Ozone at the Earth’s Surface in the New England Region

This research was conducted to determine if ozone is truly a health hazard for the residents of states in the New England region. This study will emphasize atmospheric boundary layer dynamics in a complex urban coastal environment. Ozone is an invisible gas that is very toxic. It is composed of three oxygen atoms (O3). The information acquired in this study can help those who are responsible for the regulation of O3 so that those who are living in areas with concentrated ozone will less likely be exposed to it. Epa.gov says “When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections. People vary widely in their susceptibility to ozone. Healthy people, as well as those with respiratory difficulty, can experience breathing problems when exposed to ozone.” State Implementation Plans in the New England region will be more informed because of the information that this research provides. The experiments in this research project were done using equipment such as doppler lidars and other atmospheric monitoring tools and computer programs created on MATLAB and Python.Two Doppler LIDARs stationed on the roof of the Steinman Hall Building of the City College of New York located in Harlem, Manhattan both record the horizontal speed, vertical speed, and wind direction of winds in the atmosphere. The data it captures is then sent to a private network where it is retrieved and analyzed using algorithms designed on MATLAB and Python. With this new information, residents of states in the New England region will benefit from better air quality.