Zara L’Heureux, a senior in 1C, presented a poster at the American Association of Aerosol Research’s (AAAR) annual meeting in October 2012 based on fieldwork research performed by civil and environmental engineering undergraduates in CEE’s Traveling Research Environmental Experiences (TREX) January 2012 program. The poster, “Online, Mobile Measurements of the Chemical Composition of Volcanic Smog (Vog),” described the study, which aimed to characterize the evolving composition of vog from Kilauea, an active volcano on the island of Hawaii. The TREX 2012 team of 14 undergraduates used an SUV carrying a suite of real-time aerosol and gas phase monitors to intercept and sample vog at multiple locations downwind of the volcano. These are the first known real-time measurements of the composition of volcanic aerosol.

Vog has become a severe environmental problem on Hawaii since a new vent opened in Kilauea in 2008. Sulfur dioxide gas and particulate sulfate in the plume are blown south-southwest by tradewinds, greatly impacting the southern portion of the island, particularly the town of Pahola. On some days, the plume is then picked up by offshore winds and blown northward along the western shore, impacting Hilo, the largest city on the island. Students will continue the work this month during TREX 2013. Co-authors of the poster are Eben Cross, L’Heureux, Lisa Wallace, Anna Kelly, Kelly Daumit, Philip Croteau, John Jayne, Douglas Worsnop and Professor Jesse Kroll. Read more in the TREX 2012 blog. Read the TREX 2013 blog.