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Environmental
Curricula Handbook:
Tools in Your Schools
t-L
E M P A
T
Environmental Monitoring for Public Access
& Community Tracking
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Disclaimer
This document has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved for publication.
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EPA/625/R-02/009
www.epa.gov/empact
December 2002
Environmental Curricula Handbook:
Tools in Your Schools
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
Office of Environmental Information
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on paper that contains a minimum of
50% postconsumer fiber content processed chlorine-free.
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Acknowledgments
The development of this handbook was managed by Dr. Dan Petersen (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
While developing this handbook, we sought the input of many individuals. Gratitude is expressed to each person
for their involvement and contributions.
Beth Gorman, Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, Tucson, AZ
Susan Green, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), Boston, MA
George Host, University of Minnesota, Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN
Kristin Kenausis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Richard List, Syracuse City School District, Syracuse, NY
Kim Ornberg, Seminole County Public Works Department, Stormwater Division, Sanford, FL
Curry Rosato, City of Boulder Public Works/Utilities, Water Quality and Environmental Services, Boulder, CO
Julie Silverman and Kara Lenorovitz, Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, VT
Jodi Sugarman-Brozan, Alternatives for Community and Environment, Roxbury MA
Pete Tebeau, University of Connecticut, Bridgeport, CT
Rudi Thompson, University of North Texas, Dallas, TX
John White, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
Adam Zeller, Earth Day Coalition, Cleveland, OH
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Contents
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 What Was EMPACT? 1
1.2 What is the Purpose of This Handbook? 2
2.0 How Do EMPACT Programs Work in Schools? 3
2.1 Environmental Education—Why Teach Students About the Environment? 3
2.2 Lesson Creation 101—How To Incorporate EMPACT Lessons and Ideas Into Age-
Appropriate Curricula 3
2.3 Making the Grade—How to Identify and Use Quality Environmental Education Materials 4
3.0 Teaching the Teacher—How Do I Make an EMPACT on My Students? 6
3.1 Air 6
Why should we be concerned about air quality?
Why should we be concerned about UV radiation?
Additional resources
3.2 Water 7
Why should we be concerned about water quality?
Additional resources
3-3 Soil and Land 7
Why should we be concerned about soil quality?
Why should we be concerned about land resources?
Additional resources
4.0 Air-Based Projects 9
4.1 Teacher Tips 9
4.2 The Tools 11
4.2.1 AirBeat (Boston, Massachusetts) 11
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
4.2.2 Air CURRENTS (New York and New Jersey) 12
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
4.2.3 Airlnfo Now (Tucson, Arizona) 14
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
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4.2.4 AIRNow (National) 16
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
4.2.5 Community Accessible Air Quality Monitoring Assessment (Northeast Ohio) 18
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
4.2.6 ECOPLEX (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas) 19
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
4.2.7 SunWise School Program (National) 20
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.0 Water-Based Projects 23
5-1 Teacher Tips 23
5.2 The Tools 25
5.2.1 Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN) (Boulder, Colorado) 25
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.2.2 Burlington Eco-Info (Burlington, Vermont) 27
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.2.3 ECOPLEX (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas) 29
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.2.4 Lake Access (Minnesota) 31
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.2.5 Monitoring Your Sound (MY Sound) (Long Island Sound, New York) 33
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
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Resources
5.2.6 Online Dynamic Watershed Atlas (Seminole County, Florida) 35
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
5.2.7 Onondaga Lake/Seneca River (Syracuse, New York) 36
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
6.0 Land-Use and Soil-Based Projects 39
6.1 Teacher Tips 39
6.2 The Tools 40
6.2.1 Northeast Ohio Urban Growth Simulator 40
Introduction
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Resources
Appendix A: Additional Resources 42
Appendix B: Glossary of Terms 45
Appendix C: Activities by Grade Level 53
Appendix D: Activities by Subject 54
Appendix E: Selected Lesson Plans and Activities (HTML versions only) 55
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1.0 Introduction
Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's knowledge and
awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary
skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and
commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action (UNESCO,
Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).
1.1 What Was EMPACT?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Environmental
Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program to
take advantage of new technologies that make it possible to provide environ-
mental information to the public in near real-time. EPA partnered with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) to help achieve nationwide consistency in measuring
environmental data, managing the information, and delivering it to the public.
Through the use of grants, EMPACT helped local governments build monitor-
ing infrastructure in metropolitan areas across the country, addressing questions
such as:
• What is the ozone level in my city today?
• How is the water quality at the beach today?
• What is the UV Index in my area today?
EMPACT projects aim to help communities:
• Collect, manage, and distribute time-relevant environmental information.
• Provide their residents with easy-to-understand, practical information they
can use to make informed, day-to-day decisions.
Some projects were initiated directly by EPA; others were launched by commu-
nities with the help of EPA-funded "Metro Grants." EMPACT projects helped
local governments build monitoring infrastructures and disseminate environ-
mental information to millions of people.
EMPACT projects have been initiated in 156 metropolitan areas. These projects
cover a wide range of environmental issues, such as groundwater contamination,
ocean pollution, smog, and overall ecosystem quality. Having met the program
goals, EMPACT ended in 2001. Many projects continue to provide realtime
environmental information to local residents.
Recognizing that educating our youth is vital to the future of our planet, many
EMPACT projects have incorporated curricula- or school-based components.
The curricula are hands-on in their approach and complement the objectives of
their associated EMPACT projects. Therefore, the activities and lessons either
involve the utilization of monitoring data collected under a particular project or
encourage student monitoring to assist project efforts.
Introduction
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1.2 What Is fhe Purpose of This Handbook?
This handbook is designed to provide teachers and other educators with guid-
ance on how to teach students about environmental issues related to air, water,
and soil quality. It provides information to help educators incorporate environ-
mental education into the classroom. The handbook is organized as follows:
• Chapter 2: How Do EMPACT Programs Work in Schools discusses why
environmental education is important, how to incorporate the lessons and
ideas highlighted in this handbook into age-appropriate curricula, and how
to identify quality environmental education materials.
• Chapter 3: Teaching the Teacher—How Do I Make an EMPACT on My
Students? provides background information on air, water, and soil and why
we should be concerned about the quality of these substances.
• Chapter 4: Air-Based Projects covers the air-based EMPACT projects and
their curriculum components.
• Chapter 5: Water-Based Projects covers the water-based EMPACT projects
and their curriculum components.
• Chapter 6: Land-Use and Soil-Based Projects covers the land- and soil-
based EMPACT projects and their curriculum components.
This handbook can assist educators in designing lesson plans and activities to
teach the principles of environmental science. It highlights a host of EMPACT
projects that have developed or are developing curricula or other classroom
materials to foster student learning. The highlighted projects cover a variety of
grade levels (see Appendix C: Activities by Grade Level). Therefore, this hand-
book can be used by any teacher, from kindergarten through grade 12. In addi-
tion, college-level materials have been developed for some projects. Moreover, in
most cases, the activities and lessons geared towards one particular grade can
easily be adapted for others. Teachers and educators can review the project
descriptions and read about the activities, lesson plans, and tools they employ to
develop ideas for their own classrooms. In addition, the handbook includes
resources and contact information and in some cases a Web site where lesson
plans and activities can be accessed directly.
This handbook also references supplementary sources of information, such as
Web sites, publications, organizations, and contacts, that can help the user find
more detailed guidance. (See Appendix A: Additional Resources)
Introduction
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2.0 How Do EMPACT
Programs Work in
Schools?
2.1 Environmental Education—Why Teach Students
About the Environment?
Environmental information is important because it
affects our daily lives. For example, if you know the air
quality is poor on a particular day, you might choose to
skip your daily jog or exercise early in the morning when
air quality is usually better. Environmental education typ-
ically incorporates aspects of economics, culture, politics,
and social equity, as well as natural processes and systems.
Teaching young people about the environment can help
them see the many ways in which people affect the world
around them by their actions today, which have conse-
quences for the future health of the environment.
Environmental education can foster in children of all ages
an awareness and sensitivity to the natural world, inspir-
ing students to increase their knowledge of the environment, identify environ-
mental challenges, and become motivated about resolving these challenges.
Learning about environmental challenges can also show students first-hand how
their individual and collective actions can affect their own health, the environ-
ment, the country, and society as a whole. As a result, learning about the envi-
ronment can help young people make
informed day-to-day decisions, influence
their peers and caregivers, and grow up to be
better citizens.
2.2 Lesson Creation 101 —
How to Incorporate
EMPACT Lessons and
Ideas Into Age-
Appropriate Curricula
The EMPACT tools described in this hand-
book use real-time technologies to help
develop children's research and reasoning
skills. Lessons focus on inquiry-based, hands-
on learning. Students not only learn about
environmental issues but also are encouraged
to explore how feelings, experiences, atti-
tudes, and perceptions influence these issues.
This type of teaching helps students develop
Reducing the Risks
Children can be exposed to a number of environmental
hazards in their homes, schools, and playgrounds—
from tobacco smoke to lead-based paint.
Environmental education can help raise teacher, parent,
and student awareness of these risks, thereby helping to
reduce children's exposure to these hazards over time.
For example, asthma is currently the most common
chronic childhood illness in the United States. Over the
past 15 years, major advances have been made in
understanding the complex interplay between asthma,
environmental exposures, and other factors.
This knowledge is helping pediatricians, schools, chil-
dren, and their caregivers take steps to not only miti-
gate asthma triggers, but also to learn how to manage
this illness on a day-to-day basis (i.e., on high ozone
days, asthmatics should not play outside).
How Do EMPACT Programs Work in Schools?
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the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and team-working skills needed in today's
technology- driven world.
EMPACT lessons typically use hands-on, laboratory-based approaches, such as
those favored by groups like the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
and the National Science Foundation (NSF). As such, they often fit best in a
science curriculum, but they are also often multidisciplinary so that the lessons
can be incorporated into many different subject areas.
While science forms the foundation for many of the EMPACT lessons in this
handbook, social science, health, language arts, math, and other subjects are also
covered, as they are critical to fully understanding environmental issues and
their impacts on society. (See Appendix D: Activities by Subject.)
For example, the Northeast Ohio (NEO) EMPACT project teaches students
about air quality and urban sprawl through a set of 10 hands-on exercises and
science experiments. Also included in the lessons are activities that develop lan-
guage arts skills, such as composing a letter about acid rain for local legislators
or completing air quality word searches and crossword puzzles.
The tools referenced in this handbook also serve a range of ages and grades.
EMPACT lessons at the primary grades are designed so that younger children
can explore the environment and learn basic concepts. At the higher grades,
children perform increasingly more sophisticated experiments and data gather-
ing and interpreting tasks.
For example, in the ECOPLEX curriculum (K-8), kindergartners take ultravio-
let-sensitive beads outside to see how the beads change colors, thereby discover-
ing where and when the sun's ultraviolet rays are strongest. At the third grade
level, students use construction paper and colored pattern blocks to learn how
oxygen is converted to ozone. Eighth graders learn how chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) contribute to ozone depletion through chemistry experiments that
demonstrate how compounds separate in a chemical reaction.
A number of the EMPACT tools described in this handbook teach global issues
via a local or regional environmental problem; others have a national scope, and
some projects reinforce the national scope by enabling students to exchange data
and observations with other classrooms across the country.
Finally, most EMPACT lessons have been developed with the help of both tech-
nical and curriculum experts, ensuring their accuracy and applicability to state
and national education standards.
2.3 Making fhe Grade—How fo Identify and Use
Qualify Environmental Education Materials
EMPACT tools, like all quality environmental education materials, encourage
exploration. Acquiring information changes from a static to active learning
process. Students participate in defining goals, gaining knowledge, and present-
ing results in a variety of formats.
How can schools recognize and use quality environmental education materials?
According to the North American Association for Environmental Education
Chapter 2
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(NAAEE), quality environmental education materials should possess six key
characteristics, as listed below. It is useful for educators to be aware of these
characteristics and to reinforce them in the classroom when teaching students
about the environment.
#1 Fairness and accuracy. Environmental education materials should be fair
and accurate in describing environmental problems, issues, and conditions,
and in reflecting the diversity of perspectives on them. Materials should have
factual accuracy, a balanced presentation of differing viewpoints and theories,
openness to inquiry, and reflection of diversity.
#2 Depth. Environmental education materials should foster awareness of the
natural and built environment, an understanding of environmental concepts,
conditions, and issues, and an awareness of the feelings, values, attitudes, and
perceptions at the heart of environmental issues, as appropriate for different
developmental levels. Materials should focus on concepts that are set in a
context that includes social and economic as well as ecological aspects and
demonstrate attention to different scales.
#3 Emphasis on skills building. Environmental education materials should
build lifelong skills that enable learners to prevent and address environmental
issues. Materials should encourage the use of critical thinking and creative
skills. Students should learn to arrive at conclusions about what needs to be
done based on thorough research and study and should gain basic skills to
participate in resolving environmental issues.
#4 Action orientation. Environmental education materials should promote
civic responsibility, encouraging learners to use their knowledge, personal
skills, and assessments of environmental issues as a basis for environmental
problem solving and action. Materials should instill a sense of personal stake,
responsibility, and self-efficacy
#5 Instructional soundness. Environmental education materials should rely on
instructional techniques that create an effective learning environment.
Instruction should be learner-centered—materials should offer different ways
of learning, and there should be a connection to everyday life. In addition,
learning should occur in environments that extend beyond the boundaries of
the classroom, and materials should recognize the disciplinary nature of envi-
ronmental education. The goals and objectives of the materials should be
clear, the materials should be appropriate for specific learning settings, and
they should include a means for assessing learner progress.
#6 Usability. Environmental education materials should be well designed and
easy to use. Materials should be clear and logical to both educators and
learners, inviting and easy to use, long-lived, adaptable, and accompanied by
instruction and support. In addition, materials should make substantiated
claims and fit in with national, state, or local requirements.
For more information on NAAEE's Environmental Education Materials:
Guidelines for Excellence, visit .
How Do EMPACT Programs Work in Schools?
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3.0 Teaching the Teacher:
How Do I Make an
EMPACT on My Students?
3.1 Air
Why should we be concerned about air quality?
Air quality in many U.S. cities is being degraded by human activities such
as driving, chemical manufacturing, the burning of fossil fuels, and other
industrial and commercial operations. Air pollution also comes from
smaller, everyday activities such as dry cleaning or filling your car with gas.
As more people drive vehicles, require more electricity, and conduct other
activities, more gases and particles are added to the air we breathe. This
pollution can reach levels dangerous to humans and the environment.
While air pollution poses a health risk to all humans, it is especially dangerous
for children and people with respiratory illnesses. The biggest air pollution-relat-
ed health threat to children is asthma. Other problems associated with high lev-
els of air pollutants, such as ozone, include irritated eyes or throat or breathing
difficulties. Air pollution also contributes to acid rain, smog, haze, and climate
change, all of which can drastically affect the environment.
Why should we be concerned about ultraviolet (UV) radiation?
The sun produces three types of UV radiation, much of which is absorbed by the
Earth's atmosphere. However, UVA and some UVB are not absorbed and can cause
sunburns and other health problems. UV radiation exposure has been linked to health
effects including: skin cancers such as melanoma; other skin problems such as prema-
ture aging; cataracts and other eye damage; and immune system suppression. Many of
these problems, however, can be prevented with proper protection from UV radiation.
Additional EPA resources
• EPA's Office of Air and Radiation: .
• EPA's Clean Air Markets Web site has information on acid rain:
.
• EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality has information on air
pollution caused by mobile sources: .
• EPA's SunWise School Program has information on UV radiation and
sun protection: .
• EPA's Web site for teachers: .
• EPA's Air Web site for kids includes information, activities, and
games about various issues: .
Chapter 3
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3.2 Water
Why should we be concerned about water quality?
Perhaps the most important problem facing U.S. water bodies
today is nonpoint source (NFS) pollution—pollution from many
diffuse sources as opposed to one distinct source. NFS pollution
is caused by rainfall or snowmelt picking up, carrying, and even-
tually depositing pollutants into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal
waters, or underground sources of drinking water. These pollu-
tants include: fertilizers, pesticides, and animal wastes from agri-
cultural lands and residential areas; oil, grease, salts, and toxic
chemicals from urban runoff; sediment from improperly man-
aged construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks; miner-
als from abandoned mines; bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes,
and faulty septic systems; and atmospheric deposition, such as acid rain.
Urban runoff can pose a dual threat to water quality. Natural areas such as
forests and wetlands absorb rainwater and snowmelt so that it slowly filters into
the ground, reaching waters gradually. In contrast, urban landscapes contain
nonporous surfaces like roads, parking lots, and buildings that cause runoff con-
taining toxic oil and grease to increase. Adding to this problem are storm sewer
systems that channel large volumes of quickly flowing runoff into a water body,
eroding streambanks and damaging streamside vegetation. Native fish and other
aquatic life cannot survive in urban streams because of the urban runoff.
Another type of NFS pollution, acid rain deposition, also greatly impacts fresh-
water environments. When the rate of acids entering lakes and streams is faster
than the rate at which the water and surrounding soil can neutralize it, the
water becomes acidic. Increased acidity and its associated chemical reactions are
highly toxic to many species of fish, insects, plants, and other aquatic species.
NFS pollution has led to beach closures, unsafe
drinking water, fish kills, and other severe environ-
mental and human health problems. For example, a
large increase of nitrates in drinking water can pose a
threat to young children, causing a condition known
as "blue baby syndrome." If left untreated, the con-
dition can be fatal. Even adults can be affected by
continuous exposure to microbial contaminants at
levels over EPA's safety standards. When this occurs,
people can become ill, especially if their immune sys-
tems are already weak. Examples of the chronic
effects of drinking water contaminants are cancer,
liver or kidney problems, or reproductive difficulties.
3.3 Soil and Land
Why should we be concerned about soil quality?
Soil contamination is a result of either solid or liquid hazardous substances mix-
ing with the naturally occurring soil. Plants can be damaged when they take up
Additional EPA resources
• EPA's Office of Water homepage:
.
• EPA's Office of Water Nonpoint Source
Pollution page: .
• EPA's Office of Water Quality page:
.
• EPA's Web site for teachers:
.
Teaching the Teacher
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contaminants through their roots. Contaminants in the soil can adversely
impact the health of animals and humans when they ingest, inhale, or touch
contaminated soil, or when they eat plants or animals that have been exposed to
contaminated soil. Animals ingest and come into contact with contaminants
when they burrow in contaminated soil. Humans can be exposed to toxic ele-
ments when they farm, handle, and distribute food and non-food crops. Young
children are especially at risk when they play ingest, or dig in contaminated soil.
Certain contaminants, when they contact our skin, are absorbed into our bodies.
When contaminants are attached to small surface soil particles they can become
airborne as dust and can be inhaled.
Soil contamination can be caused by industrial and chemical byproducts seeping
into the soil, spreading metallic substances such as lead, chromium, arsenic, and
cadmium. This contamination can also occur from lead-based paints, irrigation,
solid waste disposal, fertilizers, and pesticide application. Leaded paint continues
to cause most of the severe lead poisoning in children in the United States. It
has the highest concentration of lead per unit of weight and is the most wide-
spread of the various sources, being found in approximately 21 million pre-1940
homes. Dust and soil lead—derived from flaking, weathering, and chalking
paint—plus airborne lead fallout and waste disposal over the years, are the major
sources of potential childhood lead exposure.
Additional EPA resources
• Information on EPA's Superfund Program:
.
• Extensive information on brownfields, urban
redevelopment news, and resources:
.
• The Trust for Public Land, an organization
devoted to land conservation: .
• Information on brownfields on EPA's Web site:
.
Why should we be concerned about land
resources?
One of the most pressing land issues in America
today is urban sprawl. Sprawl is "the unplanned,
uncontrolled spreading of urban development into
areas adjoining the edge of a city" (Source:
Dictionary.com). This translates to a conversion of
rural areas, such as forests and farmlands, into sin-
gle family homes and strip malls. This type of
development uses land inefficiently and increases
vehicle miles traveled as people spend more time
commuting to and from work.
Another issue affecting American landscapes is that
of brownfields and Superfund sites. Superfund is a
program administered by EPA to clean up areas
where the dumping of chemical and other haz-
ardous wastes might be affecting public health and
the environment. Brownfields—abandoned or
underutilized industrial or commercial properties
with possible environmental contamination—are
one type of Superfund site. The cleanup and possi-
ble development of brownfields will remove envi-
ronmental hazards from, and increase the economic
well-being of many communities.
Chapter 3
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4.0 Air-Based Projects
4.1 Teacher Tips
Local air quality affects how we live and breathe. Like the weather, it can change
from day to day or even hour to hour. EPA and other organizations make infor-
mation about outdoor air quality as available to the public as information about
the weather. A key tool in this effort is the Air Quality Index (AQI). EPA and
local officials use the AQI to provide the public with timely and easy-to-under-
stand information on local air quality. The AQI tells the public how clean or
polluted the air is and what associated health concerns they should be aware of.
The AQI focuses on health effects that can happen within a few hours or days
of breathing polluted air. EPA uses the AQI for five major air pollutants regulat-
ed by the Clean Air Act—ground-level ozone, particu-
late matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and
nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has
established national air quality standards to protect
against harmful health effects. The AQI uses a scale of
values to indicate the level of health concern and associ-
ated color-coded warning. Many EMPACT projects
that focus on air quality involve monitoring and collect-
ing near real-time data for the AQI pollutants. In addi-
tion, some air projects monitor data related to
ultraviolet (UV) radiation, due to its association with
stratospheric ozone depletion. For more information on
the AQI, go to . For more
information on UV radiation and stratospheric ozone
depletion, go to .
Air Quality Index (AQI)*
AQI Number Health Concern
0 to 50
51 to 100
Moderate
Color Code
Green
Yellow
101 to 150
Unhealthy for
sensitive groups
151 to 200 Unhealthy
201 to 300 Very unhealthy
Purple
*Although ozone reports are primarily made for
metropolitan areas, ozone can be carried by the
wind to rural areas, where it can cause health
problems.
The following are the most common pollutants for which air data is monitored
and collected and a description of why the information is important.
Throughout this section of the handbook you will read about how this air qual-
ity data plays a role in various EMPACT curricula.
• Ozone (O3): Ozone is an odorless, colorless gas composed of three atoms of
oxygen. It occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) and
at ground-level. The ozone in the stratosphere is considered "good" ozone
because it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful UV
rays. This ozone is gradually being destroyed by manmade chemicals, such as
chlorofluorocarbons. A tool called the UV Index measures the intensity of
the sun's rays and can help you plan outdoor activities safely.
At ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power
plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react
chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone is unhealthful
and is especially problematic during summer months when it is sunny and
hot. Ozone can irritate the respiratory system, causing coughing, throat irri-
tation, and/or an uncomfortable sensation in the chest. High risk groups
include children or anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors in warm
weather and people with respiratory diseases.
Air-Based Projects
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Particulate matter: Paniculate matter (PM) includes both solid particles and
liquid droplets found in the air. Many manmade and natural sources emit
PM directly or emit other pollutants that react in the atmosphere to form
PM. These particles range in size, with those less than 10 micrometers in
diameter posing the greatest health concern because they can be inhaled and
accumulate in the respiratory system, causing health problems. Particles less
than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are referred to as "fine" particles, and
sources include all types of combustion. Particles between 2.5 and 10
micrometers are consider "coarse," and sources include crushing or grinding
operations and dust from roads. Coarse particles can aggravate respiratory
conditions such as asthma, and exposure to fine particles is associated with
several serious health effects, including premature death.
Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, tasteless, odorless
gas that forms when the carbon in fuels does not completely burn. The
major sources of CO pollution include cars, trucks, and buses; airplanes;
trains; gas lawnmowers; snowmobiles; power plants; trash incinerators; and
wildfires. CO concentrations are usually highest during cold weather because
cold temperatures make combustion less complete and cause inversions that
trap pollutants low to the ground. When CO is breathed, it replaces the oxy-
gen that we normally breathe, which deprives the brain and heart of this nec-
essary element. As a result, when exposed to CO, a person might notice
shortness of breath or a slight headache. People with cardiovascular disease
are most sensitive to risk from CO exposure, and in healthy individuals,
exposure to higher levels of CO can affect mental alertness and vision.
Sulfur dioxide: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a colorless, reactive gas that is pro-
duced during the burning of sulfur-containing fuels such as coal and oil,
during metal smelting, and by other industrial processes. Major sources
include power plants and industrial boilers. Children and adults with asthma
who are active outdoors are most vulnerable to the health effects of SO2. The
primary response to even a brief period of exposure is a narrowing of the air-
ways, which may cause symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, and
shortness of breath. When exposure ends, lung function typically returns to
normal within an hour. At high levels, SO2 may cause similar symptoms in
non-asthmatics.
Nitrogen dioxide: Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a reddish-brown, highly reac-
tive gas formed when nitric oxide combines with oxygen in the atmosphere.
Once it has formed, NO2 reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
eventually resulting in the formation of ground-level ozone. Major sources of
NO2 include automobiles and power plants. In children and adults with res-
piratory disease, such as asthma, NO2 can cause respiratory symptoms such
as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. In children, short-term
exposure can increase the risk of respiratory illness.
10 C h a p t e r 4
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4.2 The Tools
4.2.1 AirBeat (Roxbury, Massachusetts)
Introduction
The AirBeat EMPACT project centers around an air monitoring
system—the first of its kind in Massachusetts. The monitoring sys-
tem, which is sustained by a collaboration of universities, govern-
ments, and community organizations, enables residents to check
real-time air pollution levels via a telephone hotline or the AirBeat
Web site at . AirBeat measures ground-level
ozone and fine particle pollution and focuses on reducing the
health effects they have on Roxbury residents, who suffer from
high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Part of the outreach for AirBeat involves educating teachers and students about
air quality and its health and environmental effects. Alternatives for Community
and Environment (ACE)—a local nonprofit organization—integrated air moni-
toring into its environmental justice curriculum for local schools by developing
an air quality flag warning system that is managed by a local school. Students use
AirBeat data to assess air quality on a daily basis and hang flags that correspond
to air quality at two locations. The flags advise Roxbury residents about air quali-
ty so they can take precautions if they suffer from asthma or other illnesses.
ACE also visits classrooms to administer its air pollution curriculum module,
which includes these lessons:
• How to Build Your Own Black Carbon Monitor, adapted from the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, teaches students to build a black carbon mon-
itor from commonly available items and analyze its measurements.
• Students distribute the Survey of Air Pollution Awareness to local residents,
then analyze the results to gauge residents' knowledge of air pollution and
asthma.
"•*• t-f-H-tP 'J----»H t-ri
Resources
For more information, contact Jodi Sugerman-Brozan of Alternatives for
Community and Environment at 617 442-3343, ext. 23, or
and visit the AirBeat Web site at , where the above lessons
can be downloaded.
Air-Based Projects
1 1
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4.2.2 Air CURRENTS (New York and New Jersey)
Introduction
Air CURRENTS is a curriculum designed to educate middle and high school
students about air, air pollution, and air monitoring techniques. The project's
name, which stands for Collaboration of Urban, Rural, and Regional
Environmental Networks of Teachers and Students, reflects its focus on teachers,
students, and learning. The curriculum emphasizes a hands-on, problem-solving
approach, after which students implement what they've learned to make changes
in the community or region. Teachers and students, in collaboration with com-
munity groups, use a portable air monitoring system to do outdoor air monitor-
ing studies in their schools and communities. However, the curriculum can be
taught with or without employing the air monitor.
The goal of the Air CURRENTS project is to provide the tools and informa-
tion necessary for students, teachers, and community-based groups to obtain a
general assessment of the air quality in their neighborhoods. Additional goals of
the Air CURRENTS program are to integrate environmental learning into core
math, science, and social studies curricula; engage students and teachers in sci-
entifically meaningful air monitoring projects; use the Internet to connect par-
ticipating schools to one another and to resources for air quality and health
effects information; and work with schools to aid in developing a community
understanding of the complexities of local environmental problems.
The development of the Air CURRENTS curriculum was a collaboration of
state and federal agencies, universities, community-based organizations, and
educators. The project was managed by Northeast States for Coordinated Air
Use Management (NESCAUM), whose purpose is to exchange technical infor-
mation and to promote cooperation and coordination of technical policy issues
among member states. EPA provided a portion of the funding through the
EMPACT program to bring the Air CURRENTS curriculum to four EMPACT
cities: Buffalo and Brooklyn, NY, and Camden and Newark, NJ.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
The Air CURRENTS curriculum helps students in grades 6 through 12 under-
stand the causes, consequences, and political complexities of managing air quali-
ty. The curriculum is extensive. It contains over 30 consecutive lessons that
complete what the Air CURRENTS educators refer to as the full "Science-
Technology-Society" (STS) circle. Students complete the STS circle in three
steps: (1) gain an understanding of the scientific concepts related to air quality
through hands-on laboratory investigations; (2) collect and analyze data after
mastering the use of an air quality monitor; and, (3) take appropriate social
advocacy actions to support their data and conclusions. Educators believe that
since the curriculum actively engages students in a process, it allows them to
intimately understand various points of view, so they can create a well-informed
opinion about air quality issues for themselves.
The first part of the curriculum introduces important concepts about air—prov-
ing that it exists and can be measured, even though students cannot see it.
12 Chapter4
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Students learn about particulate matter and gases such as carbon monoxide.
Lessons in the first section provide the conceptual framework for the use of the
portable monitor in the second section. Students learn to operate and collect
indoor and outdoor air quality data using the ACCESS™ (A Computerized
Community-based Environmental Sampling System) portable air quality moni-
tor. After developing a scientific hypothesis and testing it by collecting air quali-
ty data using the ACCESS system, students then analyze their data and develop
reports describing their findings. While the Web site was active, students posted
data files or reports on the Air CURRENTS Web site to share with other stu-
dents. Students can create a report from a downloaded data file by using the
ACCESS™ software from PAX Analytics. Finally, students learn a series of les-
sons in science, social studies, language arts, math, and arts to complete an
advocacy program they could undertake in their community.
Although the curriculum is designed to be used with a portable monitor, the
monitor is not required, and segments of the curriculum offer valuable lessons
by themselves. The Air CURRENTS curriculum can be taught by a team of
teachers across disciplines, but has the flexibility to be taught by science or
social studies teachers alone. At the middle school level, the most effective
model for this curriculum is where students have designated times for subject
areas. At the high school level, teachers have worked in teams of two, either
team teaching or working in a parallel model. The environmental sciences are
the obvious choices for these curricula, where it can be a self-contained two- to
three-month unit, but schools have implemented it into American government,
economics, and technology courses.
The Air CURRENTS curriculum utilizes a constructivist approach, which
requires teachers to foster an environment for inquiry-based learning. The con-
structivist approach is based on the premise that human nature dictates that we
construct our own understandings of the world in which we live. This approach
allows students to actively interact with objects and ideas to test their own pre-
conceptions; then, through reflection of those interactions, develop an under-
standing. Teachers should establish cooperative learning groups, in which the
constructivist model works well. Cooperative learning creates a structured natu-
ral environment that promotes collaboration. The teacher, or facilitator in this
approach, floats from group to group, to provide guidance as well as ask
thought-provoking questions that may encourage their investigations. Students
who are exposed to the constructivist model should be given time and space to
reflect. Therefore, teachers should encourage students to keep ongoing journals
and have an opportunity to reflect on, modify, and redesign their investigations
while they are not actively involved in them.
Resources
For more information, or to order a copy of the Air CURRENTS curriculum,
contact Susan Green at NESCAUM at 617 367-8540. The NESCAUM Web
site has additional information but does not offer the cur-
riculum for downloading. NESCAUM exchanges technical information and
promotes cooperation and coordination of technical policy issues regarding air
quality control among member states. They sponsor air quality training pro-
Air-BasedProjects 13
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grams, participate in national debates on air quality, assist in the exchange of
information, and promote research.
The Air CURRENTS Web site identifies partners and
provides a form for completing the project plan, which can be submitted for
review.
4.2.3 Air Info Now: Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and
Community Tracking (Pima County, Arizona)
Introduction
The Air Info Now project provides current air quality information for the met-
ropolitan Tucson area. The Web site was developed
under an EMPACT grant along with assistance from the University of Arizona,
The American Lung Association, and the Pima Association of Governments.
The project site provides information on air pollutants, their health effects,
activities to help in understanding air pollution, and historic and current moni-
toring data.
Tucson, Arizona, is an urban area with a strong public appreciation for and
commitment to the surrounding natural environment. The public has shown
increasing concern over air pollution, both in terms of individual health and
potential environmental impacts in the mountains and high desert lands that
are valued locally and worldwide for their pristine condition. Many residents
move to the area to alleviate health problems, and therefore, the area has a high-
er than average percentage of residents who are sensitive to air pollutants. In
addition, there are economically disadvantaged areas within the city that have
higher documented rates of asthma in children, so the timely dissemination of
air pollution data is especially important.
The overall objective of the Air Info Now project is to produce media and pub-
lic communication programs about air quality, the Tucson environment, health
concerns, and local solutions to improve air quality. Other objectives of the
project include the following:
• Collecting and disseminating accurate, understandable, and timely air pollu-
tion information.
• Expanding associated outreach and education programs to improve under-
standing of the relationships between air quality, climate, and health effects.
• Allow the community to address local air pollution problems and solutions
based on credible scientific information.
The project employs 80 instruments at 18 air monitoring sites throughout the
Tucson metropolitan area. In addition to monitoring carbon monoxide, ground-
level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and paniculate matter (PM10 and
PM 2.5), for which EPA has National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the proj-
ect monitors various meteorological parameters that affect air pollution. These
parameters include wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity,
and UV radiation.
14 Chapter4
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Lessons, Tools, and Activities
The Air Info Now project has developed several
sets of activities and experiments designed to teach
students about pollution prevention, the relation-
ship between air quality and health, and data
analysis. The classroom activities offer older stu-
dents the opportunity to study the health risks
that come from ambient airborne pollution in
Tucson. The Web site also includes accompanying
teacher guides.
Activities (Grades 7 to 12):
Through real-time data collection activities, stu-
dents learn to analyze and interpret the real-time
air quality data that is collected and displayed by
the Air Info Now project site. Pollutants investi-
gated include ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, and
parameters include weather and climate (temperature, wind, rainfall), asthma
attacks, visibility, time, and location. Students learn data collection and analysis
techniques through practice with Excel spreadsheets and principles of statistics.
Students are separated into groups, each representing a different aspect of air
pollution. For example, one group represents "location" and tries to identify
pollution trends according to location around a city. Another group represents
"health effects," and they monitor the occurrences of asthma at several schools
to see if there is a correlation with air pollution.
Students regularly share their data with their classmates and summarize their
findings in a final paper or project that can be shared with the community.
Experiments (Grades 4 to 12):
Students construct and deploy particulate pollution detectors to test hypotheses:
for example, older vehicles and those using leaded or diesel fuel will produce
more particulate matter emissions. Students learn to identify gaseous and solid
pollutants in the atmosphere; observe an experiment that illustrates how to cap-
ture particulate pollutants and identify which vehicle emits more pollutants; and
conduct an experiment capturing particulate pollutants and determine which
locations appear to have more pollution.
Students make smog in a shoe box or aquarium to demonstrate convection cur-
rents and temperature inversion layers and discuss the implications for pollu-
tion. They also monitor their family's energy consumption, calculate the
amount of carbon dioxide produced, and discover how changes in consumption
can affect the amount of pollution and greenhouse gases released.
The Air Info Now Web site also includes several online interactive games for
kids that require Macromedia Flash Player.
Air-Based Projects
1 5
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Resources
For additional information on the Air Info Now project in Pima County or the
associated student activities and teacher guides, contact Beth Gorman at Pima
County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ), 520 740-3343 or
. You can download the student activities and
experiments, as well as the teacher guides, directly from the Air Info Now Web
site at . Click on Activities for online games and experi-
ments, and click on Teachers for the data collection activities and teacher guides.
4.2.4 AIRNow (National)
Introduction
Through its Web site, the AIRNow program offers access to daily air quality
forecasts as well as real- time air quality data for over 100 cities across the
United States. While many EMPACT programs provide the public with easy
access to local air quality information, the AIRNow Web site was developed by
EPA to offer real-time air quality information for both regional and local areas
across the United States and parts of Canada. For example, color maps show
ozone levels across a specific regional geographic area. Plus, AIRNow displays air
quality forecasts (good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy) for
"air action days" in major metropolitan areas around the country. Users can
view local or regional air quality information such as ozone maps and air quality
forecasts and learn more about how they should adjust their outdoor activity
level when air quality is forecast to be poor. The Web site links to more detailed
state and local air quality Web sites.
A central component to the daily air quality forecast is the Air Quality Index, or
AQI. (See Section 3.1 for more on AQI.) The AIRNow Web site uses the AQI
categories, colors, and descriptors to communicate information about air quali-
ty. Increasingly, TV, radio, and newsprint forecasters are providing information
using the AQI. During summer months, for example, you may learn that it is a
code red day for ozone, meaning the air quality is unhealthy. But how do you
know what this means? Parents can learn by visiting the AIRNow Web site and
reading about the AQI. To help teach children how to read and understand the
AQI, the Web site offers an online and downloadable curriculum for school-
aged children.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
The AIRNow curriculum is geared toward children 7 to 10 years old. EPA
developed more ozone segments for the 2002 ozone season (May through
October), aimed at those 5 to 6 years old, as well as those 7 to 10 years old. A
Spanish version of the current curriculum was launched in March 2002.
The AIRNow lessons can be used online or teachers can print a text version of
the Air Quality Index Kid's Web site and curriculum for classroom use. The kids
page includes two animated online games that can also be printed. The animated
version requires a Flash 5 plug-in player, which is available on the Web site.
16 Chapter4
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Lessons (Grades 2 to 5):
The Kids section of the AIRNow Web site is
hosted by an animated trio of chameleons:
K.C. Chameleon, Koko Chameleon, and
Kool Chameleon. Kids navigate through
four topic areas, learning about the AQI,
clean and dirty air, and how health is affect-
ed by breathing dirty air. By viewing an ani-
mated cartoon, kids learn that ozone is
formed by a combination of pollution and
sunlight. They also learn where soot and
dust come from and how paniculate matter
is formed. Once they learn about pollutants
and how they affect our bodies, they learn
how EPA and local governments present this
information to the public using the AQI.
»\t.»i'S
By navigating different parts of the AIRNow
Web site, kids find the AQI forecast and an ozone map for their area. They
learn the numbers, colors, and words that the AQI uses to describe air quality.
By learning to identify groups that are sensitive to ozone—asthmatics, children,
and the elderly—they can read an AQI forecast and understand what those
groups should do differently on poor air quality days. Finally, kids learn what
they can do to reduce pollution and improve air quality.
As kids navigate, they have the opportunity to explore and further their learn-
ing. As they encounter new words, each page links to a dictionary of air pollu-
tion related words such as "global", "pollution", and "smog". They also learn
where on the Web site they can view ozone maps covering their local area. The
Web site includes two games: AQI Color Game and the AQI Game Show. The
AQI color game contains three levels of difficulty, from the easier word and
color connecting game, to the more challenging game, in which an AQI numer-
ical value is given and kids must look up the corresponding color.
In the AQI Game Show, three chameleons play the contestants, answering mul-
tiple choice questions about AQI and health. Kids click on the chameleon with
the correct answer, and the game automatically keeps score. The online version
includes 10 questions and the printed version includes 27 questions. The
answers are provided and both games can be downloaded and played on hard
copies.
From the AIRNow Web site, teachers can print colorful posters for each of the
five most common color codes of the AQI. For each color code, one of the
chameleons tells kids what level of outdoor activity is recommended for them
that day. The posters will print in color on a color printer. For schools without
color printers, a good exercise could be to color the posters the correct color.
Teachers can contact the AIRNow program to request color copies.
t H.MH
Air-Based Projects
1 7
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Resources
For more information on AIRNow, contact John E. White of EPA at 919 541-
2306 or at . The entire curriculum can be
downloaded from the AIRNow Web site at
-------
The Internet-based Activities teach students to access NEO EMPACT air
quality data online.
The Air Quality Activities focus on developing students' oral, visual, and
writing skills. Activities include conducting a mock interview with an envi-
ronmental professional, writing a clean air bill, composing a letter about acid
rain for local legislators, completing air quality word searches and crossword
puzzles, and designing air quality posters for display in the community.
Reducing Air Pollution—What Students Can Do offers teachers and stu-
dents some suggestions for reducing air pollution in the local community
and at home.
Air Quality Resources and Materials for Educators lists additional Internet,
hard copy, and organizational resources for air quality information. It also
includes ideas for no-cost educational materials and how to obtain them.
Resources
To obtain a free copy of the NEO Air Quality Curriculum Handbook, con-
tact Adam Zeller of the Earth Day Coalition at 216 281-6468 or . For more information on the NEO EMPACT project,
visit the NEO EMPACT Web site at or the
Northeast Ohio Air Quality Online Web site at .
4.2.6 ECOPLEX (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas)
Introduction
Through the use of both innovative and proven environmental monitoring
technologies, the ECOPLEX project collects real-time and time-relevant envi-
ronmental data that informs citizens of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area
of current, historical, and near real-time forecasts of environmental conditions.
The project involves a multimedia approach, collecting data related to air, water,
soil, and weather. The data, as well as instructions on how to use it, are posted
on the project's Web site at .
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
As part of the ECOPLEX project, curricula were developed covering the topics
of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, water quality, and water quantity. (See Section 5-0
Water-Based Projects for information on ECOPLEX water lessons.) The curric-
ula are geared towards kindergarten through 8th grade and were completed in
August 2001. Approximately 120 teachers in 37 schools have utilized the lesson
plans included in the curricula.
Each lesson plan includes follow-on curriculum extensions, which explore the
disciplines of math, language arts, technology, art and music, science, and social
studies.
Air-BasedProjects 19
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The air portion of the ECOPLEX curriculum introduces students to the dan-
gers of UV rays and the connection to stratospheric ozone. Through simple, yet
progressively challenging experiments, lessons, and activities, children in grades
kindergarten through 3 learn ways to protect themselves from harmful UV rays
and to develop a daily routine of UV protection, similar to brushing their teeth.
Students learn about the shadow rule—if your shadow is taller than you, UV
exposure is usually low, and if it is shorter than you, UV exposure is usually
high—and ways to identify sun-safe areas on the playground. They are intro-
duced to the ECOPLEX Web site and learn how to read the UV Index.
Children witness how UV rays are affected by the time of day and the seasons,
and they learn to identify the layers of the atmosphere, discussing how stratos-
pheric ozone is depleted. They develop plans for reducing their personal expo-
sure to UV rays and set goals for how they can reduce the formation of
ground-level ozone.
Students in grades 4 through 6 learn that stratospheric ozone blocks UV rays
and that certain materials deplete this type of ozone. Using the UV meter, stu-
dents determine the dangers due to UVA and UVB and measure UV levels
throughout the day. Then they create a comparison between the UV meter
readings and ECOPLEX UV data over a period of time, graphing the results.
Students explore the electromagnetic spectrum, finding where UV light fits in,
and they view the refraction of light using a prism, identifying the invisible rays:
infrared, heat waves, and UV rays. Using bacteria culture, students observe
which types of light best prevent bacteria growth. With their findings, students
create an informative brochure to distribute to family and friends.
In grades 7 through 8, the ECOPLEX curriculum helps students understand
how the angle of the sun on earth affects temperature. They conduct light
experiments using a flashlight on a world map to mimic the sun on the earth,
and they record their estimations of direct and indirect solar energy, demon-
strating how direct solar energy is affected by the seasons and the time of day.
Children learn about how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy ozone through
chemistry experiments and they become aware of how the use of certain prod-
ucts releases CFCs into the atmosphere.
Resources
For more information on the ECOPLEX UV curriculum, contact Ruthanne
(Rudi) Thompson at or 940 565-2994 and visit the
ECOPLEX Web site at . Click on the Teacher's Corner
to download lessons as PDF files.
4.2.7 SunWise School Program (Nationwide)
Introduction
The SunWise School Program is a national environmental and health education
program that aims to teach children in grades kindergarten through 8 and their
caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun. Through the
use of classroom-based, school-based, and community-based components,
20 Chapter4
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Sun Wise seeks to develop sustained sun-safe behaviors in schoolchildren and
foster an appreciation of the environment around them.
The program's leading components build on a solid combination of traditional
and innovative education practices already in use in many U.S. elementary and
middle schools. Through the program, students and teachers increase their
awareness of the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and learn simple
ways to protect themselves and their family. Children will also acquire scientific
knowledge and develop an understanding of the environmental concepts related
to sun protection.
The program encourages schools to implement a sun-safe infrastructure, includ-
ing shade structures, such as canopies and trees, and policies, such as using hats,
sunscreen, and sunglasses on a regular basis. Designed to provide maximum
flexibility, the Sun Wise program elements can be used as stand-alone teaching
tools or to complement existing school curricula. Registering to become a
Sun Wise school can easily be accomplished on the Sun Wise Web site at
.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
A useful resource for Sun Wise school partners is the Sun Wise Tool Kit, which
contains cross-curricular lessons and background information for kindergarten
through 8th grades. The Tool Kit consists of a variety of fun, developmentally
appropriate activities that combine education about sun protection and the
environment with other aspects of learning. The Sun Wise Web site, a very help-
ful tool, provides downloadable information, storybooks, and activity books,
some of which are available in Spanish. The Sun Wise curriculum includes age-
appropriate, progressively challenging material to teach students of all levels the
importance of sun protection.
Younger students in kindergarten through 2nd grade are introduced to the con-
cept of UV rays and their potentially harmful effects, and they begin to learn
simple ways to protect themselves from the sun. They make wacky sunglasses
out of paper and cellophane in various colors to emphasize the importance of
wearing sunglasses. Educators tell fun stories and legends about the sun and
play interactive games like "Sunny Says," following the format of "Simon Says."
Students learn which products at the store are sun safe, and they participate in
activities such as shadow tracing, which introduces the importance of the "No
shadow, seek shade" rule. Using maps, magazines, and photos of various places
and peoples around the world, children learn that numerous societies practice
sun safety in a variety of ways.
Intermediate students in 3rd through 5th grades perform word games such as
word scrambles and crossword puzzles using keywords that emphasize sun safety
and protection. The Sun Wise Tool Kit provides a special UV sensitive frisbee
that changes color when exposed to UV radiation. As an experiment, students
place different materials, such as tanning lotion and sunscreen, onto the frisbee
and expose it to the sun. The students watch as the unprotected portions of the
frisbee change color and the protected areas remain the same; they then record
their findings on a data chart. Students have the opportunity to go on the
Air-BasedProjects 21
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Internet and discover the variety of existing sun myths, understanding how dif-
ferent cultures perceive the origins and history of the sun. They learn the differ-
ence between "good" and "bad" ozone, and perform experiments such as
witnessing the sun's effects on fruit and newspapers. They assess the risk factors
of their own skin and put on a Sun Wise fashion show, identifying the differ-
ences between sun safe and unsafe clothes.
Students in grades 6 through 8 perform numerous activities that correspond to
a variety of subjects. They brainstorm, using their creativity and imagination to
write songs, public service announcements, and news stories exploring the risks
of UV exposure. They create a puppet show to teach younger school kids about
protecting themselves from the sun. They act as architects and submit a design
proposal for a new Sun Wise playground. Through Internet searches, students
deepen their understanding of the various cultures and myths around the world,
going on virtual vacations, picking destinations and identifying sun safe items to
pack in their suitcases. They research skin cancer statistics and interpret their
findings state by state. They pretend they are Galileo or Copernicus and write
journal entries about their beliefs and what the future will be like. Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD), the disorder applied to people who suffer depression
during winter, is explored and discussed, and students reexamine the benefits
and the risks of sun exposure.
Resources
For additional information on the Sun Wise School Program, visit
or contact Kristin Kenausis of EPA at 202 564-2289.
Only K-8 schools who register for the program can receive the Tool Kit, but
many other educational materials and publications are available for download-
ing from the Web site or from the clearinghouse (800 490-9198). Visit the
"Publications" page on the Sun Wise Web site for more details.
22 Chapter4
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5.0 Water-Based Projects
5.1 Teacher Tips
Scientists that study lakes and reservoirs—limnolo-
gists—are interested in obtaining data for several water
quality parameters. Many of these parameters can be
measured remotely, without having to bring samples to
a laboratory for analysis. The following are the most
common parameters for which data is collected and a
description of why the information is important.
Throughout this section of the handbook you will read
about how this water quality data is utilized in various
EMPACT curricula.
• Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll are complex molecules
found in all photosynthetic plants, including aquatic plants called phyto-
plankton. Chlorophyll allows plants to use sunlight as part of their metabo-
lism. The distribution and concentration of phytoplankton is of major water
quality and ecologic concern. Certain inputs of critical plant nutrients, such
as phosphorus, can lead to excess concentrations of phytoplankton. Because
the amount of phytoplankton affects the clarity and color of water in lakes
and reservoirs, it is of concern to scientists and environmental managers. The
most common method of determining the amount of phytoplankton in a
body of water is to measure chlorophyll concentration, which is done either
by using an analytical/instrumentation technique (e.g., spectrophotometer,
fluorometer, high-pressure liquid chromatography) on filtered samples or
using fluorescence technology, which allows for semi-quantitative measure-
ment of chlorophyll in phytoplankton cells without extraction or chemical
treatment, thereby allowing in situ (in-lake) measurements.
• Turbidity: Turbidity refers to the extent that water lacks clarity. It is there-
fore, tightly linked with the aesthetics and perception of water because the
public wants water of high clarity for recreation. Turbidity is caused by a
mixed population of suspended particles, which may include clay, silt, finely
divided organic matter (detritus), phytoplankton, and other microscopic
organisms. In general, these particles are a composite of sediments received
from inflowing tributaries, resuspended sediments, and particles produced
within the body of water (particularly phytoplankton). Thus, the variations
in measured turbidity may reflect the dynamics of phytoplankton growth as
well as tributary runoff (driven by rainfall events). Until recently, turbidity
was measured using a nephelometer, where a beam of light is directed along
the axis of a cylindrical glass cell containing the sample. Light scattered by
particles from the beam is measured by a detector. New technology has led
to the development of turbidity probes that can be constructed on remote
sampling units. These probes are constructed in a similar manner as the
nephelometer, except that the scattered light detector is located within the
water as opposed to outside a glass sample cell.
Water-Based Projects 23
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• Temperature: Temperature is a measure of molecular vibrational energy. It
has extremely important ecological consequences. Temperature exerts influ-
ence on aquatic organisms with respect to selection and occurrence and level
of activity of the organism. In general, increasing water temperature results
in greater biological activity and more rapid growth. All aquatic organisms
have a preferred temperature in which they can survive and reproduce opti-
mally. Temperature is also an important influence on water chemistry, as
rates of chemical reaction increase with increasing temperature. Temperature
regulates the solubility of gases and minerals (solids)—warm water contains
less dissolved oxygen and more solids than cold water. Thermal stratification
refers to the layering that occurs, particularly in the warm months. Typically,
a warmer, less dense layer called the epilimnion overlies a colder, denser layer
called the hypolimnion. In between these two layers is a third layer called the
metalimnion where strong differences in temperature and density exist.
Seasonal changes cause mixing of the layers. Usually, a thermometer is used
to determine temperature, although when taking measurement below the
surface, methods such as thermocouples and thermistors can be used. A ther-
mocouple measures the current generated by two different metals at different
temperatures. A thermistor measures voltage produced by a semi-conducting
material that decreases in resistance with increasing temperature.
• Conductivity: Electrical conductivity is a measure of water's ability to con-
duct electricity, and is therefore a measure of the water's ionic activity and
content. The higher the concentration of ionic (dissolved) constituents, the
higher the conductivity. Wide variations in water temperatures affect con-
ductivity, making it difficult to make comparisons of this feature across dif-
ferent waters, or changes in this parameter for a particular body of water.
The use of specific conductance, which is the conductivity normalized to 25°
C, eliminates this problem and allows comparisons to be made. Specific con-
ductance is a reliable measure of the concentration of total dissolved solids
(TDS) and salinity. It also is a valuable tracer of water movement. By defini-
tion, specific conductivity is the reciprocal of the specific resistance of a solu-
tion measured between two electrodes (opposite electrical charges) placed in
the water. For a known electrical current, the voltage drop across the elec-
trodes reveals the water's resistance. Since the resistance of aqueous solution
changes with temperature (resistance drops with increasing temperature), the
resistance is corrected to the resistance of the solution at 25°C.
• Dissolved Oxygen: The concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) is probably
the single most important feature of water quality, as it is an important regu-
lator of chemical processes and biological activity. Plant photosynthesis pro-
duces oxygen within the region below the water surface with adequate light.
Microbial respiration and organic decay consume oxygen. At the surface,
oxygen can move between the water and air, and the rate of exchange is
dependent on wind speed and the surface water DO saturation. The satura-
tion concentration of DO is regulated by temperature. Concentrations above
the saturation value (supersaturation) indicate high photosynthetic activity,
for example, during an algal bloom. Undersaturated conditions occur when
oxygen-demanding processes exceed the sources of DO. DO is measured
using a probe that consists of electrodes of opposing charges, which are sepa-
24 Chapters
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rated from the surrounding water by a Teflon membrane. DO diffuses across
the membrane and is reduced to hydroxide at the cathode and silver chloride
is formed at the anode. The current associated with this process is propor-
tional to the DO in the surrounding water.
• pH: pH is defined as - log [H+], where [H+] = concentration of hydrogen
ions. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, corresponding to various degrees of
acidity or alkalinity. A value of 7 is neutral; values below 7 and approaching
0 indicate increasing acidity (higher H+ concentrations), while values above
7 approaching 14 indicate increasing alkalinity. A wide range of pH values is
encountered in different water bodies, associated primarily with the different
ionic chemistries of the respective watersheds/tributaries. Inorganic carbon
constituents are the major pH buffering system in most fresh waters. pH is
an important regulator of chemical reactions and an important influence on
aquatic biota (including composition). Photosynthetic uptake of CO2 tends
to increase pH (e.g., during phytoplankton blooms) while
decomposition/respiration tends to decrease pH. Values of pH are generally
highest in the epilimnion and decline with increasing depth. Measuring pH
involves taking an electrode consisting of a proton selective glass reservoir
filled with a pH 7 reference solution. Protons interact with the glass, setting
up a voltage potential across the glass. Since the H+ concentration of the ref-
erence solution does change, the difference between the voltage potentials is
proportional to the observed pH.
5.2 The Tools
5.2.1 Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN) (Boulder,
Colorado)
Introduction
The Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN) project is an
EMPACT-funded project designed to help deliver a variety of environmental
information about the Boulder area to its residents. BASIN's initial focus is on
water in the region, including watershed and consumption issues. The objectives
of the project include the following:
• To improve existing environmental monitoring to provide credible, timely,
and usable information about the Boulder Creek Watershed to the public.
• To create a state-of-the-art information management and public access infra-
structure using advanced, Web-based computer technologies.
• To build strong partnerships and an ongoing alliance of governmental, edu-
cational, nonprofit, and private entities involved in watershed monitoring,
management, and education.
• To develop education and communication programs to effectively utilize
watershed information in the public media and schools and facilitate greater
public involvement in public policy formation.
Water-Based Projects 25
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Lessons, Tools, and Activities
As part of the project, organizers adapted an existing online learning tool called
the WatershED program, to the BASIN project Web site. Geared toward grades 4
through 12, WatershED aims to help teachers, students, and citizens in the
Boulder area learn more about their local creeks and wetlands. It provides users
with suggestions for what schools or neighborhood groups can do to preserve and
protect local waterways and how they can become stewards of water resources.
The WatershED curriculum was developed by the Boulder Creek Initiative and
the City of Boulder's Stormwater Quality Office with the help of teachers in the
Boulder area. It was modified for students, teachers, and the general public for
the BASIN Web site. The tool consists of a series of learning activities in addi-
tion to a Teacher's Guide.
The WatershED project can help participants:
• Get to know their watershed address as defined by creeks, wetlands, and
lakes.
• Discover the plants, animals, and birds they might see in or around the creek
or wetland in their neighborhood.
• Organize a StreamTeam to protect and enhance a local waterway.
The online resource includes background information on ecolo-
gy and ecosystems and water quality. The activities cover the fol-
lowing topics, which are broken out by level of complexity as
follows:
Introductory Level Activities:
• Water, Colorado's Precious Resource
• The Water Cycle
• The Boulder Water Story
• Water Law and Supply
• Water Conservation
Intermediate Level Activities:
• Stream Teams—An Introduction
• Mapping Your Watershed
• Watershed Walk
• Watershed Cleanup: A Treasure Hunt
• Storm Drain Stenciling
• Raise and Release: Aquarium Setup
2 6
Chapter 5
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Advanced Level Activities:
• Water Quality (Introduction)
• Phytoplankton—Trends & Diversity
• Nutrients: Building Ecosystems in a Bottle
• Macroinvertebrates—Long-term Ecosystem Health
• Stream Gauging: A Study of Flow
• Water Quality (Intermediate and Advanced)
Resources
For additional information on the WatershED online learning tool affiliated
with the BASIN EMPACT Project, contact Curry Rosato at 303 413-7365 or
Donna Scott at 303 413-7364. In addition, all the activities listed above are
available online at .
5.2.2 Burlington Eco Info (Burlington, Vermont)
The goal of the Burlington Eco Info EMPACT project is to provide the public
with clearly communicated, real-time, useful, accurate environmental monitor-
ing data in an ongoing and sustainable manner. The project is a 2-year pilot
project that will enable residents and policymakers alike to have expanded access
to important environmental information, providing for improved decision-mak-
ing. The project's partners include the City of Burlington Community and
Economic Development Office, the University of Vermont (UVM) School of
Natural Resources, the Green Mountain Institute for Environmental
Democracy, the Center for Lake Champlain (formerly called the Lake
Champlain Basin Science Center), and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. The project's Web site provides information on the air, water, land, and
energy in Burlington and the surrounding area. Visitors can learn about city
beaches, view the daily air quality forecast, see a live image of the waterfront, or
get data from a dust monitoring station.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Although the Burlington Eco Info project is multi-media in nature, the curricu-
lum portion of the project focuses on water quality issues in the Lake
Champlain Basin. Through its partnership with the Center for Lake
Champlain, the project has incorporated an environmental monitoring program
for grades 7 through 12. The program utilizes the UVM's Ecosystem Science
Lab (Rubenstein Lab) to perform analyses. The purposes of the environmental
monitoring program are the following:
• For students and teachers to participate in and perform authentic scientific
research techniques in a university lab setting.
Water-Based Projects 27
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To promote watershed awareness and action focusing on water quality issues
in the Lake Champlain Basin.
To collect data and allow teachers and students to become involved with
local watershed resources with the goal of contributing data that meets EPA's
standards for water quality testing.
To build stronger connections between students and teachers and their local
watersheds.
The Center for Lake Champlain mar-
kets the program to middle and high
school science educators in Vermont
and New York schools and organiza-
tions located in the Lake Champlain
watershed. Interested educators sign
up for a teacher training led by the
Center staff. After the training, teach-
ers begin the program by teaching
water quality related scientific activi-
ties at their schools. Following these
activities, the class collects local water
samples and visits the Rubenstein
Ecosystems Lab at UVM to process
them. Teachers and students then
return to their schools for completion
of the processing of their data and
other followup activities.
Pre-visit Activities at School
Prior to taking the water samples, students use activities provided by the pro-
gram and/or found in existing curricula (This Lake Alive!, Project Wild, Project
WET, Aquatic WILD, etc.) to get necessary lab skills and knowledge of ecologi-
cal principles. Trained UVM Resource Assistants visit classrooms to go over
safety procedures and understanding of watershed issues. An interactive water-
shed model is used to help students visualize watershed concepts. In addition,
students explore the geography of the Lake Champlain Basin and study the
properties of water (pH, water cycle, etc.) to build a stronger connection
between the field, lab work, and environmental health. Finally, students gener-
ate a focus question for their study.
Field Work Component
Students and teachers collect water samples and other information from a local
site of their choice according to established protocols. Teachers also have the
option to add a waterfront field component to their class time spent with the
Center staff. The 1 -hour waterfront option explores "in the field" sampling
techniques and includes parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen,
conductivity, and turbidity.
2 8
Chapter 5
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Rubenstein Lab Activities
In the lab, students perform high-level tests
on the water samples they collect in the field.
The data generated by the tests are sent to
local, state, and federal databases. The first
part of the lab activity begins with students
practicing lab techniques using glass and plas-
tic pipettes and droppers. Through simple
activities, such as color mixing and water
drops on a penny, students immediately
become actively engaged in the learning
process. More sophisticated water sample
analysis follows, which includes phosphorous
and bacteria testing and a slide presentation
designed for the program.
To date, 28 educators from 16 different
schools and organizations in the Champlain Basin have participated in the
teacher workshop in preparation for bringing their classes to the Rubenstein Lab
to conduct water testing, and 267 middle and high school students from 13
schools have participated in the environmental monitoring program. Through
three postcard and flyer mailings sent during fall 2000, fall 2001, and spring
2002, the Center reached more than 750 Vermont and New York middle and
high school educators.
The Center for Lake Champlain offers a Watershed Investigation Kit for inter-
ested teachers, which was not funded through EMPACT, but rather a different
EPA grant. The Kit contains everything needed for a thorough water quality
study, including books, articles, maps, posters, videos and CD-ROMs, flash-
cards, and sampling test kits and materials. The Kit is recommended for middle
and high school students and for community groups to use in asking questions
and discovering more about their place in the Lake Champlain watershed.
Resources
For additional information on the environmental monitoring curriculum
offered by the Center for Lake Champlain in association with the Burlington
Eco Info EMPACT project, contact Julie Silverman at 802 864-1848 or
, or Kara Lenorovitz at .
5.2.3 ECOPLEX (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas)
Introduction
Through the use of both innovative and proven environmental monitoring
technologies, the ECOPLEX project collects real-time and time-relevant envi-
ronmental data that informs citizens of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area
of current, historical, and near real-time forecasts of environmental conditions.
The project involves a multi-media approach, collecting data related to air,
Water-Based Projects
2 9
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water, soil, and weather. The data, as well as instructions on how to use it, are
posted on the project's Web site at .
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
As part of the ECOPLEX project, curricula were developed covering the topics
of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, water quality, and water quantity. (See Section
4.2.6 for information on the UV curriculum.) The curricula are geared towards
kindergarten through 8th grade and were completed in August 2001.
Approximately 120 teachers in 37 schools have utilized the lesson plans includ-
ed in the curricula. Each lesson plan includes follow-on curriculum extensions,
which explore the disciplines of math, language arts, technology, art and music,
science, and social studies.
For kindergartners through 3rd grade, the ECOPLEX curriculum teaches stu-
dents the quality, importance, and availability of water to life on earth. Students
are introduced to the term "water quality" and learn the difference between
drinking, fresh, and salt water. They learn how much of people's bodies and cer-
tain foods, such as fruit, consist of water. While visiting the ECOPLEX Web
site to study water monitoring tests, students brainstorm ways to create good
water quality. Students explore the dehydration process in foods, and they learn
about precipitation, evaporation, and condensation, and how water can be a
solid, liquid, or gas. Introduced to the concept of water conservation, children
realize that the amount of water on earth is finite and that most of it is not
available for public consumption. They discover how all the water we use is
piped to a wastewater treatment system, so that it can be reused. They learn the
differences between point and nonpoint source pollution and the physical and
chemical aspects of water. And finally, they study the formation of reservoirs
and lakes and discover the importance of wetlands as natural filters.
Intermediate students in 4th through 6th grades are introduced to the concepts
of food webs and chains. Students learn how pollutants can enter water, affect
aquatic organisms, and disrupt food chains. The curriculum covers topics such as
groundwater and aquifer recharge, allowing students to discuss from where they
get their water and chemical pollutants that cause serious concern, such as DDT,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury. They discuss bioaccumulation
and describe how DDT entered the eagle food chain. Water conservation is
reemphasized, as students discuss ways that families can conserve. Students learn
how aquatic organisms get oxygen, define photosynthesis and its
reliance upon sunlight, and determine the effect of temperature on
WOW is highlighted in this hand- dissolved oxygen.
book because of its affiliation with
the Lake Access EMPACT project Older students m 7th and 8th §rade further examme water
-in ^ b^ an^ng macromvertibrates in the water. They learn that
2000, EMPACT funded the deploy- m ecosystem is a community of living and non-living compo-
nent of two additional RUSS units nents and that photosynthesis is important to both plants and
in Lake Minnetonka a larqe heavi- animals. Students then conduct an experiment to see how fertiliz-
ly used complex in the suburban ers affect ^gae growth in bodies of water. Through collecting
Minneapolis area water samples from a local source, students record the numbers of
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 macroinvertibrates and determine water quality. The ECOPLEX
30 Chapters
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curriculum enables students to determine where their water comes from and the
quantity of water used by individuals, families, and cities. Students learn about
alternative solutions for future fresh water supplies, building upon previous les-
sons on the watercycle, watersheds, surface water, and fresh water conservation.
Using world maps or globes, students discuss how water is redistributed around
the globe via the watercycle, and they discuss the effects of population on water
supplies and alternative solutions to collect and store water.
5.2.4 Lake Access (Water on the Web) (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Introduction
Water on the Web (WOW) is a National Science
Foundation-funded, award-winning, Internet-based
science curriculum for high school and college level
students. The project, operated by the University of
Minnesota-Duluth's Natural Resources Research
Institute, uses real-time, environmental lake data with ; ujjjrp flu TUfll/CR
the goal of equipping students with real world skills
they can use in college and beyond. The program
employs several remote underwater sampling stations,
or RUSS units, in four Minnesota lakes and bays that
represent a wide range in terms of size, depth, season-
al dynamics, and other characteristics. The RUSS
units collect vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved
oxygen, pH, conductivity, and turbidity every few
hours and upload their data onto the WOW and Lake
Access Web sites each morning.
WOW is based on real, scientific data, monitored and maintained by quality
control protocols. Unlike canned data sets created to support a curriculum, the
WOW data reflect the realities and complexities of real ecosystems, which
means they do not often fit students' or teachers' preconceived ideas of how a
lake behaves. WOW data are provided in several different formats in the data
section of the WOW Web site. Raw data for a lake can be viewed in an archived
data set. Weekly data sets can also be downloaded and reviewed in Excel spread-
sheets, which also include graphing templates that assist students in plotting
and understanding selected data. For many students, however, it is difficult to
see and interpret patterns in numerical data, so WOW offers interactive data
visualization tools. Some teachers use these tools to illustrate trends or relation-
ships among the data, and other teachers have students explore the data using
the tools. To provide students with the background information and context for
understanding scientific data, the WOW Web site includes a variety of aids,
including the following:
• Background information on each lake, its watershed, and its behavior during
the period of sampling.
• A Lake Ecology Primer, which provides a context for understanding water
quality parameters and how they relate to each other.
Wat er-BasedProjects 31
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A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) resource that describes the funda-
mentals of the technology.
A section called "The RUSS," which provides students with an introduction
to RUSS technology, WOW water quality measurements, reporting limits,
and instrument accuracy.
A glossary providing definitions of complex scientific terms.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
The WOW curriculum provides a collection of individual, yet integrated, les-
sons designed to enrich and enhance student learning in general science courses.
Most lessons appear in two different formats—a "Studying" lesson and an
"Investigating" lesson. "Studying" lessons allow students to apply and learn con-
cepts through direct, guided experiences. "Investigating" lessons provide stu-
dents with opportunities to discover the same concepts and involve more
solving. Each lesson is organized into a thinking framework of six sequential
parts that are critical for improving scientific and technological literacy—knowl-
edge base, experimental design, data collection, data management and analysis,
interpretation of results, and reporting results. Using this format for scientific
inquiry, teachers guide students through directed study or inquiry lessons
depending on the students' abilities and the science curriculum.
Messages from teachers indicate the WOW lessons and
Web site are being used in a variety of ways. One
teacher used a tutorial and lessons to help students learn
how to work with spreadsheets. Another adapted a les-
son on fish stocking to illustrate that organisms are limit-
ed by environmental factors. Still other teachers have
chosen ideas from the lessons and Web site and created
their own lessons based on WOW data and resources.
"/ found the Wafer on the Web site to be of great value
and interest to the students...It was a wonderful source of
detailed information and provided the students with
access to nearly real-time water quality data. I was able
to use the information to devise very realistic problems for
the students to work through and discuss."
—George W. Kipphut,
Murray State University, Kentucky
"Thank you for the wonderful data and pro/ecf...This proj-
ect puts symmetry on the year for us...The focus and quiet
as they delve into the data and resources are great."
—//ona Rouda,
The Blake School,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Since the program's inception in 1998, sev-
eral thousand students have used WOW
and its materials. Students have learned the
fundamentals of science based on real-time
data, and teachers have been trained in
advanced technology, including computer-
ized mapping and modeling systems,
remote sensing, instrumentation, and the
use of the Internet.
A project is currently underway to create an
online curriculum geared toward college
students in 2- to 4-year institutions. This
curriculum will serve as a capstone experi-
ence for students who are completing a
technician program, or a gateway for stu-
dents who are stimulated by the issues and
interested in pursuing water science, water
resource management, or environmental
resource management degrees at four-year
institutions. Students will learn and apply
their knowledge and skills through inquiry-
based problems derived from real-world,
real-time data collected by state-of-the-art
water quality monitoring technology. The
curriculum will be designed as a two semes-
ter lab sequence, consisting of six key units
32
Chapter 5
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that cover the range of knowledge and skills needed by future water science
technicians. Each unit will consist of a series of 3 to 8 interactive modules that
cover specific topics (e.g., the Data Analysis Unit will include Web-based mod-
ules on Exploratory Data Analysis, Trend Analysis, Spatial Analysis, and
Modeling). The curriculum will receive extensive pilot and beta testing by a
group of over 100 community college teachers and will be designed to be dis-
seminated through a commercial publisher.
Resources
For more information on the WOW project and curricula, contact:
George E. Host, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate
Biostatistics-Forest Ecology
University of Minnesota-Duluth Campus
Center for Water and the Environment
Natural Resources Research Institute
Phone:218720-4264
Fax:218720-4328
E-mail:
or
Bruce Munson
University of Minnesota-Duluth Campus
Phone:218726-6324
E-mail:
WOW information and lessons are all downloadable from the project's Web site
at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow/.
5.2.5 Monitoring Your Sound (MY Sound) (Long Island Sound, New York)
Introduction
The MY Sound project provides real-time water quality monitoring data from
Long Island Sound to a broad spectrum of users, including government, acade-
mia, industry, organizations, and the general public. The project recognizes that
water quality in Long Island Sound is an issue that affects everyone, not just
those who live along the coast. If water quality is poor, the value of the Sound
as an economic, recreational, and natural resource decreases; if water quality is
good, people use it and it is a vital resource. A major goal of the project is to
enhance and broaden the user's appreciation, knowledge, and use of Long Island
Sound. The project, which was coordinated by a stakeholder committee com-
prised of project partners and stakeholder representatives, uses the Internet,
local media, information kiosks, orientation briefings, and printed material.
The project has established five water quality monitoring stations near New
London and Bridgeport Harbors. The EMPACT focus areas include Bridgeport
Water-Based Projects 33
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Harbor and the greater CT-NY-Long Island metropolitan area. The monitoring
stations collect data for the following parameters:
• Water temperature
• Conductivity/salinity
• Transmissivity
• Dissolved oxygen
• Nutrients/nitrate
• Chlorophyll
• Surface hydrocarbons
• Current speed and direction
• Selected meteorological parameters
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
At the time of publishing this handbook, the MY Sound project was developing
curriculum support tools that can be used by teachers of environmental science,
physics, and math courses. The materials will be geared toward students in
grades 8 through 12. Specific components under development include:
• Fact sheets on topics related to the environmental health of Long Island
Sound.
• Student exercises that use time series and statistical data on Long Island
Sound phenomena to illustrate science and math principles and enhance
knowledge of the Sound.
• Guided Internet explorations that lead teachers and students through key
Web sites to investigate marine science topics.
Examples of future student exercises include:
• A Long Island Sound lobster mortality exercise that illustrates the use of sta-
tistics in investigating lobster population decline in recent years (will involve
both manual calculations and spreadsheet development).
• A sunken oil barge salvage exercise that illustrates hydrodynamic principals
important in re-floating a sunken oil barge in eastern Long Island Sound.
• A small boat drift exercise using MY Sound wind and current data that illus-
trates the use of vector addition in conducting a search and rescue operation.
• An ocean data analysis exercise using wind and dissolved oxygen time series
data that illustrate the concepts of hypoxia, temperature stratification, and
vertical mixing on a Summer 2000 event in western Long Island Sound.
Examples of guided Internet investigations include:
• Waste water pollution (municipal and industrial)
34 Chapters
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• Oil and hazardous chemical spills
• Non-point source pollution
• Invasive species
• Marine debris
• Habitat modification and restoration
Resources
For additional information on the MY Sound project and status of the curricu-
lum component, contact Pete Tebeau at 860 446-0193 or visit the MY Sound
Web site at .
5.2.6 Online Dynamic Watershed Atlas (Seminole County, Florida)
Introduction
The Seminole County Watershed Atlas is designed to
provide citizens, scientists, and planners of the Seminole
County region with comprehensive and current water
quality, hydrologic, and ecological data, as well as a
library of scientific and educational resources on ecology
and management. The Atlas was created to provide a
"one stop information shop" for concerned citizens and
scientists who live and work on water bodies and have
found it difficult to gather the information they need
from the many agencies that collect the related data. The
Atlas functions as a warehouse for a variety of water
resources information, including documents and educa-
tional links. The Atlas also is a rich resource that edu-
cates citizens about the data presented and gives scientists
easy access to the specialized information they need.
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
As part of the Atlas project, Seminole County initiated a water quality and
hydrology curriculum component in September 2001. The curriculum, which is
being developed in conjunction with the University of South Florida and the
Seminole County School Board, along with several other minor partners, is
expected to be completed by January 2004. Designed for grades 5 through 12,
the curriculum will be provided to county schools, a local environmental studies
center, and other interested environmental education groups. The curriculum
will cross several disciplines, including math, science, and social studies. Project
organizers are expecting that in the future, other counties will develop their own
watershed databases and could adapt the Seminole County curriculum to meet
their needs.
Water-Based Projects
35
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/
Onondaga Lake
Seneca River
^ EMPACT
\. Site
Teachers will work with county staff to design the curriculum and will then
train other teachers how to use it. Curriculum staff will develop both teacher
and student guides. Teachers and students will need Internet access to use the
curriculum, and optional field activities are under consideration, which might
require environmental monitoring equipment.
Resources
For additional information on the Seminole County Watershed Atlas project or
curriculum, contact Kim Ornberg at 407 665-5738 or visit the project Web site
at .
5.2.7 Onondaga Lake/Seneca River (Syracuse, New York)
Introduction
The Onondaga Lake/Seneca River
EMPACT project provides environ-
mental information on the health of
the Onondaga Lake/Seneca River
ecosystems to students, researchers,
and the local Syracuse community.
Onondaga Lake is one of the most
polluted lakes in the United States,
with fishing and swimming prohibited and several water quality standards rou-
tinely violated. The lake pollution affects adjoining waterways, including the
Seneca River. In 1998, local, state, and federal authorities agreed on a 15-year
staged program to address the impacts of sewage pollution on the lake and river,
and in 1999, the project was awarded an EMPACT grant. The program, a part-
nership between the Syracuse City School District, the Upstate Freshwater
Institute, State University of New York-School of Environmental Science and
Forestry, Syracuse University, and local businesses, collects and delivers critical
near real-time data from remote underwater sample stations, or RUSS units, in
the lake and river. The goals of the project include:
• Applying and advancing innovative remote monitoring technology to meet
the acute present and future monitoring needs for the lake and river.
• Addressing the community's lack of understanding concerning the degraded
conditions of the ecosystems.
• Promoting excellence in teaching, learning, and research.
The lasting benefits of the projects will include:
• Addition of critical capabilities to the long-term monitoring program.
• Creation of vehicles to communicate important characteristics and findings
to all stakeholders.
• A community that is more engaged in critical environmental decision-making.
36
Chapter 5
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Lessons, Tools, and Activities
Three educational resources have been developed to support classroom instruc-
tion and connect school curricula to the Onondaga Lake-Seneca River
EMPACT Project. Grade-level course guides for early primary (K-3), elemen-
tary (4-6), intermediate (7-9), and commencement (10-12) students have been
developed to supplement project efforts. The lessons in the guides were
designed to be implemented as part of a regular science course. For example,
students could learn weather principles by studying the RUSS meteorological
data. There are some teachers who are using the materials in special Onondaga
Lake Units. These types of units are taught in the spring and review all the con-
cepts of a course.
Several essential understandings form the basis of the course guides. A commit-
tee of teachers representing all grade levels and content areas of the Syracuse
City School District analyzed the issues and concepts impacting Onondaga Lake
and its watershed. Through their analysis, they identified the following essential
understandings:
• Several dynamic processes are constantly reshaping the Onondaga Lake
Watershed, including:
— Succession: The continuing process in which an ecosystem evolves to
maximize the cycling and utilization of resources.
— Seasonal changes: The processes involved with the motion of the earth
and moon about the sun, and the processes that occur in response to their
motion.
— Human processes: The processes involved with human activity and the
environmental impacts that result.
• The earth is a closed system.
— Life is sustained by and is part of a set of cyclic processes.
- All resources used by humans were developed through a series of cyclic
processes.
- All waste products, if not transformed, will remain in the global system.
• Humans make decisions. Human action is directed primarily by thought and
decisionmaking in an effort to improve the quality of life.
• Efficient and effective communication skills are necessary for success at any
task or performance.
In addition to the essential understandings that were developed under the proj-
ect, teachers developed essential questions to drive classroom inquiry and
research. The primary question to drive inquiry in all classrooms and content
areas is "How do we make the decisions necessary to develop and maintain a
healthy community?" The Onondaga Lake and Seneca River are two compo-
nents of the watershed ecosystem. Because all components of the ecosystem are
interconnected, monitoring changes in water quality provides insight into the
Water-Based Projects 37
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overall health of the watershed and the communities it supports. As a result, stu-
dents are challenged to assess their community and their impact upon it. The key
questions for driving inquiry for each essential understanding of the project are:
• What are the processes that impact our community?
• How does material enter and leave our community?
• What happens to these materials when they interact with our community?
• How do these materials impact upon and/or affect our community?
• How do humans, individually and in groups, make decisions?
• How do people make the decisions necessary to communicate effectively
with each other?
For each grade level, there are lessons covering each essential understanding and
key question. For example, to address the key understanding of dynamic
processes and the key question, "What are the processes that impact our com-
munity?" the Onondaga Lake curriculum includes the lesson "Shake, Rattle,
and Role: Earth's Dynamic Processes." The theme, topics, and project work vary
by grade level. As an example, for 1 Oth grade, the theme of the lesson is cycles
and cyclic processes; the curriculum topics include biological interactions with
dynamic changes, lake biology, and Onondaga Creek Watershed ecology; stu-
dents assume the role of research botanists, microbiologists, zoologists, entomol-
ogists, and environmental engineers and present a physical model as a project.
Resources
For more information on the Onondaga Lake/Seneca River project, contact
Richard List at 315 435-5842 or at and visit the
project Web site at .
38 Chapters
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6.0 Land-Use and Soil-Based
Projects
EPA's Office of Research and
6.1 Teacher Tips Development (ORD) conducts
Soil is a dynamic resource that supports plant life. It is com- research in innovative monitoring and
prised of a number of different materials, including sand, silt, measurement technologies, as well as
clay, organic matter, and many species of living organisms. in tools to interpret data streams and
Therefore, soil has biological, chemical, and physical properties, to increase the quality and the num-
some of which can change depending on how the soil is man- ber of environmental parameters that
aged. The Soil Science Society of America defines soil quality as ccm be monitored and reported in
"the capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natu- EMPACT communities. Although there
ral or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and ani- are currently no research grants
mal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, researching soil monitoring technolo-
and support human health and habitation." Management that 9ies' teachm9 students about SO1'
, -irur i j ijjj quality is important, so this handbook
enhances soil quality benefits cropland, rangeland, and wood- ^ , ,
, , j • • T jj- • u j -i r- u c provides background information as
land productivity. In addition, enhanced soil quality benefits , , ,
,. . ,. , .,,,.,- ,,.-.,., a resource for the teacher.
water quality air quality and wildlife habitat. Soil provides sev-
eral essential services or functions:
• Soil supports the growth and diversity of plants and animals by providing a
physical, chemical, and biological environment for the exchange of water,
nutrients, energy, and air.
• Soil regulates the distribution of rain or irrigation water between infiltration
and runoff, and it regulates the flow and storage of water and the materials
found in it, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, and nutrients.
• Soil stores, moderates the release of, and cycles plant nutrients and other ele-
ments.
• Soil acts as a filter to protect the quality of water, air, and other resources.
Soil quality is evaluated using indicators that reflect changes in the capacity of
the soil to function. Useful indicators are those that are sensitive to change and
that change in response to management. Some examples include soil erosion,
sediment deposition, soil biodiversity, water capacity, and pesticides. Monitoring
of soil quality indicators over time identifies changes or trends in the functional-
ity or quality of the soil. Monitoring can be used to determine the success of
management practices or the need for changes or adjustments.
Most soil-related EMPACT projects focus either on lead exposure from residen-
tial soils or the status of brownfield properties. (See
for more information on these projects, which
do not currently have curriculum components.)
Another topic associated with soil is land use and urban sprawl. Urban sprawl
can be defined as the unplanned, unlimited extension of neighborhoods outside
of a city's limits, usually associated with low density residential and commercial
settlements, dominance of transportation by automobiles, and widespread strip
commercial development. Over the past 50 years, American cities have been
Land-UseandSoil-BasedProjects 39
-------
experiencing an accelerated urbanization and suburbanization process resulting
from rapid technological advancement and relatively steady economic growth.
Some argue that urban sprawl leads to inefficient land use patterns.
Communities can implement a number of growth management programs to
encourage more efficient and environmentally sound development patterns.
6.2 The Tools
6.2.1 Northeast Ohio Urban Growth Simulator
Introduction
The Northeast Ohio (NEO) EMPACT project compiled urban sprawl data to
create a land-use computer modeling tool. Developed by Kent State University,
Cleveland State University, and the University of Akron, it provides citizens
with local urban sprawl information and development scenarios for Northeast-
Ohio. This information helps decision-making on how the region should grow
and provides possible land use consequences that might arise from different
kinds of growth (i.e., farmland loss, wetland destruction).
Lessons, Tools, and Activities
As part of the NEO EMPACT project, a handbook was developed to introduce
teachers and students to the importance of understanding urban sprawl in their
communities. Urban Sprawl in Northeast Ohio
is arranged in thematic and developmental
order to provide students with a comprehen-
sive understanding of urban sprawl and its
effects on the environment.
The handbook for educators and students
includes detailed background information, les-
sons, and activities focused on urban sprawl. It
progresses from developing an understanding
of urban sprawl to discussing concrete actions
students and teachers can take to raise aware-
ness of urban sprawl. The major sections of the
handbook include:
• The introductory section, All About
Urban Sprawl—Notes for Educators, provides
detailed background information on urban sprawl and how it relates to other
environmental problems such as air and water pollution and acid rain.
The 10 Experiments and Exercises on urban sprawl provide hands-on lessons
in urban sprawl. Geared towards specific grades, the experiments and exercis-
es cover land use planning, various types of air pollution (e.g., particulates,
carbon dioxide), soil buffering, air quality as it relates to combustion byprod-
ucts, habitat destruction, water pollution, and city planning.
40
Chapter 6
-------
• The Students, Urban Sprawl, and the Internet section is complemented by the
online Urban Growth Simulator and its Self-Guided Workbook, which allow
students to simulate how their community would change with future devel-
opment. The workbook describes the Urban Growth Simulator Web site,
and includes four guided simulation exercises.
• The Urban Sprawl Activities for Younger Students focus on developing stu-
dents' oral, visual, and writing skills. Activities include conducting a mock
interview with a famous environmentalist, a word search and crossword puz-
zle, writing an urban sprawl bill, determining the authority of various levels
of government (i.e., federal, state, local) to pass land use laws, and designing
urban sprawl posters for display in the community.
• Urban Sprawl—What Students Can Do offers teachers and students sugges-
tions for reducing sprawl and its side effects in the local community and at
school.
• Urban Sprawl World Wide Web Resources for Educators lists sources of addi-
tional information on urban sprawl for educators and students.
Resources
For additional information on the NEO Urban Sprawl curriculum handbook,
contact Adam Zeller of the Earth Day Coalition at 216 281-6468 or
and visit the NEO EMPACT Web site at
.
Land-UseandSoil-BasedProjects 41
-------
Appendix A: Additional
Resources
U.S. Environmental Profecfion Agency (EPA) Office of
Solid Wasfe
< www. epa. gov/epaoswer/osw/teacher. htm>
This Web site provides educational tools and a list of related publications,
including:
• Let's Reduce and Recycle: Curriculum for Solid Waste Awareness
• School Recycling Programs: A Handbook for Educators
• Adventures of the Garbage Gremlin
EPA also lists a wealth of activities including the "Planet Protectors Coloring
Book."
The Globe Program: Global Learning and Observations
To Benefif fhe Environmenf
This Web site provides science and education resources including teacher guides,
workshops, and tools, such as a geography quiz and cloud identification quiz.
Natural Resource Conservation Service
This Web site includes ideas and educational tools for teachers.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Kids
"USDA for Kids" Web site is a great resource for educational tools, including a
food pyramid guide, Smokey the Bear, and "Food for Thought."
National Soil Survey Center
This Web site provides extensive teacher resources related to geography and science.
42 AppendixA
-------
Norfh American Associafion of Environmental Education
(NAAEE)
1255 23rd Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20037-1199
202 884-8912
Fax: 202 884-8701
NAAEE was established in 1971 as a network of professionals and students
working in environmental education. NAAEE's members are located through-
out North America and in more than 40 countries around the world; they
believe that education is the key to ensuring a healthy, sustainable environment
and improving the quality of life on earth. Members can join various sections:
Elementary and Secondary Education, College and University Environmental
Programs, and Non-formal Education.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Developmenf (ASCD)
1250 North Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703 549-9110
< www ascd. org>
ASCD, an education association, serves its members through publications, pro-
fessional development opportunities, research and information searches, the
Curriculum and Technology Resource Center, and affiliates in each state and
several foreign countries. Resources include information on staff development
practices, cooperative learning, peer coaching, and science and social studies
content for schools.
National Science Teachers Associafion (NSTA)
1840 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201-3000
703 243-7100
Fax: 703 243-7177
< www. nsta. org>
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is committed to improving
science education at all levels, preschool through college. NSTA produces sever-
al publications, conducts national and regional conventions, and provides schol-
arships, teacher-training workshops, educational tours, and an employment
registry. The Web site provides an extensive range of resources for teachers of
students of all levels; journals and books on science education and instruction
are also available.
AdditionalResources 43
-------
National School Boards Associafion (NSBA)
1680 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703 838-6722
The National School Boards Association is a national federation of state school
boards. NSBA produces "Electronic School," a free online technology publica-
tion for K-12 educators. NSBA houses the Institute for the Transfer of
Technology to Education (ITTE), a program to help advance the wise use of
technology in public education.
44 AppendixA
-------
Appendix B: Glossary of
Terms
Air Terms
Acid rain: Air pollution produced when acid compounds formed in the atmos-
phere are incorporated into rain, snow, fog, or mist. The acid compounds come
from sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, products of burning coal and other fuels
and from certain industrial processes. Acid rain can impact the environment
and human health and damage property.
Atmosphere: A thin layer of gases surrounding the Earth, composed of 78 per-
cent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, 0.03 percent carbon dioxide,
and trace amounts of other gases. There is no exact place where the atmosphere
ends; it just gets thinner and thinner, until it merges with outer space.
Basal cell carcinoma: Skin cancer tumors that might appear as slow-growing,
translucent, pearly nodules, which might crust, discharge pus, or even bleed.
These tumors typically develop where you are most exposed to the sun—on the
face, lips, tops of ears, and hands.
Carbon monoxide (CO): A colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced by the
incomplete burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Appliances fueled with
natural gas, liquified petroleum (LP gas), oil, kerosene, coal, or wood may pro-
duce CO. Burning charcoal produces CO and car exhaust contains CO.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Stable, low toxic, and inexpensive chemicals
that were most commonly used as refrigerants, solvents, and aerosol propellants.
CFCs and their relatives, when released into the air, rise into the stratosphere
and take part in chemical reactions that result in reduction or depletion of the
stratospheric ozone layer. The 1990 Clean Air Act includes provisions for reduc-
ing releases (emissions) and eliminating production and use of these ozone-
destroying chemicals.
Clean Air Act: The original Clean Air Act was passed in 1963, but our national
air pollution control program is actually based on the 1970 version of the law.
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are the most far-reaching revisions of the
1970 law.
Criteria air pollutants: A group of very common air pollutants regulated by
EPA on the basis of criteria (information on health and/or environmental effects
of pollution).
Emission: Release of pollutants into the air from a source. Continuous emission
monitoring systems (GEMS) are machines that some large sources are required
to install, to make continuous measurements of pollutant release.
EMPACT: Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community
Tracking, a program begun by EPA in 1997, helps communities collect, man-
age, and distribute environmental information, providing residents with up-to-
GlossaryofTerms 45
-------
date and easy-to-understand information they can use to make informed, day-
to-day decisions.
Greenhouse effect: A natural phenomenon whereby clouds and greenhouse
gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide, trap some of the Sun's heat in the
atmosphere. The greenhouse effect helps regulate the temperature of the Earth.
Human activities are adding greenhouse gases to the natural mix.
Greenhouse gases: Human activities, such as fuel burning, are adding green-
house gases to the atmosphere. Because these gases remain in the atmosphere for
decades to centuries (depending on the gas) global temperatures will rise.
Melanoma: The most fatal form of skin cancer. Malignant melanomas may
appear suddenly without warning as a dark mole or other dark spot on the skin
and can spread quickly.
Monitoring (monitor): Measurement of air pollution is referred to as monitor-
ing. Continuous emission monitoring systems (GEMS) will measure, on a con-
tinuous basis, how much pollution is being released into the air. The 1990
Clean Air Act requires states to monitor community air in polluted areas to
check on whether the areas are being cleaned up according to schedules set out
in the law.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx): A criteria air pollutant. Nitrogen oxides are pro-
duced from burning fuels, including gasoline and coal, and react with volatile
organic compounds to form smog. Nitrogen oxides are also major compo-
nents of acid rain.
Ozone (O3): An ozone molecule consists of three oxygen atoms. Stratospheric
ozone shields the Earth against harmful rays from the sun, particularly ultravio-
let B. Ground-level ozone contributes to smog.
Ozone depletion: The ozone layer is damaged when substances such as chloro-
fluorocarbons accelerate the natural process of destroying and regenerating
stratospheric ozone. As the ozone layer breaks down, it absorbs smaller amounts
of UV radiation, allowing more of it to reach the earth.
Particulates, particulate matter: A criteria air pollutant. Particulate matter
includes dust, soot, and other tiny bits of solid materials that are released into
and move around in the air.
Pollutants (pollution): Unwanted chemicals or other materials found in the air.
Smog: A mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone, produced by
chemical reactions in the air involving smog-forming chemicals. A major portion
of smog-formers come from burning of petroleum- based fuels such as gasoline.
Major smog occurrences are often linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, sunshine,
high temperatures, and calm winds or temperature inversion (weather condition
in which warm air is trapped close to the ground instead of rising).
Source: Any place or object from which pollutants are released.
46 AppendixB
-------
Spectrophotometer: An instrument for measuring the relative intensities of
light in different parts of the spectrum used to measure the amount of UV radi-
ation reaching the earth.
Squamous cell carcinoma: Skin cancer tumors that might appear as nodules or
red, scaly patches, which can develop into large masses and spread to other parts
of the body.
Stratosphere: The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to
50 kilometers (31 miles) high. The temperature in this region increases gradual-
ly to -3 degrees Celsius, due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation. The
ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the solar ultraviolet radiation, is in this
layer. Ninety-nine percent of air is located in the troposphere and stratosphere.
Stratospheric ozone: A bluish gas composed of three oxygen atoms. Natural
processes destroy and regenerate ozone in the atmosphere. When ozone-deplet-
ing substances such as chlorofluorocarbons accelerate the destruction of ozone,
there is less ozone to block UV radiation from the sun, allowing more UV radi-
ation to reach the earth.
Sulfur dioxide: A criteria air pollutant. Sulfur dioxide is a gas produced by
burning coal, most notably in power plants. Sulfur dioxide plays an important
role in the production of acid rain.
Sunscreen: A substance, usually a lotion, that you can apply to protect your
skin from UV radiation. It works by reflecting UV radiation away from your
skin in addition to absorbing UV radiation before it can penetrate your skin.
SunWise School Program: EMPACT program that aims to teach grades K-8
school children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexpo-
sure to the sun. The program raises children's awareness of stratospheric ozone
depletion and ultraviolet radiation and encourages simple sun safety practices.
Troposphere: The troposphere is the lowest region in the Earth's (or any planet's)
atmosphere, starting at ground (or water) level up and reaching up to about 11
miles (17 kilometers) high. The weather and clouds occur in the troposphere.
Ultraviolet B (UVB): A type of sunlight. Ultraviolet B exposure has been asso-
ciated with skin cancer, eye cataracts, and damage to the environment. The
ozone in the stratosphere, high above the Earth, filters out ultraviolet B rays and
keeps them from reaching the Earth. Thinning of the ozone layer in the strato-
sphere results in increased amounts of ultraviolet B reaching the Earth.
UV Index: A tool developed by the National Weather Service that predicts the
next day's UV intensity on a scale from 0 to 10+, helping people determine
appropriate sun-protective behaviors.
UV radiation: A portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths
shorter than visible light. UV radiation produced by the sun is responsible for
sunburn and other adverse health effects. Scientists classify UV radiation into
three types: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Chemicals that produce vapors readily
at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure, so that vapors escape
GlossaryofTerms 47
-------
easily from volatile liquid chemicals. Organic chemicals all contain the element
carbon and are the basic chemicals found both in living things and in products
derived from living things, such as coal, petroleum and refined petroleum prod-
ucts. Many volatile organic chemicals are also hazardous air pollutants.
Wafer Terms
Abiotic: Not alive; non-biological. For example, temperature and mixing are
abiotic factors that influence the oxygen content of lake water, whereas photo-
synthesis and respiration are biotic factors that affect oxygen solubility.
Acid: A solution that is a proton (H+) donor and has a pH less than 7 on a
scale of 0-14. The lower the pH the greater the acidity of the solution.
Acidity: A measure of how acidic a solution may be. A solution with a pH of
less than 7.0 is considered acidic. Solutions with a pH of less than 4.5 contain
mineral acidity (due to strong inorganic acids), while a solution having a pH
greater than 8.3 contains no acidity.
Acid rain: Precipitation having a pH lower than the natural range of -5-2 - 5-6;
caused by sulfur and nitrogen acids derived from human-produced emissions.
Acidification: The process by which acids are added to a water body, causing a
decrease in its buffering capacity (also referred to as alkalinity or acid neutraliz-
ing capacity), and ultimately a significant decrease in pH that may lead to the
water body becoming acidic (pH < 7).
Algae: Simple single-celled, colonial, or multi-celled aquatic plants. Aquatic
algae are (mostly) microscopic plants that contain chlorophyll and grow by pho-
tosynthesis and lack roots, stems (non- vascular), and leaves.
Alkalinity: Acid neutralizing or buffering capacity of water; a measure of the
ability of water to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of acids or bases.
Therefore, it is the main indicator of susceptibility to acid rain. A solution hav-
ing a pH below about 5 contains no alkalinity.
Anoxia: Condition of being without dissolved oxygen.
Anthropogenic: A condition resulting from human activities.
Aquatic respiration: Refers to the use of oxygen in an aquatic system, including
the decomposition of organic matter and the use of oxygen by fish, algae, zoo-
plankton, aquatic macrophytes, and microorganisms for metabolism.
Base: A substance which accepts protons (H+) and has a pH greater than 7 on a
scale of 0-14; also referred to as an alkaline substance.
Basin: Geographic land area draining into a lake or river; also referred to as
drainage basin or watershed.
Benthic: Refers to being on the bottom of a lake.
Bioaccumulation: The increase of a chemical's concentration in organisms that
reside in environments contaminated with low concentrations of various organic
compounds. Also used to describe the progressive increase in the amount of a
48 AppendixB
-------
chemical in an organism resulting from rates of absorption of a substance in
excess of its metabolism and excretion. Certain chemicals, such as PCBs, mercu-
ry, and some pesticides, can be concentrated from very low levels in the water to
toxic levels in animals through this process.
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): Sometimes referred to as Biological
Oxygen Demand (BOD). A measure of the amount of oxygen removed
(respired) from aquatic environments by aerobic microorganisms either in the
water column or in the sediments. Primarily of concern in wastewater "streams"
or systems impacted by organic pollution.
Biomass: The weight of a living organism or group of organisms.
Biotic: Referring to a live organism; see abiotic.
Buffer: A substance that tends to keep pH levels fairly constant when acids or
bases are added.
Chlorophyll: Green pigment in plants that transforms light energy into chemi-
cal energy during photosynthesis.
Clarity: Transparency; routinely estimated by the depth at which you can no
longer see a Secchi disk. The Secchi disk, an 8-inch diameter, weighted metal
plate, is lowered into water until it disappears from view. It is then raised until
just visible. An average of the two depths, taken from the shaded side of the
boat, is recorded as the Secchi depth.
Conductivity (electrical conductivity and specific conductance): Measures
water's ability to conduct an electric current and is directly related to the total
dissolved salts (ions) in the water. Called EC for electrical conductivity, it is
temperature-sensitive and increases with higher temperature.
Dissolved oxygen (DO or O2): The concentration of free (not chemically
combined) molecular oxygen (a gas) dissolved in water, usually expressed in mil-
ligrams per liter, parts per million, or percent of saturation. Adequate concentra-
tions of dissolved oxygen are necessary for the life of fish and other aquatic
organisms.
Dissolved solids concentration: The total mass of dissolved mineral con-
stituents or chemical compounds in water; they form the residue that remains
after evaporation and drying.
Ecosystem: All of the interacting organisms in a defined space in association
with their interrelated physical and chemical environment.
Epilimnion: The upper, wind-mixed layer of a thermally stratified lake. This
water is turbulently mixed at some point during the day, and, because of its
exposure, can freely exchange dissolved gases (such as O2 and CO2) with the
atmosphere.
Eutrophication: Unhealthy increases in the growth of phytoplankton.
Symptoms of eutrophication include algal blooms, reduced water clarity, periods
of hypoxia, and a shift toward species adapted toward these conditions.
Evaporation: The process of converting liquid to vapor.
GlossaryofTerms 49
-------
Food chain: The transfer of food energy from plants through herbivores to car-
nivores. For example, algae are eaten by zooplankton, which in turn are eaten by
small fish, which are then eaten by larger fish, and eventually by people or other
predators.
Food web: Food chains connected into a complex web.
Hydrogen: Colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas; combines with oxygen to form
water.
Hydrology: The study of water's properties, distribution, and circulation on
Earth.
Hypolimnion: The bottom and most dense layer of a stratified lake. It is typical-
ly the coldest layer in the summer and warmest in the winter. It is isolated from
wind mixing and typically too dark for much plant photosynthesis to occur.
Hypoxia: A deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body.
Isothermal: Constant in temperature.
Leach: To remove soluble or other constituents from a medium by the action of
a percolating liquid, as in leaching salts from the soil by the application of water.
Metalimnion: The middle or transitional zone between the well-mixed epil-
imnion and the colder hypolimnion layers in a stratified lake.
Nonpoint source: Diffuse source of pollutant(s); not discharged from a pipe;
associated with land use such as agriculture, contaminated groundwater flow, or
onsite septic systems.
Nutrient loading: Discharging of nutrients from the watershed (basin) into a
receiving water body (lake, stream, wetland).
Oxygen: An odorless, colorless gas; combines with hydrogen to form water;
essential for aerobic respiration. See respiration.
Oxygen solubility: The ability of oxygen gas to dissolve into water.
Parameter: Whatever it is you measure; a particular physical, chemical, or bio-
logical property that is being measured.
pH: A measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions.
Phosphorus: Key nutrient influencing plant growth in lakes.
Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants convert carbon dioxide
(CO2) dissolved in water to sugars and oxygen using sunlight for energy.
Photosynthesis is essential in producing a lake's food base and is an important
source of oxygen for many lakes.
Phytoplankton: Microscopic floating plants, mainly algae, that live suspended
in bodies of water and that drift about because they cannot move by themselves
or because they are too small or too weak to swim effectively against a current.
Respiration: The metabolic process by which organic carbon molecules are oxi-
dized to carbon dioxide and water with a net release of energy.
50 AppendixB
-------
Solubility: The ability of a substance to dissolve into another.
Solution: A homogenous mixture of two substances.
Solvent: A substance that has the ability to dissolve another.
Stormwater discharge: Precipitation and snowmelt runoff (e.g., from roadways,
parking lots, roof drains) that is collected in gutters and drains; a major source
of nonpoint source pollution to water bodies.
Temperature: A measure of whether a substance is hot or cold.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): The amount of dissolved substances, such as
salts or minerals, in water remaining after evaporating the water and weighing
the residue.
Turbidity: Degree to which light is blocked because water is muddy or cloudy.
Turnover: Fall cooling and spring warming of surface water make density uni-
form throughout the water column, allowing wind and wave action to mix the
entire lake. As a result, bottom waters contact the atmosphere, raising the
water's oxygen content.
Water Column: A conceptual column of water from lake surface to bottom
sediments.
Watershed: All land and water areas that drain toward a river or lake; also called
a drainage basin or water basin.
Soil Terms
Bedrock: Consolidated rock.
Brownfields: Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial facili-
ties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived envi-
ronmental contamination.
Clay: Soil composed mainly of fine particles of hydrous aluminum silicates and
other minerals. Soil composed chiefly of this material has particles less than a
specified size.
Erosion: The wearing away of the land surface by running water, wind, ice,
other geological agents, or human activity.
Infiltration: The downward entry of water through the soil surface.
Limestone: A white to gray, fine-grained rock made of calcium carbonate.
Percolation: Water that moves through the soil at a depth below the root zone.
Sand: A loose granular material that results from the disintegration of rocks. It
consists of particles smaller than gravel but coarser than silt
Sandstone: A very grainy rock that comes in many colors, including gray, red,
or tan.
GlossaryofTerms 51
-------
Sedimentary rock: Rock that has formed from compressed sediment, like sand,
mud, and small pieces of rocks.
Shale: Dark-colored rock that is usually black, deep red, or gray-green. It has a
fine grain and is usually found below sandstone, not on the surface. Shale was
formed from fine silt and clay.
Silt: Predominantly quartz mineral particles that are between the size of sand
and clay in diameter. Silt, like clay and sand, is a product of the weathering and
decomposition of preexisting rock.
Soil: Soil is made up of minerals (rock, sand, clay, silt), air, water, and organic
(plant and animal) material. There are many different types of soils, and each one
has unique characteristics, like color, texture, structure, and mineral content.
Soil contamination: Pollution caused by a number of activities, including the
dumping of hazardous substances, pesticide and fertilizer use, and industrial or
chemical processes. Pollutants in soils can also be transported to groundwater
sources and into the air. Contaminated soils are often a major concern at
brownfield and Superfund sites. Common soil contaminants include arsenic,
benzene, cyanide, lead, and mercury.
Soil formation: Soil is formed slowly as rock erodes into tiny pieces near the
Earth's surface. Organic matter decays and mixes with rock particles, minerals,
and water to form soil.
Soil texture: Distribution of individual particles of soil.
Soil washing: A technology that uses liquids (usually water, sometimes com-
bined with chemical additives) and a mechanical process to scrub soils of con-
taminants.
Superfund: The Federal government's program to clean up the nation's uncon-
trolled hazardous waste sites.
Topsoil: Soil consisting of a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter.
Topsoil is rich in nutrients and supports plant growth.
Urban sprawl: The unplanned, unlimited extension of neighborhoods outside
of a city's limits, usually associated with low density residential and commercial
settlements, dominance of transportation by automobiles, and widespread strip
commercial development.
52 AppendixB
-------
Appendix C: Activities by Grade Level
Curriculum K
Airbeat
Air Currents
Air Info Now: Environmental
Monitoring for Public Access
and Community Tracking
AIRNow
Boulder Area Sustainability
Information Network
Burlington Eco-lnfo
Community Accessible Air
Quality Monitoring Assessment
(Northeast Ohio)
ECOPLEX
Lake Access (WOW)
Monitoring Your Sound
Online Dynamic Watershed
Atlas (Seminole County, FL)
Onondaga Lake/Seneca River
Northeast Ohio Urban Growth
Simulator
X
X
1
X
X
2
X
X
X
3
X
X
X
4
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
5
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Grc
6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
ide
7
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
8
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
9
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
10
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
11
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
12
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
12 +
X
Activities by Grade Level
53
-------
Appendix D: Activities by Subject
Curriculum
Airbeat
Air CURRENTS
Air Info Now: Environmental
Monitoring for Public Access
and Community Tracking
AIRNow
Boulder Area Sustainability
Information Network
Burlington Eco-lnfo
Community Accessible Air
Quality Monitoring Assessment
(Northeast Ohio)
ECOPLEX
Lake Access
Monitoring Your Sound
Online Dynamic Watershed
Atlas (Seminole County, FL)
Onondaga Lake/Seneca River
Northeast Ohio Urban Growth
Simulator
Math
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Language Arts
X
X
X
X
Subject
Science
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Social Studies
X
X
X
X
Art
X
X
X
X
54
Appendix D
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Appendix E: Selected Lesson Plans and Activities
Airlnfo Now
Group Details - Blue Group: Weather (PDF)
Data Sheet - Blue Group: Weather (Excel)
Group Details - Brown Group: Visibility (PDF)
Data Sheet- Brown Group: Visibility (Excel)
A Guide to CO-City (PDF)
So What's Making it Look Brown Outside? Collecting and Measuring Participate Matter (PDF)
What's the Connection Between Convection and Inversion? Convection Currents and Temperature Inversion
(PDF)
Getting a Handle on Greenhouse Gases: Your Family's Impact on the Greenhouse Effect (PDF)
Helping to Find a Solution to Air Pollution! (PDF)
Green Group: Location (PDF)
Green Group: Location (Excel)
Real-Time Air Quality Activity: Groups (PDF)
Practice Data Sheet (Excel)
Group Details - Red Group: Time (PDF)
Data Sheet - Red Group: Time (Excel)
Real-Time Air Quality Activity: Student Sheets(PDF)
Real-Time Air Quality Activity: Teacher Sheets(PDF)
Group Details - Yellow Group: Health (PDF)
Data Sheet - Yellow Group: Health (Excel)
Airnow
Air Quality Index Poster: Are you breathing clean air? (PDF)
Air Quality Index: A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health (PDF)
Air Quality Index Kids Website: Teacher's Reference (PDF)
Green Day Poster (PDF)
Orange Day Poster (PDF)
Air Quality Index Posters (PDF)
Purple Day Poster (PDF)
Red Day Poster (PDF)
Yellow Day Poster (PDF)
ECOPLEX
. uv
UV/7-2: Spotlight the Sun Data Table (PDF)
Ozone Chemistry: Formation & Depletion(PDF)
8th Grade Lesson Plan - UV: Chemistry of Ozone Depletion(PDF)
5th Grade Lesson Plan - UV: Check It Out! (PDF)
First Grade UV: Catching and Counting UV Rays! (PDF)
4th Grade UV Lesson: What Depletes Our Ozone? Me and My Zone! (PDF)
Kindergarten UV: UV and Me! (PDF)
Second Grade UV: The Air Out There - UV and Ozone (PDF)
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o UV/7-1: Distribution of the Sun's Rays (PDF)
o 6th Grade UV: Friend or Foe (PDF)
o 3rd Grade UV Lesson: When Good Ozone Goes Bad (PDF)
Water Quality
o Third Grade Water Quality: Test, Test, Is This Water Safe? (PDF)
o Fourth Grade Water Quality: Chain, Chain, Chain, Chain of Food (PDF)
o Fifth Grade Water Quality: Tick lock Toxins (PDF)
o 6th Grade Water Quality Lesson: Water O2 and You! (PDF)
o 7th Grade Water Quality Lesson: Taxa-Rich and Taxa-Poor! (PDF)
o Water Quality 1-1 Record Sheet (PDF)
o Water Quality 2-1 Record Sheet (PDF)
o Water Quality 4-1 Datasheet (PDF)
o Water Quality 5-1 Datasheet (PDF)
o First Grade Water Quality: Water - It's a Gas... Sometimes! (PDF)
o Kindergarten Water Quality: Water in Me (PDF)
o Second Grade Water Quality: Amazing Water (PDF)
Water Quantity
o 7th Grade Water Quantity: Water Use and Abuse (PDF)
o 3rd Grade Water Quantity: Name That Surface Water (PDF)
o 4th Grade Water Quantity: H2O is Underground Too! (PDF)
o 5th Grade Water Quantity: What-A-Shed (PDF)
o WQT/6-1: Water vs. Land and Sea (PDF)
o WQT/6-2: Diagram for Stream Table (PDF)
o 6th Grade Water Quantity: The Ups and Downs of Your Watershed (PDF)
o 8th Grade Water Quantity: Water to Supply an Ever-growing Population (PDF)
o First Grade Water Quantity Lesson: Here I Go 'Round My Watershed! (PDF)
o Water Quantity Letter (PDF)
o Kindergarten Water Quantity Lesson: Drip! Drop! Water Does Not Stop! (PDF)
o Second Grade Water Quantity Lesson: Now You See It - Now You Don't! (PDF)
o Water Quantity: What to Do and How to Do It (PDF)
o WQT/7-1: Water Use Chart (PDF)
MY Sound
The Impact of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on Long Island Sound (PDF)
Alternative Strategies for Hypoxia Management: Creative Ideas to Complement Advanced Treatment (PDF)
Fact Sheet #1: Hypoxia in Long Island Sound (PDF)
Toxic Contamination in Long Island Sound (PDF)
Nutrient Reduction: New Solutions to Old Problems (PDF)
Pathogens (PDF)
The Impact of Septic Systems on the Environment (PDF)
Water Conservation and Marine Water Quality (PDF)
Wastewater Treatment (PDF)
Supporting the Sound (PDF)
Floatable Debris (PDF)
How Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions Affect Marine Life in Long Island Sound(PDF)
Puttting the Plan in Motion (PDF)
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SunWise
SunWise Monitor, November 1999 (PDF)
SunWise Monitor, April 2000 (PDF)
SunWise Monitor, April 2001 (PDF)
Mission: SunWise - Activity Book (PDF)
Mission: SunWise - Activity Book (Spanish) (PDF)
Sun Safety for Kids: The SunWise School Program (PDF)|
The SunWise School Program Guide (PDF)
Mission: SunWise (PDF)
Mission: SunWise (Spanish) (PDF)
Summertime Safety: Keeping Kids Safe from Sun and Smog (PDF)
Action Steps for Sun Protection (PDF)
Sunscreen: The Burning Facts (PDF)
The Sun, UV, and You: A Guide to SunWise Behavior (PDF)
What Is the UV Index? (PDF)
UV Radiation (PDF)
Ozone Depletion (PDF)
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v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Please make all necessary changes on the below label,
detach or copy, and return to the address in the upper
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EPA/625/R-02/009
December 2002
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