Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 16: Air Pollution

GE Exercise: Port of Long Beach

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Overview: Port of Long Beach, p. 362

Together with the adjacent Port of Los Angeles, this is the busiest port in North America and the fifth largest container port in the world. About 10,000 ships unload 14 million containers annually at these two ports. This represents about 40 percent of all the containerized shipping entering the United States. Covering more than 2,000 ha, this complex is one of the largest and busiest industrial sites in the U.S. It employs about 50,000 people and is responsible for nearly $100 million per year in goods and services. As imports from China and other Asian countries continue to grow, this huge port is likely to become even busier.

Local residents complain about the diesel fumes and constant noise from idling ships and non-stop truck traffic loading and transporting containers. Port officials are attempting to reduce air and noise pollution by requiring ships to turn off engines while docked and to get the energy they need from on-shore utilities. Trucks and unloading equipment are also being converted to clean-burning natural gas or electricity.

1
Scan around the edges of the port area. Approximately how much of the port is surrounded by residential neighborhoods? Why does this matter?
A)No residential neighborhoods surround the port, making it a prime location for industrial activity.
B)There are very few residential neighborhoods surrounding the port, so most port workers commute on mass transit.
C)The port is half-surrounded by residential neighborhoods, making the area an ideal mix of homes and jobs.
D)Nearly all of the port is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, so consequently many people are exposed to air pollution from ship, rail, and truck traffic around the port.
2
What are the round, white structures on Mormon Island? (Note another, larger cluster about 5 km northeast.)
A)Temples
B)Sea water storage tanks
C)Tabernacles
D)Oil or fuel storage tanks
E)Missile silos
3
Exposure to air contaminants generated at industrial districts such as this one has been linked to which of the following health effects?
A)Heart attacks
B)Asthma
C)Bronchitis
D)Lung cancer
E)All of the answers above
4
Why is a port facility like this one important?
A)Ports provide much needed high-tech jobs to the region.
B)Public access to commercial shipping is more convenient.
C)Trucking commercial goods all the way from China is expensive.
D)Much of the global economy is built around shipping fuel and products into ports like this one.
E)Ports like this one reduce our reliance on foreign oil supplies.
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