Student Research Reports

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An aerosol is a tiny solid particle or liquid droplet in the atmosphere. Primary aerosols are injected into the atmosphere directly in many ways: sea spray, mineral dust, smoke, and volcanic ash. Secondary aerosols are emitted in another form such as gases and undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Although aerosols are barely visible to the human eye, they still have impact, factoring into Earth's climate, air quality, and cloud creation. To understand how Aerosol Optimal Thickness (AOT), along with temperature, humidity, and pressure affects air quality, data was collected from Mid-August to Late February. To collect aerosol measurements, skies had to be clear of any clouds, trees, powerlines, or other obstacles preventing a direct viewing of the sun. As close to solar noon as possible, a Calitoo Sun Photometer was pointed directly towards the sun at chest height and operated, providing AOT data to be extracted later on. Subsequently, a cloud observation was taken, and current weather data was recorded. In using the photometer, several recordings, or trials, were taken to assure accuracy. The null hypotheses were to see the correlation between barometric pressure, relative humidity, AOT, and temperature all had with air quality. Results found that AOT had the greatest correlation followed by pressure, humidity, and lastly air temperature showed little to no effect on harming the air quality. However, more data could be found to further validate the findings of this research.