AT 560 (2 Credits)

Air Pollution Measurement

Fall 2005

Instructor:  Jeff Collett (491-8697), ACB 123

Office Hours:  By Arrangement

http://lamar.colostate.edu/~collett/At560.htm

 

 

Objectives:

 

1.  Gain experience in several techniques commonly used in experimental air quality research.

 

2.  Become familiar with the process of designing, proposing, conducting, and reporting on independent research projects.

 

3.  Learn to work with colleagues in conducting experiments and interpreting experimental data.

 

Text:

 

Readings will be provided by the instructor from various sources.  These are intended to provide background for the experiments we will conduct.  Additional handouts will be provided detailing procedures for each experiment.

 

Course Structure and Grading Criteria:

 

The course is offered for two credits.  The class is conducted in a lecture/discussion and lab format and will meet Mondays and Wednesdays.

 

Students will work with one or more partners to conduct the assigned experiments.  Each student is expected to provide a brief written summary and analysis of each experiment and to turn in a copy of records kept during the conduct of each experiment.  Each student will be responsible for leading an oral discussion of one experiment following its completion.

 

Each student will submit a proposal for an independent research project.  Each student will orally present his/her project final report to the class.  Students will also serve as reviewers of proposals submitted by their peers.

 

Grades will be weighted as follows:

 

                        Lab Write-ups:                   50%              Project proposal:       10%

                        Oral Discussion:                  15%              Project and report:    25%

 

 

 

AT 560 - Air Pollution Measurement

Fall 2005

 Tentative Schedule

 

Week

Date

Lecture

Experiment

1

August 22, 24

Introduction/Statistics

Safety (Video and Discussion)

(meet in ATS 100)

2

August 29, 31

Statistics and pH measurement

Field trip

3

September 5, 7

Holiday

Lab #1: pH Measurement

4

September 12, 14

Atmospheric Aerosols/Sampling

Lab #2: Aerosol and trace gas sampling

5

September 19, 21

Aerosol size distributions and impactor theory

Lab #3: Cascade Impactor Aerosol Sampling

6

September 26, 28

Carbonaceous aerosols

Lab #4 Hi-Vol sampling and OC/EC analysis

7

October 3, 5

Ion Chromatography

Lab #5: IC Calibration

8

October 10, 12

Project Intro

Sample extraction and analysis

9

October 17, 19

Acid Deposition

Lab #6: Precipitation/Snowpack Sampling

10

October 24, 26

Organic aerosol analysis

Lab #7: GC/MS

11

October 31, Nov. 2

Indoor air quality

Lab #8: Radon measurement

12

November 7, 9

Lab discussion

Project

13

November 14, 16

Aerosol Measurement Techniques

Lab #9: Optical particle counter

THANKSGIVING BREAK -- November 21-25

14

November 28, 30

Lab discussion

Project

15

December 5, 7

Presentations

Presentations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful references

 

Hering, S. V (Editor). Air Sampling Instruments, 7th Edition. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1989.

 

Lodge, J. P. Jr. (Editor). Methods of Air Sampling and Analysis.  Lewis Publishers, Inc, Chelsea, Michigan, 1989.

 

Newman, Leonard (Editor). Measurement Challenges in Atmospheric Chemistry. American Chemical Society; 1993.

 

Skoog, D. A.; D. M. West, and F. J. Holler. Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry. Sixth ed., Saunders College Publishing; 1992.

 

Willeke, K. and P. A. Baron (Editors). Aerosol Measurement.  Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York ,1993.