Description
In 2014 the EPA, NASA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) participated in a joint research endeavor to probe the factors leading to unhealthy air quality conditions and improve the ability to diagnose air quality conditions from space. In this activity you will explore some of the data that was collected during the air pollution field campaigns that happened in the Colorado Front Range during the summer of 2014.
Name:
Natural Sciences Department
Physical Sciences Unit
ENV 110: Environmental Science I
Professor Allison M. Franzese
Assignment 2: Colorado Ozone July 29, 2014*
The goal of this activity is to understand how different human activities and natural conditions
contribute to air pollution, specifically ground-level ozone (O3).
INTRODUCTION
In 2014 the EPA, NASA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) participated
in a joint research endeavor to probe the factors leading to unhealthy air quality conditions and
improve the ability to diagnose air quality conditions from space. In this activity you will explore
some of the data that was collected during the air pollution field campaigns that happened in
the Colorado Front Range during the summer of 2014.
PART A: BACKGROUND
Watch the following short videos to learn more about the research operation and goals:
• DISCOVER-AQ: U.S. EPA kicks off air quality research in Colorado with NASA and NOAA:
•
Air Quality: The FRAPPÉ Field Campaign: https://youtu.be/csaup7sLWFA
1) Consider the information provided in the videos, as well as what you’ve learned in class
about ozone pollution. What two things are required for ground-level ozone to form?
2) How does ozone pollution impact the economy? (Hint: this is in the Frappe video)
3) What is the expected effect of climate change on ozone? Why? (Hint: this is also in the
Frappe video)
Assignment 2: Colorado Ozone
PART B: OZONE POLLUTION AT ONE LOCATION OVER TIME
1) Look at Figure 1 below and answer the questions that follow.
a.
At what time(s) of day are ozone levels lowest?
b.
During what time of day do ozone levels increase steadily?
c.
When do ozone levels exceed safe levels, over 75 ppb?
d.
When do ozone levels drop quickly?
2) Think about your answers to questions 1b and 2. Why do you think ozone levels increased
when they did?
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Assignment 2: Colorado Ozone
3) Now look at Figure 2 and compare it to Figure 1. You may notice that there is a correlation
between the weather conditions and the ozone levels at Chatfield Lake State Park, CO on
July 29, 2014.
a. Describe the weather conditions at the time(s) when ozone was lowest.
b. Describe the weather conditions during the time when ozone levels increase steadily.
c. What happened to the weather conditions at around 2 PM and how does it explain the
rapid drop in ozone levels seen in Figure 1?
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Assignment 2: Colorado Ozone
PART C: COMPARING OZONE POLLUTION AT THREE LOCATIONS
Look at Figure 1 and Figure 3, and compare the ozone levels at the three locations (Chatfield,
Aspen Park, and Denver) all on the same day, July 29, 2014.
1) Look at the patterns in ozone levels for all three locations. Are there any similarities? If so,
describe them.
2) Look at the ozone values at all three locations. Which location(s) had ozone values that
exceeded the safe limit of 75 ppb?
3) Suggest at least one possible reason why ozone might be higher in one area compared to
another.
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Assignment 2: Colorado Ozone
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Based on the Air Quality Teaching Toolbox by the UCAR Center for Science Education, retrieved from
https://scied.ucar.edu/teaching-box/air-quality
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