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--> How are pollutants such
as ozone, NOx, VOCs and particulate matter transported or moved away from their sources?
Procedure:
- Review the wind information
below. Remember that the wind barb points in the direction where the wind is
blowing to, as opposed to where the wind is blowing from.
NOTE: The Example Wind Barb above represents a wind that is blowing from
the Southeast at 15 knots. Wind speed is often reported in the units of "knots". A "Knot" is a nautical mile per hour.
- 1 Knot = 1.15 Miles Per Hour (MPH)
- 1 Knot = 1.9 Kilometers Per Hour (KM/HR)
- Each short barb represents 5 knots, each long barb 10 knots. A long barb
and a short barb is 15 knots, simply by adding the value of each barb
together (10 knots + 5 knots = 15 knots.
On your
Student Worksheet, analyze the wind barbs and determine which way
the wind is blowing and how hard the wind is blowing.
- Wind not only moves air, but also particles and objects that may be in
the air. You may have experienced this before if you have dropped a piece of
paper outside on a windy day and chased after it as the wind picks up the
paper and carries it along.
- What about the particles you cannot see? Winds can transport particles
like NOx, VOCs, ground level ozone and particulates great distances from
where they were produced.
Pollutants such as ground level ozone and particulate matter are usually
swept along by winds that blow around 3,000 ft above the surface (sea level). Access the 3,000 ft wind data and answer the questions on the
Student Worksheet.
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EPA | NESCAUM |
CIESE | Stevens Institute of Technology
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Enrichment Lessons ->
Transport
