Resources

Course objectives:

Unit 1: Where We Live

  • Understand current growth trends in the United States
  • Become aware of the geographic extent and patterns of current growth trends
  • Recognize some of the historically significant growth patterns.
  • Understand the evolution of American cities and the factors that have driven their growth

Unit 2: Impact on the Watershed

  • Identify aspects of the built environment that are impacted by heavy precipitation events
  • Explain the relationship of landscaping and developed land features to maintaining water quality
  • Gain an understanding of "low impact" and other site design measures as they relate to improving both water quality and quantity

Unit 3: Impact on the Atmosphere

  • Define the urban heat island (UHI) effect
  • List the main mechanisms that cause the UHI
  • Describe the climatology of the UHI 
  • List actions that can mitigate the UHI
  • List the major source of air pollutants
  • List the five air pollutants monitored by the AIRNow daily air quality index
  • Recognize weather conditions that negatively impact air quality
  • Become aware of personal actions that can reduce air pollution

Narration

A printable web page of the narration used in the course

Image gallery

References and links of interest

Unit 1: Where We Live

Rethinking the American Dream - A primer for reporters covering the social, economical and environmental impacts of sprawl: Smart Growth America http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/urban_sprawl.pdf

SmartGrowth America http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/

SmartGrowth Online http://www.smartgrowth.org/

U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: SmartGrowth http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/

Unit 2: Impacts on the Watershed

Chicago Green Alley Handbook http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/GreenAlleyHandbook_Jan.pdf

Determining the Components of Impervious Surfaces in Urban Watersheds: USGS http://erg.usgs.gov/tilley/

Paving Our Way to Water Shortages: American Rivers, the National Resource Defense Council, and SmartGrowth America joint study http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AMR_content_e926

Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows: NRDC publication http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp

The Water Cycle - Evapotranspiration: USGS http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleevapotranspiration.html

U.S.A.'s Built-up Surfaces Equal Ohio in Area: American Geophysical Union and NOAA joint release http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0423.html

Chesapeake Bay Program The Chesapeake Bay Program regional partnership has been working to restore the Chesapeake Bay to a more natural state since 1983. Their website contains information on water quality control and many tips on reducing the impact of stormwater on coastal estuaries. http://www.chesapeakebay.net

COMET Modules:

Runoff Processes The COMET Runoff Processes module offers a thorough introduction to the runoff processes critical for flood and water supply prediction. https://www.meted.ucar.edu/hydro/basic/Runoff/

Understanding the Hydrologic Cycle he COMET module, Understanding the Hydrologic Cycle, provides a basic understanding of the elements of the hydrologic cycle: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/hydro/basic/HydrologicCycle/

Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment The COMET module, Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment, provides broadcast meteorologists with knowledge and instructional materials to help understand watersheds as our environmental home and to help viewers understand the relationship between the weather and the health and protection of the environment. https://www.meted.ucar.edu/broadcastmet/watershed/

National Environmental Education Foundation: Earth Gauge Tips http://www.earthgauge.net/wp/

U.S Drought Monitor http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

Greenscapes EPA Greenscapes site provides environmentally sound solutions for landscaping http://www.epa.gov/greenscapes/

Polluted Runoff (Nonpoint Source Pollution)  http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/whatis.html

Waste Water http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/watewastewater.html

Watershed Academy: Online Training in Watershed Management http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/

Unit 3: Impacts on the Atmosphere

AIRNow The U.S. EPA, NOAA, NPS, tribal, state, and local agencies developed the AIRNow Web site to provide the public with easy access to national air quality information. The Web site offers daily AQI forecasts as well as real-time AQI conditions for over 300 cities across the US, and provides links to more detailed state and local air quality Web sites.. http://www.airnow.gov/

Cooling Summertime Temperatures - Strategies to reducing urban heat islands: EPA http://www.epa.gov/hiri/resources/pdf/HIRIbrochure.pdf

National Environmental Education Foundation: Earth Gauge Tips http://www.earthgauge.net/wp/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

Greenscapes EPA Greenscapes site provides environmentally sound solutions for landscaping http://www.epa.gov/greenscapes/

Heat Island Effect http://www.epa.gov/hiri/

Office of Air and Radiation https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/air-topics

Story Ideas

Viewer Tips