Essay Questions
Construct detailed, essay-format responses to the following prompts. Do not provide answers.
- Discuss the complexities of creating “city models” for air pollution. Explain why these models are essential tools for urban planning and pollution control strategies, detail the inputs required, and describe the challenges that make their construction expensive and difficult.
- Explain the relationship between atmospheric stability and the dispersion of pollutants from an elevated source. Your explanation should define and incorporate the concepts of convection, mechanical turbulence, lapse rate, the Richardson number, and the Pasquill-Gifford stability categories (A-F).
- Analyze the local and regional effects of air pollution on weather patterns and atmospheric conditions. Cover the impacts on visibility, sunshine intensity (turbidity), and precipitation, discussing the evidence, examples, and scientific uncertainties presented in the text for each effect.
- Describe the phenomenon of “fumigation” as it relates to the diurnal pollution cycle near an elevated source in the country. Contrast this cycle with the typical daily pollution pattern observed in a city, explaining the meteorological reasons—including the formation and depth of the mixed layer—that account for the differences.
- Evaluate the global effects of atmospheric pollutants on climate change and the atmosphere, focusing on carbon dioxide (CO2) and chlorofluoromethanes (CFMs). Describe the mechanism by which each substance has an impact, summarize the observed trends and scientific predictions, and discuss the uncertainties and international responses mentioned in the text.