Spring Break
A&M helps launch pollution detector
By: Ashley Dias
Issue date: 7/25/05 Section: News
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences helped launch an instrument from the TI building east of the Earl Rudder Freeway Friday as part of a project funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to determine the amount of pollution drifting over the Bryan-College Station area from Houston.
Gary Morris, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Valparaiso University and one of the project's leaders, said Houston's air quality was rated worst in the nation last year.
"What we're measuring is how much of the Houston pollution gets away from Houston to other regions," Morris said.
Andy Dessler, associate professor in A&M's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, said the instrument that was launched is called an ozonesonde, which was carried by a weather balloon six feet in diameter.
"(The ozonesonde) radios down information," Dessler said. "They will make it up to 50,000 to 100,000 feet. Airliners fly at 30,000 to 40,000 feet. We called the FAA so they know when we are launching and where we are launching."
Morris said the ozonesondes measure pressure, temperature, humidity and ozone on both the ascent and descent.
Once the weather balloon reaches a certain height, it bursts from the pressure and then descends using a parachute, continuing to radio information.
Dessler said Texas A&M collaborated with Rice University and Morris to provide equipment and logistical support for Friday's launch.
Morris said the College Station launch is one of 40 launches this summer throughout the southeastern portion of Texas to measure the vertical distribution of pollution.
"We've have had a lot of rain down here this month," Morris said. "I suspect given the weather pattern we've have had (the results) will be relatively clean."
Dessler said Bryan-College Station is located downwind of Houston in the summer, with winds coming mainly from the southeast.
"College Station's air quality is not bad," Dessler said. "By no means is anyone subjected to anything that Houston is. But, Houston is growing."
Morris said he enjoys working with Dessler, whom he met at NASA before moving on to teach at Rice.
"We were both interested in problems of the stratosphere," Morris said. "In 2000, there weren't any researchers looking into the pollution problem. I started trying to develop a research program down here."
Scott Hersey, a senior civil and environmental engineering major at Rice, released the weather balloon on Friday.
Hersey said he became involved with Morris' research in his sophomore year.
"Gary was my physics professor freshman year," Hersey said. "We had lunch one day my sophomore year, and he told me about the project. I thought it sounded interesting and he said he'd get me involved."
Dessler said the instrument was expected to land within a 20-mile radius northwest of the launch site.
Morris said that the pollution measuring instruments are not dangerous and that there is a reward notice for their return.
Gary Morris, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Valparaiso University and one of the project's leaders, said Houston's air quality was rated worst in the nation last year.
"What we're measuring is how much of the Houston pollution gets away from Houston to other regions," Morris said.
Andy Dessler, associate professor in A&M's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, said the instrument that was launched is called an ozonesonde, which was carried by a weather balloon six feet in diameter.
"(The ozonesonde) radios down information," Dessler said. "They will make it up to 50,000 to 100,000 feet. Airliners fly at 30,000 to 40,000 feet. We called the FAA so they know when we are launching and where we are launching."
Morris said the ozonesondes measure pressure, temperature, humidity and ozone on both the ascent and descent.
Once the weather balloon reaches a certain height, it bursts from the pressure and then descends using a parachute, continuing to radio information.
Dessler said Texas A&M collaborated with Rice University and Morris to provide equipment and logistical support for Friday's launch.
Morris said the College Station launch is one of 40 launches this summer throughout the southeastern portion of Texas to measure the vertical distribution of pollution.
"We've have had a lot of rain down here this month," Morris said. "I suspect given the weather pattern we've have had (the results) will be relatively clean."
Dessler said Bryan-College Station is located downwind of Houston in the summer, with winds coming mainly from the southeast.
"College Station's air quality is not bad," Dessler said. "By no means is anyone subjected to anything that Houston is. But, Houston is growing."
Morris said he enjoys working with Dessler, whom he met at NASA before moving on to teach at Rice.
"We were both interested in problems of the stratosphere," Morris said. "In 2000, there weren't any researchers looking into the pollution problem. I started trying to develop a research program down here."
Scott Hersey, a senior civil and environmental engineering major at Rice, released the weather balloon on Friday.
Hersey said he became involved with Morris' research in his sophomore year.
"Gary was my physics professor freshman year," Hersey said. "We had lunch one day my sophomore year, and he told me about the project. I thought it sounded interesting and he said he'd get me involved."
Dessler said the instrument was expected to land within a 20-mile radius northwest of the launch site.
Morris said that the pollution measuring instruments are not dangerous and that there is a reward notice for their return.
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