Q&A

Open Course Library ENVS&100 Learning Activities

READINGS FOR Module VI: The Atmosphere: Air, Weather and Climate

Week 1 of Module VI: Atmosphere, Weather, & Air Pollution

Before you do the usual readings:

1. Take National Geographic’s Pollution Quiz: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-quiz/ 2. Tour the EPA’s Indoor Air Quality House (IAQ): http://www.epa.gov/iaq/IAQhouse_working.html 3. Read about the EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI): https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_brochure_02_14.pdf 4. Read 3 sections of the ALA’s State of the Air 2014 Report: http://www.stateoftheair.org/2014/assets/ALA-SOTA-2014-Full.pdf

a. The State of the Air 2014 (pp. 5-11); b. Health Effects of Ozone & Particle Pollution (pp. 29-37); c. Washington State Table (pp. 166-167) ➢ Key Findings: http://www.stateoftheair.org/2014/key-findings ➢ You can use the Report Card to see what “grade” your local air has earned: http://www.stateoftheair.org (enter your ZIP code) ➢ You can download a State of the Air app here: http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/state-of-the-air/app.html

The Habitable Planet Textbook http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/

• Unit 2 : Atmosphere The atmosphere is a critical system that helps to regulate Earth’s climate and distribute heat around the globe. In this unit, discover the fundamental processes that cause atmospheric circulation and create climate zones and weather patterns, and learn how carbon cycling between atmosphere, land, and ocean reservoirs helps to regulate Earth’s climate.

1. Introduction 2. The Structure of the Atmosphere 3. Radiative Balance and the Natural Greenhouse Effect

4. Major Greenhouse Gases 5. Vertical Motion in the Atmosphere 6. Atmospheric Circulation Patterns 7. Climate, Weather, and Storms

8. The Global Carbon Cycle 9. Feedbacks in the Atmosphere 10. Further Reading

• Unit 11 : Atmospheric Pollution Many forms of atmospheric pollution affect human health and the environment at levels from local to global. These contaminants are emitted from diverse sources, and some of them react together to form new compounds in the air. Industrialized nations have made important progress toward controlling some pollutants in recent decades, but air quality is much worse in many developing countries, and global circulation patterns can transport some types of pollution rapidly around the world. In this unit, discover the basic chemistry of atmospheric pollution and learn which human activities have the greatest impacts on air quality.

1. Introduction 2. Chemicals in Motion 3. Primary Air Pollutants 4. Secondary Air Pollutants 5. Aerosols

6. Smog 7. Acid Deposition 8. Mercury Deposition 9. Controlling Air Pollution 10. Stratospheric Ozone

11. Air Pollution, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate Change 12. Major Laws and Treaties 13. Further Reading

Supplemental • Environmental Science: A Self-Teaching Guide, by Barbara W. Murck – Ch.14: Air Pollution • Earth Science CK12 Flexbook (http://www.ck12.org and linked in Canvas)

o Ch.15: Earth’s Atmosphere (The Atmosphere; Atmospheric Layers; Energy in the Atmosphere; Air Movement) o Ch.16: Weather (Weather and Atmospheric Water; Changing Weather; Storms; Weather Forecasting) o Ch.22: Human Actions and the Atmosphere (Air Pollution; Effects of Air Pollution; Reducing Air Pollution)

• Our Ocean Planet: Oceanography in the 21st Century (http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/contents.htm) o El Nino and the Role of the Ocean in Weather

1. El Niño and Tropical Heat 2. Equatorial Currents 3. Observing the Tropical Pacific

4. Forecasting El Nino 5. El Nino Teleconnections 6. El Nino Policy Issues

7. Ocean’s Influence on North American Drought

• Environmental Science in the 21st Century (http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-book/contents.html) o Air Pollution and Ozone Depletion

1. Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources 2. Atmospheric Pollutants 3. Stratospheric Ozone and the Ozone Hole

4. Acid Rain and Acidic Deposition 5. Case Study: Texas Air Quality

• Air Pollution resources – http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution/index.cfm • Indoor Air Pollution – http://indoorair.lbl.gov • Indoor Air Pollution Resources – http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/indoorairpollution.html • Outdoor Air Pollution Resources – http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/outdoorairpollution.html • Air Pollution Causes, Facts, and Solutions – http://www.nrdc.org/air/ • Air Pollution Facts, Effects, Solutions, Causes – http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/ • Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – http://www.epa.gov/iaq • Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality – http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/careforyourair.html • Coord. Fed. Action Plan to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Asthma Disparities – http://www.epa.gov/childrenstaskforce/federal_asthma_disparities_action_plan.pdf • Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Risk – http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/congress/impacts/cardiovascular/index.cfm

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-quiz/

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/iaqhouse_working.html

https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_brochure_02_14.pdf

http://www.stateoftheair.org/2014/assets/ALA-SOTA-2014-Full.pdf

http://www.stateoftheair.org/2014/key-findings

http://www.stateoftheair.org

http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/state-of-the-air/app.html

http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471269883.html

http://www.ck12.org

http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/contents.htm

http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/heatbudgets.htm