Ozone Measurements Over the Great Salt Lake Using an Uncrewed aerial System (UAS)

The Northern Wasatch Front is currently listed as a moderate non-attainment area for the 8-hr ozone (O₃) standard and is expected to be reclassified as serious non-attainment in the near future. Partially in support the much larger, NOAA-led 2024 Utah Summer Ozone Study (USOS), this study was primarily designed to quantify the horizontal and vertical distributions of ozone (O₃) and key meteorological parameters over near-shore areas of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) near Salt Lake City (SLC). The objective was to quantify these parameters in the atmospheric gap between ground level and larger aircraft systems. Other parameters were opportunistically included due to recent developments in small-package, low-cost pollutant sensors. “Curtain” profiles, along basically “layered-cake” flight paths, were be obtained by using the Utah State University’s (USU’s) AggieAir Great Blue drone (“Phoenix”). The AggieAir Great Blue is a hybrid Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS with a gross takeoff weight of 55 pounds. The drone flew at vertical intervals from 200 up to 700-1100 ft above ground level (AGL), depending on the flight areas approved FAA COA. Three sensor packages were incorporated into the Phoenix payload bay by using a custom 3D-printed mount. A Personal Ozone Monitor (POM) from 2B Technologies was be used to make primary ozone measurements. A custom Tellus AirU Pro sensor package was used to make secondary ozone measurements, as well as PM_2.5, PM₁₀, CO, SO_x and NO_x measurements. Finally, an iMet XQ2 sensor was be used to measure temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity. These sensors made up a unique sensing payload which can only function onboard a fixed-wing craft such as Phoenix. Additionally, wind speed and wind direction will be calculated using aircraft positional and operational logs. Four days of flights were conducted during the last week of July 2024 and the second week of August 2024, at three locations from the southern shore of the GSL to the causeway separating the Lake’s north and south arms. A total of 15 flights across those days, temporally spaced at 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00. Data collected from these investigation will be compiled and presented.