Efficiency of Low-Cost Sensors to Detect Dust Particles During Dust Events

KARIN ARDON-DRYER, John Garber, Melodie Martinez-Manahan, Lorena Albuquerque Zanandreis, Raghu Betha, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University

     Abstract Number: 74
     Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods

Abstract
Dust events are an important and complex constituent of the atmospheric system and one of the main natural contributors to atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM). Dust events are a major concern, as their numbers have increased across the USA in the last decade, and climate models project that trend will continue. Dust events are not often prioritized in air quality mitigation strategies, although they may contain high PM concentrations and even high concentrations of small particles (<0.5 µm). One of the reasons is insufficient measurements that track and examine dust events and their impact on air quality, for example, a low spread of instruments. Can low-cost sensors detect dust particles and enhance our knowledge of dust events and their impact on air quality?

The project investigates the behavior of three low-cost sensor types during the spring of 2025 dust season in Lubbock, a mid-size urban city, located in the Southern High Plains of West Texas. Lubbock is a perfect atmospheric laboratory to examine dust events, as it experiences many dust events each year. The three low-cost units selected for this project were Clarity Node-S unit PurpleAir, and QuantAQ Modulair sensor. The different units were placed in the Aerosol Research Observation Station (AEROS), which also hosts the reference monitor GRIMM EDM-180. Comparison based on PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations was based on all instruments, while comparison of particle size distribution was performed between QuantAQ Modulair and GRIMM EDM-180. The presentation will highlight the similarities and differences between the sensors and their ability and limitations to detect dust particles during dust events.