Name _________________________ Period ______
Worksheet: “Smog City” Model Simulation
Smog City - computer model of ozone pollution in Sacramento, CA:
http://www.smogcity.com/
Air quality data, past and present:
http://www.epa.gov/airnow
Weather data, past and present:
http://www.weather.unisys.com/
By Stephen Jessup, CSIP Graduate Student Fellow, Cornell University
Directions: Use the Smog City model to answer the questions below.
1. How do ozone levels change over the course of a day? When are they highest? Lowest?
2. What is the ozone level (AQI name and approximate numerical value, use the table on p. 2!) for a “medium” population with “medium” emissions levels, a temperature of 100°F, a “low” inversion level, no wind, and full cloud cover?
· AQI Level-
· Numerical value-
How does increasing each of the following affect ozone levels? (Adjust each independently to find out.) In one sentence, explain why each variable is having this effect on ozone concentrations.
a) Temperature?
b) Inversion level?
c) Wind speed?
d) Cloud cover?
4. Which weather variable(s) in question (3) appears to have the greatest influence on
the ozone level.
5. Does weather or population/emission level appear to have a bigger influence on the ozone levels? Explain how you determined your answer.
6. The model assumes that weather and emissions are independent (you can make the temperature warmer, and emissions don't change), but this is often not the case in reality. When the weather changes, people change their behavior and their environment, which may affect emissions levels. Name one example of a way in which a change in the weather could cause a change in emissions.
7. Suppose you are the mayor of Smog City. If you could target only one sector for emissions reduction, which sector would you choose? Why? What types of regulations would you enact to control this sector? What political and economic consequences might result (name one of each)? How would you encourage people to support these regulations?
Sector:
Reason:
Worksheet: “Smog City” Model Simulation
Smog City - computer model of ozone pollution in Sacramento, CA:
http://www.smogcity.com/
Air quality data, past and present:
http://www.epa.gov/airnow
Weather data, past and present:
http://www.weather.unisys.com/
By Stephen Jessup, CSIP Graduate Student Fellow, Cornell University
Directions: Use the Smog City model to answer the questions below.
1. How do ozone levels change over the course of a day? When are they highest? Lowest?
2. What is the ozone level (AQI name and approximate numerical value, use the table on p. 2!) for a “medium” population with “medium” emissions levels, a temperature of 100°F, a “low” inversion level, no wind, and full cloud cover?
· AQI Level-
· Numerical value-
How does increasing each of the following affect ozone levels? (Adjust each independently to find out.) In one sentence, explain why each variable is having this effect on ozone concentrations.
a) Temperature?
b) Inversion level?
c) Wind speed?
d) Cloud cover?
4. Which weather variable(s) in question (3) appears to have the greatest influence on
the ozone level.
5. Does weather or population/emission level appear to have a bigger influence on the ozone levels? Explain how you determined your answer.
6. The model assumes that weather and emissions are independent (you can make the temperature warmer, and emissions don't change), but this is often not the case in reality. When the weather changes, people change their behavior and their environment, which may affect emissions levels. Name one example of a way in which a change in the weather could cause a change in emissions.
7. Suppose you are the mayor of Smog City. If you could target only one sector for emissions reduction, which sector would you choose? Why? What types of regulations would you enact to control this sector? What political and economic consequences might result (name one of each)? How would you encourage people to support these regulations?
Sector:
Reason:
Proposed
Possible political consequences:
Possible economic consequences:
Incentives to encourage people to support these regulations:
