ENV107L: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LAB

Lab Report 2
Group D
Section 17

Date of Submission: 18. 3. 2021

Submitted to

Dr. Sohana Shabnam (SSm1)

Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Science and Management,
North South University
Name ID

Md. Rayan Ahmad 1620807030

Sunjiya Siddiqua 1631152030

Nazifa Tabassum Anonna 1721839030

Abdullah Al Masum 1721845030

Submitted by
Question 1: Look at the AQI value for any five cities (Including Dhaka) today and write it
down with a health message.

All the AQI data were collected on 17th March, 2021.

Table (A): The AQI values for five different cities

Location AQI AQI Levels of Meaning

value Health Concern
Dhaka, 209 Very Unhealthy Dhaka’s air quality is showing health
Bangladesh warnings of emergency conditions.
Under this kind of air quality
condition the whole population is
more likely to be affected.
Lahore, Pakistan 166 Unhealthy Under Lahore’s air quality condition,
everyone may begin to experience
health effects. The chances of
sensitive group members experiencing
serious health problems are high.
Mexico City, 107 Unhealthy For Under Mexico City’s air quality
Mexico Sensitive Groups condition, sensitive group members

have chances to suffer from health

effects. The general public is not
likely to be affected.
Toronto, Canada 61 Moderate Toronto’s air quality condition is
acceptable. Apart from this, there’s a
moderate health concern for a very
small number of people who are
unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Kobe, Japan 50 Good Kobe’s air quality condition is
satisfactory. The air pollution poses
little or no risk at all.

The data shows that:

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1) Dhaka, Bangladesh:
The AQI value of Dhaka, last updated at 23:00, Mar 17 (local time) was 209 which is
“Very Unhealthy”. Dhaka faces pollution issues from all sides. As a densely populated
city, it is vulnerable to the air pollution caused by the widespread use of automobiles,
motorcycles, and trucks, many of which are not subject to strict regulations about the age
or efficiency of their engines or the fuels they use. As a result, many of these cars pollute
the atmosphere even more than they should. As a result, all of these cars pollute the
environment even more than a normal automobile because they operate on fossil fuels
like gasoline, which emits far more toxins into the atmosphere than its cleaner
counterparts.

2) Lahore, Pakistan:
The AQI value of Lahore, last updated at 22:00, Mar 17 (local time) was 166 which is
“Unhealthy”. Vehicle and industrial emissions, smoke from brick kilns, crop residue and
general waste burning, and dust from construction sites all contribute to air pollution in
Lahore. Other sources of air pollution include large-scale tree cutting to make room for
new roads and buildings. Temperature inversion, which results in a layer of warm air that
is stopped from rising and trapping air contaminants, makes winter air pollution worse.

3) Mexico City, Mexico:

The AQI value of Mexico City, last updated at 12:00, Mar 17 (local time) was 107 which
is “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”. In Mexico City, vehicles are a major source of
emissions. Mopeds, cars, and trucks are all part of the automobile fleet, which is powered
by the combustion of hydrocarbons (fossil fuels). These vehicles' exhausts contain large
concentrations of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, which are
components of "photochemical oxidizing smog." As a result, the most densely populated
urban areas are those that suffer the most from this form of pollution.

4) Toronto, Canada:
The AQI value of Toronto, last updated at 14:00, Mar 17(local time) was 61 which is
“Moderate”. The air quality in Toronto is good, although there are a few minor aspects to

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 it as a whole that can cause health problems related to emissions, as well as
accumulations of smoke and fumes at certain times of the year. Despite having a well-
developed public transit system, many people still tend to drive and commute by personal
vehicle, with cars and motorcycles taking up a lot of space on the highways, as well as
heavy duty vehicles such as trucks, lorries, and buses all contributing to pollution levels,
as they mostly operate on diesel fuels that emit more pollution than their gasoline
counterparts.

5) Kobe, Japan:
The AQI value of Kobe, last updated at 01:00, Mar 18 (local time) was 50 which is
“Good”. As well as being in the good ratings category for its yearly average, Kobe's
reading of 11.4 μg/m³ put it in 256th place out of all cities ranked in Japan over 2019, as
well as 2031st place out of all cities ranked in the world. This is a respectable reading and
placing, showing that Kobe has a good quality of air, however at the same time there are
a few pollute issues manifest in the city, with certain months having higher readings that
could be damaging to the health of certain individuals.

Question 2: Fill in the information in Table 1.

Table 1: Measurements and reading for calculating the density of water

Parameters Measurements and calculations

Volume of water (mL)  100

Mass of flask (g)  57.81

Mass of flask (g) + water (g)  157.81

Mass of water (g)  100

Density of water (g/mL)  100/100 = 1 g/mL

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Question 3. The approximate volume of water in the world’s oceans is 1.35X10 24 cubic cm.
Assume that this is the same temperature as your room-temperature. Calculate the mass of this
much water.

Hints: Use the density you calculated for water at room temperature in Question 2. (Show your
work and show the equation you used for your calculations.)

mass
density (d)= , so mass = density x volume
volume

Solution:
Mass = density x volume
= 1 g/mL x 1.35 x 1024 cm3 [density from question 2]
= 1 g/mL x 1.35 x 1024 mL [ 1 cm3 is equivalent to 1 mL]
= 1.35 x 1024 g

Question 4. Now using the mass, you obtained in Question 3 and the known density of water at
400 C (0.9922 g/cm3), compute the volume of that mass of water. Show your work and show
the equation you used for your calculations.

mass mass
density (d)= so volume =
volume density

Solution:
Given,
Mass, m = 1.35 x 1024 g (obtained in question 3)
Density, d = 0.9922 g/cm3
Thus,
Volume = Mass/Density
= (1.35 x1024 g) / (0.9922 g/cm3)
= 1.3606 x 1024 cm3

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Question 5. Translate your answer from Question 4 into an estimate of sea-level rise that would
result from such a temperature increase from room temperature to 400C.

Hints: Think of the world oceans as a large box to simplify this calculation. Given that the
surface area of the oceans is 3.61 x 10 18 cm2, calculate the depth (in m) for the ocean at the
two water temperatures that you measured (room temperature and 40 0C). Volume at room
temperature is 1.35 x 1024 cm3 and volume at 400 C is the volume you got in Question 4.

The volume of the box (world ocean) = surface area of the oceans * the depth of the box

Solution:
Given,
Surface Area = 3.61 x 1018 cm2
Sea-level at Room Temperature:
Depth (Sea-level) = Volume / Surface Area
= (1.35 x 1024 cm3) / (3.61 x 1018 cm2)
= 373961.22 cm
= 3739.6122 m
Sea-level at 40 ˚C:
Depth (Sea-level) = Volume / Surface Area
= (1.3606 x 1024 cm3) / (3.61 x 1018 cm2)
= 376897.51 cm
= 3768.9751 m
Rise in sea-level = (3768.9751 - 3739.6122) m
= 29.3629 m

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Question 6: Write down some the impacts of sea level rise in Bangladesh.

Solution:

Sea level rise has various types of environmental, non-environmental, economic, non-economic,
social, tangible, and intangible impacts. Now we will discuss some the impacts of sea level rise
in Bangladesh.

i. Agriculture: Due to a lack of fresh water and soil fertility, salinity intrusion caused
by sea level rise will reduce agricultural production. Some plants' terminative energy
and germination rate are also reduced by salinity. Ali (2005) looked into the loss of
rice production in a village in the Satkhira district and discovered that in 2003, rice
production was 1,151 metric tons lower than in 1985.
ii. Health: Health risks such as diarrhea, cholera, and other diseases may increase as sea
levels rise. Cholera is an infectious disease of the small intestine that is prevalent in
Bangladesh's coastal areas. With the rise of sea level, water salinity and its
distribution in the coastal area are increasing.
iii. Tourism: Sand beaches, which are popular with tourists, make up a significant
portion of Bangladesh's coastline. The country's most popular tourist destinations
include Kuakata Beach in Patuakhali, Patenga Beach in Chittagong, and Cox's Bazar

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 Beach in Cox's Bazar. Five of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation's 18 most lucrative
tourist areas have been identified. Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Kuakata, Khulna, and the
Sundarbans are coastal cities in Bangladesh.

Sea level rise poses a significant threat of destruction.

iv. Salinity intrusion: Fresh water availability is reduced due to salinity intrusion, which
is one of the most significant effects of sea level rise on water resources. With the rise
in sea level, both water and soil salinity along the coast will increase, destroying the
normal characteristics of coastal soil and water.
v. Fisheries and aquaculture: Sea level rise would change the location of the river
estuary, causing a great change in fish habitat and breeding ground. Penaid prawns
live in brackish water, which is a mix of salt and fresh water. As sea levels rise, this
interface will shift backward, changing the prawn's habitat.
vi. Impacts on salt industry: Bangladesh is one of the world's leading salt producers.
Sea water and its level have a huge impact on this coastal industry. A one-meter rise
in sea level will inundate all of the salt fields, destroying the sectors. Because the
physical properties of the soil in the current salt field will not move backwards with
sea level rise, salt farmers will be unable to move land upwards for this purpose.
vii. Ecosystem: With a 1-meter rise in sea level, the Sundarbans will be completely
obliterated. The loss of the Sundarbans means a significant loss of heritage,
biodiversity, fisheries resources, life and livelihood, and, most importantly, a highly
productive ecosystem.
viii. Risk on Education System: Water logging will become more common as sea levels
rise, causing natural disasters such as tsunamis, cyclones, floods, and tidal surges.
Most of the time educational institution those are not affected by natural disaster and
these are turned into shelter place for the affected people. Furthermore, due to natural
calamity affected students are unable to attend classes.
ix. Appearance of Climate Poverty: As we all know; 19 Bangladeshi districts will be
submerged due to rising sea levels. As a result, people's resources will be depleted.
Farmer, fisherman, and salt producers will lose their jobs and sources of income. A
large number of people will be unable to find suitable employment.

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x. Species Disappearing: Sea level rise is predicted to destroy coastal areas' forests,
land, fresh water resources, and living environments. As a result, some coastal species
may become extinct. Furthermore, species extinction may result in the destruction of
traditional biodiversity in Bangladesh's coastal areas, posing a greater environmental
cost.

Group Assessment

Q1 Md. Rayan Ahmad 1620807030

Q2 Abdullah Al Masum 1721845030
Q3 Abdullah Al Masum 1721845030
Q4 Nazifa Tabassum Anonna 1721839030
Q5 Nazifa Tabassum Anonna 1721839030
Q6 Sunjiya Siddiqua 1631152030
Compiling Nazifa Tabassum Anonna 1721839030

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