Air Quality - Lesson 5: How Can We Tell What the Quality of the Air Is Today?

Air Explorer

This is a collection of web-based visualization tools that use daily air quality data from EPA. The tools generate

maps, graphs, and data tables dynamically. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.epa.gov/airexplorer


Air & Waste Management Association

A&WMA has a variety of resources for educators including the Air Quality Environmental Resource Guides

and fact sheets. The Understanding Air Quality Slide Show Presentation simplifies the communication of

air quality issues. The slide show script was reviewed by many people to ensure unbiased and technically

accurate information. The Understanding Air Quality—Outreach Kit CD-ROM contains the slide show

as well as EPA and North Carolina State’s video, Ozone: Double Trouble. Air & Waste Management

Association. Website: http://www.awma.org


Air Pollution: What’s the Solution?

This is an educational project for students, grades 6 - 12, that utilizes online real-time data to guide student

discovery of the science behind the causes and effects of ground-level ozone in the context of an authentic

real world problem. The project contains applications of the Internet by having students access real time

atmospheric data, weather data and other sources. United States Environmental Protection Agency and

partners. Air Pollution: What’s The Solution. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.k12science.org/

curriculum/airproj/index.html


Air Quality Forecast Guidance for Michigan

For information about ozone throughout the year, the National Weather Service has a forecast guidance

map with 1-hour and 8-hour ozone concentrations updated twice daily. National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration’s National Weather Service. Air Quality Forecast Guidance-Michigan. Retrieved

June 4, 2011, from http://www.nws.noaa.gov/aq/sectors/michigan.php


Air Quality Index for Kids – Teacher Materials

The U.S. EPA AIRNow site has a wealth of AQI materials including handouts, games, and posters.

Check out the School Flag program and the AQI Toolkit for Teachers. United States Environmental

Protection Agency. (2011) AIRNow. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.airnow.gov/


Haze

Regional haze is a problem in some areas. Students can follow haze patterns and correlate the AQI

to weather patterns by looking at Internet sites that show:

• Real time visibility and air pollution information

CAMNET. Realtime Air Pollution and Visibility Monitoring. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from

http://www.hazecam.net/

• National Parks

National Park Service. Nature and Science. National Parks Service Web Cameras Overview.

Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/index.cfm

• Air quality web cams

AIRNow. Visibility Cameras. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.epa.gov/airnow/

• Web cams around the nation University of Michigan Weather. Weather Cams. Retrieved July 9, 2018, from

http://weather.engin.umich.edu/wxnet/wxcam.php


How Ozone is Formed

This animation from EPA shows how ozone is made from VOCs and NOx. United States

Environmental Protection Agency. Air Info Now. How Do You Make Ozone? Retrieved June 4, 2011, from

http://www.airinfonow.org/html/makingozone/o3play.htm


Norwich Air Quality Curriculum Pilot Project

This curriculum is designed to incrementally lead students, grades 6–8, through Internet-based and handson

learning experiments to discover not only the science behind air quality, but also the health implications

related to poor air quality exposure. The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE).

(2003). Is Your Bus Exhausting? Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/norwich/

index.shtml


Ozone: A Sourcebook

This book is part of the GLOBE-NET Project, which is a partnership of science teachers and research

scientists working on air quality issues. The Project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation;

teachers helped to write the lessons in the book. Anderson, Norman. (1996). Ozone: A Sourcebook

for Teaching About Ozone in the Troposphere and Stratosphere. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.


The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel web site has pollen and mold counts. Students can study the relationship

between weather and elevated counts. Local weather data and air quality information are available.

Note: this site has advertisements. The Weather Channel. Pollen Count Indexes. Retrieved July 9, 2018,

from https://weather.com/forecast/allergy/l/USDC0001:1:US


Weather Underground

Type in a city name or zip code for local conditions and weather history. Air quality and UV maps may

be found at this site. It is a commercial site so there are advertisements. A nominal yearly membership

will provide access to an ad-free site. Weather Underground. Current Maps. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from

http://www.wunderground.com/


Western Michigan Ozone Study

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required that the U.S. EPA conduct a demonstration project to address

the effect of transported ozone and ozone precursors in Southwestern Michigan. This report reviews

the scope of the ozone problem in Southwestern Michigan and what it will take to meet federal air quality

standards. There are full color maps of ozone episodes. Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium. (2009).

Western Michigan Ozone Study. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.ladco.org/reports/ozone/post08/

western_michigan_report_final.pdf

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