Research Inquiry docx.

T-Jai Murphy

English Writing 1121 E106

Professor S. Schmerler

May 13, 2019

Air quality is a problem for residents and visitors of New York City. The prominent discomfort is from the odor released by organisms proliferating primarily in bay areas. This matter is dealing with the biogeography of the area of New York City. If we the people, of New York City, were more aware of the biological effects, airborne gases have upon the overall health of the population within New York City, efforts towards its remediation would ensue with greater vigor.

The people within New York City are affected by air quality. Air is something we inhale as a method of living. The air is composed of elements found on the periodic table of elements. “By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere.” This data reflects the standard values of elements in the air by their ratios. These airborne gases affect our health, by the amount of saturation when elements in the air are outside these standard values. As an example, if the carbon dioxide content within the air rises above certain levels, people within the confines of such an environment may suffer from asphyxiation, due to the decrease in available oxygen. Also, long term effects of depriving the body of oxygen will slowly kill the cells within the body, leading to forms of disease and discomfort.

The reason I am presenting this information, is to convey the idea that the organisms proliferating in the bay areas, are producing gases that hover over New York City, changing the composition of the air we breathe. These gases also contain pathogens, that lead to other forms of disease and discomfort. There are about thirteen air quality monitors found throughout New York City. The data is made available by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, using Geographic Information Systems. The primary data available is only Carbon Dioxide, Ozone and another compound that I am unable to define the acronym of. The data provided by New York State is inadequate to address airborne pathogens and available oxygen levels.

The devices, put in place to monitor air quality, is limited to the idea of climate change. Hence the reason why, Ozone which fails to reflect harmful solar radiation when depleted, and Cardon dioxide which retains the heat obtained from solar radiation when abundant, is of primary focus for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

As a long-standing resident of New York City, I have been acquainted with the ill effects that the degradation of our environmental air quality. I hold the opinion that the bay areas contain the most harmful contaminants and pathogens that enter the air. That air quality is not just a concern for climate change, but one of overall health and well being of the human population that dwells with the domain of New York City.

 

 

List of Relevant Sources

“Atmosphere of Earth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth.

“Department of Environmental Conservation • Air Monitoring Website.” Nyaqinow.net, www.nyaqinow.net/.