On July 26, 1943, Los Angeles was blanketed by a thick gas that stung people's eyes and blocked out the Sun. Panicked residents believed their city had been attacked using chemical warfare. But the cloud wasn't an act of war. It was smog. So what is this thick gray haze actually made of? And why does it affect some cities and not others? Kim Preshoff details the science behind smog.
The left panels show the absolute number of species whose populations have declined in each region; the right panels show the percentage of species that declined in each region. The top panels include all land vertebrates (amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals), whereas the bottom panels represent only bird species.
Project or distribute the image to engage students. The downloadable Educator Materials PDF, which includes background information, graph interpretation and discussion questions, and the Student Handout, which includes the image and background information, have been remediated to comply with Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act for accessibility and can be used with screen readers.