Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ben Crawford recently received an NSF RAPID award. These awards sponsor quick-response research to natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events. Using a network of low-cost sensors at ground level, Crawford will be heading to the Kīlauea volcano in the fall (COVID dependent) to measure the chemical conversion rates of primary gases, such as sulfur dioxide, to secondary air pollutants, such as sulfate aerosols, and assess how these rates vary under different atmospheric conditions. This research also will demonstrate the feasibility of using low-cost sensors as part of monitoring and emergency response efforts during extreme air quality events, such as wildfires. The results of this study will have implications for human health, air quality policy and emissions regulation, and climate.
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