Abstract
The high-altitude balloon (HAB) platform has allowed scientists to measure vertical profiles in the atmosphere at a relatively low cost. The current project combines the HAB platform with low-cost air quality sensors that measure particulate matter (PM). PM is detrimental to human health and can exacerbate asthma. In the atmosphere, PM can affect cloud formation and also radiative transfer, which links emissions of PM to climate change. Therefore, understanding and controlling PM emissions is vital to air quality and climate change. In agricultural regions, several practices produce significant PM emissions. Tilling can release PM in the form of dust, especially under arid conditions. The burning of crop residue is also a common practice practice that releases PM in the form of partially combusted organics (soot). The ultimate goal of this project is to use low-cost PM sensors and HAB to assess PM sources from agricultural regions using citizen scientists. The current presentation evaluates the performance of two different PM sensors over flights conducted during the summer of 2017.
Highlights
P matter (PM) is a pollutant in the atmosphere that has both exposure health impacts and effects on climate change
The vertical distribution of PM is key for understanding the relationship between Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and surface PM [3], and employing well-calibrated, low-cost sensors could improve satellite estimates
Rural measurements of PM profiles would be useful for characterizing the background PM, which is necessary for interpreting urban surface PM retrievals from satellites such as MODIS [4]
Summary
P matter (PM) is a pollutant in the atmosphere that has both exposure health impacts and effects on climate change. Because of its relatively short residence time in the atmosphere, reductions in so-called black carbon emissions (e.g., soot) can quickly mitigate climate change and improve regional health outcomes [1]. Satellites, in particular MODIS, can estimate column totals of PM through the measurement of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD). The vertical distribution of PM is key for understanding the relationship between AOD and surface PM [3], and employing well-calibrated, low-cost sensors could improve satellite estimates. Rural measurements of PM profiles would be useful for characterizing the background PM, which is necessary for interpreting urban surface PM retrievals from satellites such as MODIS [4]
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