Surface ozone (O3) is detrimental and can pose several health problems to humans, such as increased number of and intensity of asthma attacks. Considering this, it is important that these ozone levels be monitored. While municipal air quality monitors are present in cities like Boulder, Colorado,... Show moreSurface ozone (O3) is detrimental and can pose several health problems to humans, such as increased number of and intensity of asthma attacks. Considering this, it is important that these ozone levels be monitored. While municipal air quality monitors are present in cities like Boulder, Colorado, these monitors often only consider regional-scale analysis, neglecting the variability of compounds, such as ozone or carbon monoxide, over smaller distances. Small-scale (approximately 1 kilometer) spatial variability in ozone is important because humans experience these small scales on a daily basis. Using low-cost air quality monitors (“pods”) developed at the University of Colorado-Boulder, we assessed small-scale spatial variability of surface ozone in Boulder, Colorado by placing clusters of 4-5 pods within ~1 km of each other at two sites in the city: South Boulder Creek and the University of Colorado-Boulder. Pods were left in their positions for one to two weeks allowing for observation of ozone trends. As hypothesized, higher ozone levels were detected during the afternoon hours. Also, the pod located closest to the roadway (Colorado 93) had the largest range of ozone data, which is consistent with its proximity to ozone precursor emission sources. Finally, it was determined that the differences in the pods' ozone levels at South Boulder Creek were statistically significant implying that ozone levels do in fact vary over small spatial scales and should be monitored. Show less
