Why is Gramma wheezing?Gramma Neevers came in from the sweltering heat, collapsed into a kitchen chair, wheezing. They had just spent a full day touring the sites in Washington D.C. Her son, Bert, bustled in after her, worried.

“Gramma, if your breathing gets any worse, we may have to get you to a doctor. Even if it gets better, I’m not so sure we should go see the fireworks tonight.”

Gramma shook her head stubbornly. “Now Bert, I didn’t cometo visit you to miss the Fourth of July fireworks. I think it’s thisheat… it’s got to be over a hundred degrees out. I just don’t have these problems back in Aroostook County.”Bert shook his head, “I don’t see how temperature has anything to do with it, Gramma.”

Stacey, Bert’s wife, walked into the kitchen and gave Gramma a quick hug, “I think she’s right, Bert. At thehospital, we usually see more people with breathingproblems when it gets really hot. I overheard one of the doctors say that it has something to do with ozone.”

“I don’t know, Stacey,” said Bert, doubtful, “it could be a lot of other things.”“Hrm”, thought Gramma Neevers, pulling out her smartphone, “These two chowderheads don’t know a darn thing. I need to get some facts!”

Using large pollution data sets in introductory agriculture, biology, and

environmental classes

Group Members: Justin Pruneski, Rich Rosecrance, Rob Swanson, Bruce Wiggins

Summary:Our goal is to create a case study module to investigate EPA air pollution data, while identifying key components of the process that can be applied to other data sets for further case investigations

Target audience: First-year college students (with suggestions for adding material for more advanced courses). Some Excel skills assumed.

Objectives

Instructor will be able to:• Identify potential sources of data for students to explore • Facilitate student exploration of prior knowledge and interests• Guide students use of helpful resources and data sources

Students will be able to:• Summarize the central issues of the case• Develop a question that can be answered with big data• Identify and access large data sets• Use Microsoft Excel to manipulate data and perform statistical

analysis• Use Microsoft Excel to make graphs and charts to visualize data• Use data generated to support or refute their hypotheses • Communicate their results and persuade their peers

Phase I1. Introduce the Case - Students read the case and get (hopefully) get invested in the topic2. Recognize Potential Issues - Students reread to clear up confusion and extract more info3. Identify Major Themes - Students brainstorm what the case is about4. Pose Specific Questions - Students brainstorm what they know about

the topic and what they want to knowExample: analysis of ozone data from EPA

Phase II5. Obtain Additional Resources - Students explore what type of resource

they need to address their questions and try to find them6. Define Problems - Students refine their questions 7. Design and Conduct Scientific Investigations - Students use available resources to collect and analyze data to address their questions

Phase III8. Produce Materials to Support Conclusions - Students communicate the research of their investigation to the class and try to persuade them that

their conclusions are valid

General Structure of the lessonFrom: "How to Use Investigative Cases with Examples"

EPA Site

www.teo.unc

Ozone levels (ppm) at 2 sampling sites--2011

Washington DC Aroostook County, Maine

Federal standard (0.075 ppm)

Potential student questions with available resources•The link between forest fires or other exceptional events and ozone. See this website: www.epa.gov/airnow/2011conference/forecasting/Murphey.ppt.•The relationship between weather conditions and air pollution levels. See later on for a more detailed example. See http://weatherspark.com/ for one source of weather data•The effect of city size or population on air pollution levels•The effect of the number of vehicles on air pollution, or the amount of pollution produced from vehicles in different eras•Data for motor vehicle registrations per capita, from Gapminder USA http://www.gapminder.org/labs/•Change in pollutant concentrations over time (This could be visualized using google motion chart, a gadget within Google Docs)•Comparing different pollutants (EPA site has data on CO, Pb, NO2, Ozone, PM10, PM2.5, and SO2)•The effects of air pollution on particular health conditions (ex. asthma, lung cancer). Asthma measures: http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/brfss/2010/brfssdata.htm•Are certain areas over/under the EPA standards (daily, monthly, yearly average). What is the right standard?•Comparison of US cities to other cities around the world (ex. Mexico City)•If students are interested in the effect of elevation, they can google elevation data for the particular cities/locations they are interested in•Type and amount of energy use. Data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, in Excel format http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/energy_utilities/electricity.html•Agricultural data. Data for total acreage of farm land, from Gapminder USA•http://www.gapminder.org/labs/•Data for a number of different agricultural measures from the U.S. Census Bureau, in Excel Format http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/agriculture/crops.htmllture/crops.html

Sampling Locations Google Earth

Interactive map of ozone sampling sites using Google Earth

Federal Pollution StandardsPollutant Type Standard Averaging TimeSO2 Primary 0.14 ppm (365 μg/m3) 24-hourPM10 Primary and

Secondary150 μg/m³ 24-hour

PM2.5 Primary and Secondary

35 μg/m³ 24-hour

CO Primary 9 ppm (10 mg/m³) 8-hourO3 Primary and

Secondary0.075 ppm (150 μg/m³) 8-hour

NO2 Primary and Secondary

0.053 ppm (100 μg/m³) annual

Pb Primary and Secondary

0.15 μg/m³ Rolling 3 months

Example of Weather Data (CIMMIS – CA)

Example Weather Data

Effect of wind

Effect of temp

R = 0.034R2 = 0.0012

Special thanks to:

Karen Lucci, Margaret Waterman, Kelly SturnerGary Morris for consultation on ozone and pollution issues

ReferencesThe format and much of the instruction language for this case study was taken from Starting Point: Teaching Entry level Geoscience website, specifically the How to Use Investigative Cases with Examples webpage http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/icbl/how.html accessed 6/20/12

Anderson, W.; G.J. Prescott, S. Packham, J. Mullins, M. Brookes, and A. Seaton (2001). "Asthma admissions and thunderstorms: a study of pollen, fungal spores, rainfall, and ozone". QJM: an International Journal of Medicine (Oxford Journals) 94 (8): 429–433. DOI:10.1093/qjmed/94.8.429. PMID 11493720 Health Aspects of Air Pollution with Particulate Matter, Ozone and Nitrogen DioxideReport on a WHO Working Group, Bonn, Germany 13–15 January 2003