May 03 2012
So, while your text does introduce the concept of carbon neutral it did not mention carbon offsets, which have become a hot ticket in “climate change mitigation.” There are many companies out there now marketing carbon offsets to reduce your “carbon footprint.” Terrapass is a popular one. You can offset one year’s worth of air [...]
Apr 30 2012
Since it is so close to the AP exam and all of you have fulfilled your scribe post obligations, I won’t start the list over. So, here is a collection of links from past classes on major air pollution issues and global climate change for those that missed class. While written a year or two [...]
Apr 29 2012
After testing a handful of vehicles in each class, we tried to analyze the class data for trends. It has become harder and harder to do as vehicle emissions have become so much “cleaner” over the last decade (yes, I said it). If we had the time, this is the data I would love to [...]
Apr 25 2012
Monday we began talking about what exactly comes out of our cars, why they can be dangerous, and what the government is doing to curb these emissions. We talked first about the Clean Air Act of 1970. This act allowed the E.P.A. through the NAAQS or the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. These standards were set on 6 “criteria” pollutants: [...]
Oct 13 2011
Today we began talking about the Earth’s atmosphere, beginning with its composition. A mixture of gasses, the atmosphere is primarily made up of N2 followed by O2, and then 1% of other gasses. We then began talking about the structure of the atmosphere. As of right now, we are primarily concerned with the first 2 of [...]
Oct 13 2011
Today in class, we discussed why there are differences in climate among the biomes on Earth. We looked at 4 of the 5 factors that determine climate. Here are the 4 factors: 1. Unequal Heating of the Earth – A few reasons account for the uneven heating of Earth. First, Earth’s spherical shape largely influences [...]
