Explore the pollutants found in the air of the world’s major cities and some the affects those pollutants have on the environment.

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. 03 (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?

b. NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide) c. 03 (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.

Web sites that may be of use to you are below. Not every website will have information on every city. Some focus on international cities, some focus on US cities, etc. Of course, a general google search for whatever information you are looking for for your specific city could be benefical too. The websites below are not the only place you can find the information you need from the list above. 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
This will be a summative grade so make sure to put in extra effort on it!

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