Student Research Reports

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The City of Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi, and is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. As the population increases, so do businesses, restaurants, transportation methods, etc. Many of these new introductions also cause a significant change in our environment. Emissions from buildings, plants, airports, ports, and many methods of transportation cause a change in the way we adapt and live with pollutants surrounding us. The purpose of this research is to find a solution to air pollution that is caused by emissions like greenhouse gasses, carbon dioxide, and any other pollutants that harm the environment. We recorded the air quality for following different locations throughout the time period of January 2023-February 2023. We also recorded other pollutants in the areas that were researched, as well as their air quality levels, and their concentration of those pollutants. We also discovered a possible solution to this problem, which was green roofs. Green roofs allow for a cooling in the air’s atmosphere and provide shading, as well as providing new habitats for animals and plants, causing a boom in biodiversity. Throughout our process of researching and recording, we discovered that the common pollutant of these areas was PM2.5, which caused short-term health effects. According to our results and research throughout this project, we discovered the green roofs are a great and affordable solution to our problem in our environment.