What regulations are in place to help the cities air quality? A picture or pictures that illustrate the air quality of the city you choose.

Ecology by Geoffrey

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:
    1. CO (Carbon monoxide)
    2. NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide)
    3. O3 (Ground level ozone)
    4. SO2 (Sulfur dioxide)
    5. 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
    1. What environmental problems have occurred in the local area?
      1. Include respiratory disease incidence rates
      2. Discuss any issues with acid precipitation
    2. What regulations are in place to help the cities air quality?
    3. A picture or pictures that illustrate the air quality of the city you choose.

    Web sites that may be of use:

    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