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Air Pollution Science Fair Project

Snow Debris from City to Countryside

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Snow Debris from City to Countryside | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does snow falling in a city carry more pollution than snow in the countryside? You place clean pails at five locations ranging from downtown to 20 km outside the city. After a snowfall, you collect the samples and melt them through filter paper. Weighing the dried filter paper reveals how much debris each sample contained. City snow holds roughly twice the debris of snow collected 20 km away. The farther from the city center, the cleaner the snow.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the amount of particles and contaminants in the samples of snow decreases when collected further away from the city.

Method & Materials

You will collect snow samples from different locations, measure the weight of the debris found in the snow, and record the results.
You will need 5 pails, a road map or GPS tracking equipment, a digital weighing scale, 5 pieces of filter paper, 5 beakers measuring 300ml each, and a car and driver.

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Results

The results show that the snow sample collected in the city had the most amount of debris and the snow sample collected at the location furthest from the city had the least amount of debris. This proves that the hypothesis is correct.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how snow can collect pollutants in the air as it falls to the ground. It also shows how the amount of pollutants in the snow decreases when collected further away from the city.

Also Consider

Consider repeating the experiment in different locations or at different times of the year. You could also repeat the experiment using rain water instead of snow.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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