An Analysis of Groundlevel Ozone Gareth Hopkins Richmond District Incentive Program Floor Location : M 203 V

I wanted to determine:
a) If there is a simple, nontechnical way for people to collect data on groundlevel ozone levels in their neighbourhood, without relying on the data collected technically by scientists.
b) If the air surrounding the Vancouver International Airport contains higher levels of groundlevel ozone than the air in southern Richmond (Lulu Island), or in Abbotsford.
c) If there is a relationship between the groundlevel ozone levels and the time of day.
d) If there is a relationship between the groundlevel ozone levels and the time of year (seasonal).
e) How informed the public is about groundlevel ozone.

Through consultation with Air Quality experts, such as Michiyo McGaughey of the GVRD, I was able to determine that it is impossible to measure/monitor groundlevel ozone in a simple, inexpensive way(The GVRD spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on complicated, expensive machines for a reason - They have to!). Through analyzing GVRD groundlevel ozone data collected at the Sea Island, Lulu Island and Abbotsford Air Quality Monitoring Stations, I was able to determine that groundlevel ozone levels are very similar on both Sea Island and Lulu Island, but that groundlevel ozone levels are higher in Abbotsford than in Sea Island and Lulu Island. Through analyzing the data, I was also able to determine that the levels of groundlevel ozone are higher in the summer months than in the winter months, and that groundlevel ozone levels differ, depending on the time of day - they are lower in the mornings and evenings than in the afternoon.

Groundlevel ozone is a reactive form of oxygen, and is created when, in the presence of sunlight and heat, gaseous air pollutants, primarily nitrogen oxides, and reactive volatile organic compounds chemically react with the oxygen, forming ozone. Nitrogen oxides, and reactive volatile organic compounds come from the emissions of our automobiles, industrial smokestacks, trucks and busses, household, garden equipment, and outboard motors, to name a few. The main cause of these pollutants are automobiles, however. Because of the land-sea breeze effect, groundlevel ozone levels are higher in Abbotsford, than they are in Lulu and Sea Islands. Because, to form groundlevel ozone you need sunlight, groundlevel ozone levels are lower at night and early morning/late evening than at midday. Also, groundlevel ozone levels are higher in summer months than in winter months, because there is more sun present, for a longer period of time.

After gaining this information, I then proceeded to design a survey based on my results, which contained a number of TRUE/FALSE questions about groundlevel ozone. I then distributed my survey to a number of Sea Island and Lulu Island residents, to gauge the public perception about groundlevel ozone. After analyzing the results, I came to the conclusion that the residents of Sea Island and Lulu Island are quite well informed about groundlevel ozone - the majority answered most questions correctly.

I doing my project, I eventually realized that air pollution is an enormous topic, and that a number of new projects could easily branch out from it. Some possible projects that I thought of are as follows:
1. Doing the same analysis that I did for groundlevel ozone, except chose a different parameter, such as Inhalable Particulates, or Nitrogen Oxides. Compare the results.
2. How is Air Quality measured? The ins and outs of the expensive machines that measure it.
3. Looking at groundlevel ozone levels in other areas across the province/country/continent.