Gavin Edwards

Gavin Edwards

May 22, 2015

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Measurements of ground level ozone at Eastern Michigan University

In situ measurements of the important atmospheric trace gas ozone have been made here at the EMU campus since the acquisition of a commercial ozone monitor in Fall 2008. This device is manufactured by http://www.twobtech.com/ and is shown below.

Ozone is produced by sunlight and "fuels" like nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds and can change over the course of the day, depending on how the things needed to produce it change. Below is a typical ozone profile measured at the campus of Eastern Michigan University just last week!

Ground level ozone concentrations have been routinely measured here on campus during Fall since 2010. The initial aim of the project was to investigate the local air quality here on campus, specifically the number of hours that the air exceeded 40 parts per billion (ppb). The atmospheric chemistry community has used an accumulated exposure index of the hourly-accumulated ozone for several years to assess ozone "pollution"

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As ozone's deleterious effects on vegetation start to be observed when ambient concentrations reach ~40 ppb,
a threshold of 40 parts-per-billion (AOT40) been used in extensively in impact assessments in Europe while a value 60 ppb (AOT60) has been used in the USA. There is however evidence that ozone may affect some vegetation at concentrations well below 40 ppb, and a lower threshold of 30 ppb (AOT30) has been proposed as more appropriate.

The long term goals of our projects involving ozone up to now have focused on answering these questions

  • What is the number of days during the year that EMU students and Faculty breathe air above AOT40?
  • What is the link between ozone concentrations and meteorological data?

With your help we can add a third question,

  • What are the vertical profiles of ozone seen over South East Michigan??!!


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About This Project

Many people living in or near large cities are subject to poor air quality. Cities like Detroit are among the top ten most polluted in the USA with respect to particulate matter and ozone. The focus of this project is the development of a gas sensor array that will measures toxic gases. We will attach the array to a commercial "drone" to build vertical atmospheric profiles of pollution in the urban area surrounding Detroit, Michigan.

Blast off!

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