Linking Sources and Pollutants
Sensors and potential pollution sources.
Students use next-generation air quality monitors to measure gas-phase pollutants in the classroom. They apply the knowledge they gained during the associated lesson—an understanding of the connection between air pollutants and their possible sources. Student teams choose three potential pollutant sources and predict how the monitor’s sensors will respond. Then they evaluate whether or not their predictions were correct, and provide possible explanations for any inaccuracies. This activity serves as a simple introduction to the low-cost air quality monitoring technology that students use throughout the associated activities that follow. Three student handouts are provided.
During this activity, students investigate as if they were engineers, probing the link between sources and pollutants. By examining what pollutants are present in the air as well as possible sources, environmental engineers can determine where pollution is coming from, which is the first step towards control or mitigation strategies. Students also benefit from the hands-on learning practice of beginning with an action—measuring the gases—and then seeing the data plotted on a screen. In this way, students (and engineers) make the invisible visible and quantifiable.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the different sources of CO2 (biological and combustion), VOCs (combustion and volatilization), and NO2 (combustion).
- Use a simple air quality monitor (such as a Pod) to collect data.
- Analyze and interpret data qualitatively using plots.