10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Results from the Citizen-Enabled Aerosol Measurements for Satellites (CEAMS) Pilot Campaign in Northern Colorado
Bonne Ford, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Eric Wendt, Marilee Long, Shantanu Jathar, Jessica Tryner, Casey Quinn, Lizette Van Zyl, John Mehaffy, Christian L'Orange, Dan Miller-Lionberg, JOHN VOLCKENS, Colorado State University
Abstract Number: 1381 Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract Atmospheric particulate matter with diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is a pollutant that contributes to the development of human disease. Routine monitoring of ground-level concentrations generally relies on instruments which are often prohibitively expensive for mass deployment across the globe. However, satellite-derived estimates of surface-level PM2.5 have the potential to provide information on the global PM2.5 distribution. These estimates rely on information about the ratio of PM2.5 to AOD (aerosol optical depth, primary aerosol retrieval made by satellites), of which there are few co-located measurements for validation.
In this project, we demonstrated the capability of training citizen scientists to use low-cost, high-quality samplers that simultaneously measure AOD and PM2.5 (integrated filter and real-time sensor) to collect daily PM2.5:AOD ratios over northern Colorado for several seasons in 2017 and 2018. This presentation will discuss our pilot citizen-science campaign, including recruitment and training findings, along with our PM2.5:AOD ratio dataset. A project website, social media accounts, and training materials were developed. A panel of 30 citizen scientists were recruited to participate in the CEAMS (Citizen-Enabled Aerosol Measurements for Satellites) pilot deployment. Following a series of trainings, more than 150 successful instantaneous AOD measurements and 50 PM2.5 filters (48-hour averages) were collected by the citizen scientists, with relatively high compliance and good agreement between measurements.
By training citizen scientists to take measurements in their backyards, we were able to create an extensive network with high spatial density that provides insight into local air quality distributions. Data from our citizen-science network demonstrated substantial variability in measured PM2.5:AOD ratios within a single 10x10 km grid (more than can be explained by measurement error alone); these results demonstrate the need for more spatially and temporally resolved measurements of this ratio to improve satellite-derived estimates. Another impactful product from this citizen-science network was the discovery of residential woodsmoke impacts in the “Old Town” region of Fort Collins, CO. This region, which features a high density of older homes with working fireplaces, demonstrated substantial increases in PM2.5 concentrations during wintertime nights.