” videos, answer the following

questions discussing two of the locations in our country that are at a high risk due to sea level

rise. (for reference the “Saving Miami” video is Here and the Norfolk Naval Base video is

Here.)

Q21: When does Miami appear to be inhabitable at high tides from the Saving

Miami/Jack Black video? Does this seem realistic to you from what you have learned?

Q22: What is the expected sea level rise at the Norfolk Naval Station and what year is

this expected to happen by?

Q23: When is the concern about sea level rise the greatest and when can the most

damage occur?

Q24: Essay Question. What did you know about sea level rise before this class?

Consider for a few minutes what is happening due to sea level rise to shorelines and

major cities around the world and discuss in depth your thoughts on this. 100-200 words

minimum. (4 pts)

SECTION III – MIGRATIONS

In this section we will be considering what is potentially one of the most challenging aspects of

global warming, and that is the migration of millions of people impacted by the changing

climate. These migrations have already begun on a small scale but will get larger and much

more challenging as the impacts of climate change increase. Note, these migrations could be

caused by several different aspects of climate change, two aspects including the loss of coral

reefs and rising sea levels as discussed in this lab.

Q25: What is a “climate refugee”?

Q26: What is the difference between a “political refugee” and a “climate refugee”?

Q27: What is “Rights of Asylum” and how does that relate to climate refugees?

Q28: Consider deeply the potential migrations that will be caused by climate change.

Discuss how you feel about this, and what you think might be able to be done for this.

Know this is a very complex subject, there are no wrong answers, but compassion to all

beings is a good fundamental basis to start from. This may well become one of the most

challenging subjects in the decades to come. 100-200 words minimum. (4 pts)

Extra Credit: There is a Pt. 3 to the ”Years of Living Dangerously” Collapse of the Oceans video

(5 min.) that we didn’t have time to see. If interested you can watch it “Here”, consider the

greater implications of the video and this assignment and discuss your thoughts in depth. 100-

200 words minimum (4 pts)