Air
Quality
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Lesson
2: Don't oZone
Out
Introduction | Invitation | Exploration | Explanation | Taking Action | Conclusion
In
this lesson, we will learn about ozone and measure its
concentration in different areas around the school.
In addition,
we'll do a variety of things aimed at increasing our
awareness of ozone and getting us involved in local action
to address the environmental
problem.
Invitation
1.
In your groups, discuss what you already know about
ozone. On a large sheet of
paper,
list the things that you've heard or think you might know
about ozone.
Now investigate the following Internet websites to see how you did as a group.
As
you do consider the following
questions?
a. What is ozone?
b. How can it be both good and
bad?
c. What are the main producers of "bad" ground level
ozone?
d. What is currently being done to reduce
"bad"ozone?
Measuring Ozone
at School
We know now that
ozone on the ground is a pervasive air pollutant and is
difficult to control. We need to concentrate our
efforts on productive actions. In this part of the
lesson, we will particpate in an on-line project known as
Project Ozone. During this time we will measure and
monitor ozone levels in areas around our schools for the
period of 1-4 days. As a group, you should decide on
interesting places to monitor ozone. Do you think areas near
cars and busses will be a problem?
In order to begin the project, go to the following website, register and begin your participation in the project. The methods, materials and procedures will be given at the website but in case you don't have easy access abbreviated instructions are given below. Make sure to enter your data in the the Project Ozone data table.
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Materials:
- Several Ecobadge paper strips.
- Thermometer
- A wind measuring device.
- Topographic map of your school site or a Geographical Positioning System device (to obtain latitiude and longitude)
Procedure:
1. Collect
the materials as directed by your teacher and take your
Ecobadge strips to the
location
selected by your group.
2. Expose
your Ecobadge to the air and return to your classroom until
the exposure time is completed (usually 45-60
minutes.
3.
Retreive the Ecobadge strips and use the equipment provided
to measure the
concentration of
ozone at each location.
4. Repeat these
measurements daily for as long as the study period allows (1
- 4 days).
5.
Compare your results with the results of other
groups. Were the levels within the
acceptable
ranges
Environmental Protection Agency
ranges?
Explanation
What
did you find out about ground-level ozone around your
school? If possible, use CLEO to draw a graph that
will assist you in your analysis of the data. As a
group, try to analyse the data and see if you can determine
any patterns or trends. How does your data compare
with other groups in the class and others in Walker County
and St. Petersburg who have collected data?
Now that we've investigated it is time to discuss our results. We can share opinions and concerns about the ozone through a class discussion and on-line at the Internet Eco-Connections Project Forum.
Top
Taking
Action
Finally, it is important to learn what we can do as individuals to address the problem of "good" ozone. At this point, the layer appears to be thinning and the hole over Antartica appears to be growing. (See a representation of the hole below). Finally, check out what the Environmental Protection Agency recommends at the Individual Actions Can Matter Internet Site.
Ozone Hole Over
Antartica
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Conclusion
Remember, global
environmental problems require local action. With a little
effort, we can all do our part to make the Earth less
polluted.