Another great day in the field!

Jan 17, 2014

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Another great day in the field!In the image below, which was taken earlier today, you can see the pollution in the Uintah basin where the field site is located.  The pollution is trapped near the surface by a temperature inversion, which prevents the pollution from being transported away, allowing it to build up at the surface.  You can see the mountains in the background peeking up over the pollution.
                
The image below shows our high volume air sampler (Hi Vol), where we are collecting aerosol samples for measurements of ion concentrations and nitrate isotopes. The Hi Vol pumps air through a filter, the aerosols stick to the filter, and we then take the filters back to the lab for analysis.
                
Tomorrow I head back to Seattle.  I need to go back and teach my class next week!  Maria will stay here in Utah, and we will continue to send updates on her work.  Thanks again for helping to make this all possible!

Erin, Bill, and 4 others like this.

4 comments

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Carol SuessBacker

Hello Becky, How do you transport your collected sample filters back with you ? You must have some protective containers that protect your samples from contaminants and physical damage while in transport. Is there a time limit before the aerosol samples can lose their integrity ? Gene Kitamata

Jan 19, 20140

Becky AlexanderResearcher

We do some measurements right in the field, others are done in the lab in Utah, and still others will be done back at the UW. I will be providing information (with pictures!) about each measurement in future lab posts. Stay tuned!

Jan 19, 20140

Cindy WuBacker

I hope you have a safe trip back to Seattle! I'm ooking forward to the updates. :)

Jan 17, 20140

Chris HallBacker

Hi Becky, what type of filters are you using with the hivol? are they impregnated? What is the analysis method? Sorry for all the questions - just a curious scientist like yourself!

Jan 17, 20141

Becky AlexanderResearcher

Hi Chris, We are using glass fiber filters. We don't know yet whether or not we will need to impregnate them with NaOH. We have so far run a field blank, and started a sample yesterday where we have two filters placed back to back. If there's no nitrate on the second filter, then we are capturing all of the nitrate. If there is nitrate on the second filter, then we will impregnate the filters. A colleague's tests reveal that impregnation is not necessary with these filters, but since this will vary with environment, we are testing here in Utah to be sure. Thanks for your interest! Becky

Jan 18, 20140

Christian SaetherBacker

Glad we can help make this happen. I found it via Cliff Mass' blog, so thanks to him also.

Jan 17, 20141

About This Project

How does natural gas fracking contribute to air pollution?

Regions of natural gas fracking in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado often experience high concentrations of ground-level ozone, which has severe impacts on respiratory health. But where does this ozone come from? Our project will try to answer this question in Utah's Uintah Basin. Understanding the causes of high ozone levels is essential for regulators to design effective strategies to improve local air quality.