The eruption of Mauna Loa volcano could ruin Hawaiian students’ grades. This was reported by the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano. It hasn’t exploded in almost 40 years since 1984. The first reports of a new eruption appeared on November 27, and before long magma blew out of the vent and flowed downhill. Lava poured from several faults in the northeast rift area of Mauna Loa, with some magma fountains reaching 40 meters high. In addition, large volumes of volcanic fog formed: the mixture of ash, sulfur dioxide and other gases can cause breathing difficulties, headaches, sore throats and watering eyes.
The study’s authors analyzed data on student test scores for the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), a mandatory one-year math and English language test designed to assess college and career readiness. About half of the students surveyed came from poor families, with about 6% studying English with a teacher (studied as a non-native speaker). In addition, 24% of students identified as Native Hawaiian, 24% Filipino, 18% White, 16% Asian, 9% Pacific Islander, and 8% another ethnic group. In total, the sample consisted of more than 150,000 people from 260 schools.
This was compared with environmental monitoring data from previous years. They identified the content of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide in the air. It turned out that the high content of polluting particles really negatively affects the test results. On average, every 1.84 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter of air (µg/m2) worsened the exam result by one percent. The pollution level of 12.64 µg/m2 is already considered quite high. According to scientists, if it increases to 55.5 μg/m2, the test results will drop by more than 25%.
At the same time, the poorer the student’s family, the stronger the effect of pollution on exam results. From this, the authors conclude that adverse environmental conditions from volcanic emissions increase inequality and want this to be taken into account when evaluating current exams.