NOTE: AirNow is often down for maintenance from 9p - 1a (Pacific time); please plan your schedule to complete this assignment accordingly. If AirNow is not accessible please go to IQAir (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) and answer the questions below as well as you can!
In this week's discussion, you will do some research into your local air quality.
AirNow (链接到外部网站。)is a site operated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that presents data from EPA's vast network of air quality monitoring sites. If there is data for your location, it will display a gauge of the current and forecast levels of the pollutant with the highest Air Quality Index (AQI; higher AQIs indicate worse air quality). The most common pollutants measured and displayed are PM2.5 and Ozone. Look here for more information about AQI. (链接到外部网站。) https://www.airnow.gov/
If you scroll down to "Current Air Quality", you will see the current numerical score for all pollutants measured at your location. Clicking on the map will take you to an interactive mapping tool.For international locations, look to IQAir (链接到外部网站。). https://www.iqair.com/
For additional context for your local air pollution, NYTimes has an interactive infographic (Links to an external site.) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/02/climate/air-pollution-compare-ar-ul.html
that allows you to compare your air pollution levels to those in the most polluted cities in the world. (If you've already maxed out your free NYTimes articles for the month, here's info (Links to an external site.) https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/c.php?g=836354
for how you can leverage your OSU student status to view this infographic and more NYTimes articles.) (Links to an external site.)
Due: Saturday of Week 7 for initial post; Monday of Week 8 for responses; always by 11:59pm PT. 10 points. We do not accept late discussions!
Discussion Prompts (6pts)
In a paragraph or two, please address the following:
• According to AirNow, what is the current AQI for your location, or the nearest location to you that has data? What does that mean? Describe what the AQI measures and whether your AQI value indicates high or low quality air in your location. (If AirNow is not accessible please go to IQAir (Links to an external site.) and answer the questions as well as you can! )
o If you live in an area with good air quality, why do you think that is? Regulations on emissions? Climate? Time of year?
o If you live in an area with bad air quality, why do you think that is? Local industry/electrical production? CAFOs? Farming or duststorms? Lack of regulations? Climate? Time of year? Something else?
• Look through the NYTimes interactive infographic for the city nearest to you. How does your city's PM pollution compare to some of the comparison cities in the article? How does your city's PM vary seasonally? What other kinds of patterns did you detect in your city's PM pollution over the time series shown? Include a screenshot of the data for the city you chose if you can.
• Cite any external sources you use in your post so your peers can find it too. Include the author or publisher, year/date, title, and url.
Sample Solution