Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Putting Next Generation Sensors and Scientists in Practice to Reduce Wood Smoke in a Highly Impacted, Multicultural Rural Setting (NextGenSS)
EPA Grant Number: R836185Title: Putting Next Generation Sensors and Scientists in Practice to Reduce Wood Smoke in a Highly Impacted, Multicultural Rural Setting (NextGenSS)
Investigators: Karr, Catharine J. , Larson, Timothy V. , Yost, Michael , Simpson, Christopher , Black, Jessica , Austin, Elena , Riley, Erin , Seto, Edmund
Institution: University of Washington , Heritage University
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: August 1, 2016 through July 31, 2019 (Extended to July 31, 2020)
Project Amount: $749,999
RFA: Air Pollution Monitoring for Communities (2014) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air , Airborne Particulate Matter Health Effects , Particulate Matter
Objective:
We propose to: 1. Deploy next generation low cost particle sensors in student-directed studies pertaining to heavy wood smoke impacts in their rural community, 2. Evaluate sensor effectiveness in these collaborative studies, and 3. Identify effective community engagement strategies through multigenerational and multi-cultural outreach.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Goal: Develop an adaptable web-based air pollution curriculum
- Achievements:
- Heritage University (HU) faculty and students and University of Washington (UW) researchers and students created an air pollution curriculum and modified it to reflect feedback from White Swan High School (WSHS) students.
- The curriculum is composed of a combination of presentation slides and activities.
- The final version of the curriculum was updated for broader sharing, and will be included as a manuscript appendix (currently in preparation).
Goal: Equip students to generate, use and apply data from air pollution monitoring equipment
- Achievements:
- Over the three years, 11 HU undergraduate mentors and 9 WSHS students completed the EnvironMentors program focusing on air pollution research (multiple students and mentors participated in more than one year of the program).
- Each high school student worked with an undergraduate student to collect air pollution data, and undergraduate and high school students worked with UW researchers and students to analyze and interpret data.
Goal: Evaluate sensor effectiveness in community studies
- Achievements:
- Students, faculty, and researchers provided general impressions on the use of sensors in the EnvironMentors program (shared in manuscript currently being prepared).
- UW researchers & Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program professionals evaluated the performance of sensors compared to a regulatory instrument, and assessed the application of a calibration equation.
Goal: Identify effective mechanisms for dissemination of data collected
- Achievements:
- At the end of each year, students presented their research at a community event, which was advertised through community channels.
- Three students per year presented their research at the EnvironMentors National Science Fair.
- Student research posters were displayed at HU.
- UW researchers & Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program staff presented research at a regional EPA meeting.
- Team presentations at multiple scientific/technical venues (listed below)
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Goal: Understand local wood smoke/air quality concerns
- Achievements:
- 19 high school students, undergraduate students, and Project Advisory Committee members completed a survey which included rankings of wood smoke and air quality concerns.
- UW researchers & Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program professionals discussed existing programs managed by Yakama Nation to reduce wood smoke from wood stoves, and air quality concerns.
- High school and undergraduate students described air quality concerns and chose some of those concerns as the focus of their research projects.
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Goal: Facilitate community-based research that may benefit this region and be an example to share with others
- Achievements:
- We established a new research partnership between UW and Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program.
- We conducted community-based research with students through an existing school program (EnvironMentors).
- Academic and community partners described their perceptions of community-academic research collaboration through qualitative interviews. These interviews were analyzed and shared through a publication.
Conclusions:
The main technical aspect of this project was our black carbon monitoring and comparison of low-cost sensors to the Yakama Nation regulatory monitor. UW researchers partnered with Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program professionals to investigate characteristics of PM2.5 using 9 months of data from a combination of low-cost optical particle counters and a 5-wavelength aethalometer (MA200 Aethlabs) over 4 seasons and an episode of summer wildfire smoke. For the seasonal calibration equations of the low-cost sensors, summer and fall R2 exceeded spring and winter. The range of β1 values (PM2.5 slope) was 0.45–0.58 with the highest slope estimated in spring and summer. In each season, the calibration equation resulted in values closer to the reference data, as compared to the raw data. The greatest percentage of hours sampled with PM2.5 >12 μg/m3 occurred during the wildfire smoke episode (59%), followed by fall (23%) and then winter (21%). Mean (SD) values of Delta-C (μg/m3), which has been posited as an indicator of wood smoke, and determined as the mass absorbance difference at 375–880 nm, were: summer – wildfire smoke 0.34 (0.52), winter 0.27 (0.32), fall 0.10 (0.22), spring 0.05 (0.11), and summer – no wildfire smoke 0.04 (0.14). Mean (95% confidence interval) values of the absorption Ångstrom exponent, an indicator of the wavelength dependence of the aerosol, were: winter 1.5 (1.2–1.8), summer – wildfire smoke 1.4 (1.0–1.8), fall 1.3 (1.1–1.4), spring 1.2 (1.1–1.4), and summer – no wildfire smoke 1.2 (1.0–1.3). The trends in Delta-C and absorption Ångstrom exponents are consistent with expectations that a higher value reflects more biomass burning. These results suggest that biomass burning is an important contributor to PM2.5 in the wintertime, and emissions associated with diesel and soot are important contributors in the fall; however, the variety of emissions sources and combustion conditions present in this region may limit the utility of traditional interpretations of aethalometer data. Further research on the interpretation of aethalometer data in regions with complex emissions would contribute to much-needed understanding in communities impacted by air pollution from agricultural as well as residential sources of combustion.
Additionally, we were interested in assessing the feasibility and practicality of air monitoring using low-cost sensors indoors and outdoors in school settings. We deployed Purple Air monitors indoors and outdoors at three schools, and outdoors co-locating with the Yakama Nation regulatory monitor. The monitoring was done during a period of unusually low air pollution, making it difficult to assess indoor-outdoor relationships, but resulted in important lessons learned for using the Purple Air monitors. We observed that our calibration equation derived in the winter did not perform as well in other seasons. Indoor Purple Air monitors generally measured lower concentrations than paired-outdoor sensors. However, relatively high PM2.5 peaks did occur indoors. Peaks all occurred on school days, and most occurred during school hours. In one location, we deployed Purple Air monitors in two different rooms, which demonstrated variations in air pollution within the same school building. Having this opportunity to deploy Purple Air monitors at the schools provided time for establishing research relationships with school staff, and understanding where air monitoring would be feasible. Our observations helped us understand that: 1) it is insufficient to apply a single calibration equation derived in one season outdoors to indoor measurements and outdoor Purple Air monitor measurement in all seasons, 2) indoor-generated PM2.5 in school settings cannot be assumed to be negligible, and 3) there is important variation in indoor air quality between different rooms within the same school building. This experience motivated the team to seek additional funding for monitoring using a combination of Purple Air monitors, gravimetric samplers, and PM2.5 speciation in several paired indoor-outdoor locations at schools or daycares. Additionally, this experience motivated the team to pursue air monitoring in several indoor spaces within the same building.
This multi-faceted project provides several insights regarding the application of low-cost sensor technology to motivate environment health literacy on air pollution and understand air pollution in settings with sparse regulatory monitoring and in non-urban locations. Below we describe some of our key observations in these realms.
We found that low-cost sensors are a powerful educational tool when their use is supported by a curriculum focused on air pollution and research methods, and when students are paired with dedicated mentors. Low-cost sensors provide an opportunity for students to be more independent in conducting their own research projects. Student experience can help educate the greater community through discussions with their families and events highlighting their activities.
The two types of low-cost sensors used in this project generally performed well compared to more expensive instruments but required careful calibration and deployment strategies. The application of correction factors could make low-cost sensor data more reliable, increasing communities’ access to air pollution information, particularly in areas with low density of regulatory monitoring. The successful use of sensors is facilitated by local, community based air quality professionals. A valuable outcome of this research was the solid foundational collaborative relationship established between air quality professionals at the Yakama Nation and University of Washington.
Many air pollution studies that compare indoor and outdoor air pollution use average concentrations and sample in only one indoor location. Our work suggests that very brief, but relatively high peaks in indoor air pollution might be important, and could be missed without continuous PM2.5 data. Additionally, different rooms within one building could have substantially different air pollution concentrations. Our community based partners were interested in information on interventional approaches to improve indoor air quality, particularly for schools and homes.
Collaborative partnerships are key to conducting community-based research. Community and academic research partners found the following actions to be important in building strong research partnerships: (1) thinking ahead to what will happen after the current research funding runs out, (2) using funding to support relationship building, and involving community partners in budget decision-making, (3) acknowledging community strengths, knowledge, and expertise and applying them, (4) establishing roles that reflect community partner capacity building goals, and (5) recognizing community diversity and dynamics.
Using a black carbon monitor in combination with low-cost PM2.5 sensors increased understanding of PM2.5 sources and impacts in this non-urban community. Winter and fall typically had higher particle levels, and exceptional exposures to particles occurred during summer wildfire events. The low-cost particle sensors were useful to extend spatial information on exposures. Biomass burning was an important source of particles during winter and summer wildfire, and diesel burning was an important source of particles in the fall.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 12 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Blanco M, Fenske R, Kasner E, Yost M, Seto E, Atin E. Real Time Monitoring of Spray Drift from Three Different Orchard Sprayers. CHEMOSPHERE 2019;222:56-55. |
R836185 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.