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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Mobile measurements of black carbon and PM: optimization of techniques and data analysis for pedestrian exposure

Alas, Honey Dawn C. 04 May 2022 (has links)
The health effects of particulate air pollution and the evaluation of mitigation efforts to address them have been focused in the past on measurements of bulk mass concentrations of aerosol particles (particulate matter or PM) at fixed locations instead of more traffic-related PM such as black carbon (BC). A more appropriate investigation of the spatial and temporal variabilities of these pollutants is necessary to effectively estimate realistic pedestrian exposure. In this work, three novel scientific contributions are presented with an overarching goal of quantifying the influence of environmental factors on the spatial and temporal distributions of BC and PM2.5 (all particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers) in urban areas. Mass concentrations of BC and PM2.5 were obtained with a mobile platform called the “aerosol backpack”. With this tool, strategic mobile measurement field campaigns were conducted at multiple sites in four countries to achieve the scientific objectives of this work. First, a concept was developed to optimize the mobile measurement strategy for obtaining high-quality data for scientific analyses including a traceable way to reconstruct and calculate PM2.5 mass concentrations from an optical particle size spectrometer. Second, an entire investigation was done on the field performance of the most widely-used portable absorption photometer for measuring BC mass concentrations, the AE51. Results show that these instruments are robust and reliable across different environments. Third, a statistical approach based on a Bayesian distributional model was developed and refined to suitably analyze mobile measurement datasets and extract reliable information. Through this model, the differences between the effects of human activities and other environmental factors on BC and PM2.5 have been quantified. These results quantitatively confirm that spatial and temporal characteristics related to human activities have stronger effects on the variability of the BC mass concentration than on the regulated PM2.5 – consequently, having more influence on pedestrian exposure. This study highlights the importance of high data quality for mobile measurements to make them useful in exposure assessment, particularly to pollutants that are highly variable in space. Finally, this study contributes to the growing evidence of the importance of including more traffic-related pollutants to monitor air quality in urban areas and create appropriate mitigation strategies to combat the adverse health effects of air pollution.:Table of Contents Bibliographic Description .................................................................................................. i Bibliografische Beschreibung ........................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Black carbon ....................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Mobile measurements ........................................................................................ 5 1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 6 2. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 TROPOS Aerosol backpack ................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Instrumentation .............................................................................................. 10 2.2 Mobile measurement strategy ........................................................................... 12 2.3 Phase 1 – Pilot studies .......................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 MACE-2015, Manila Philippines (Master thesis) ......................................... 13 2.3.2 Saxony Soot Project 2016, Leipzig and Dresden, Germany .......................... 15 2.4 Phase 2 – Optimization of MM and quality assurance ......................................... 18 2.4.1 CARE-2017, Rome, Italy .............................................................................. 18 2.4.2 Other datasets ................................................................................................. 19 2.5 Phase 3 – Data analysis ......................................................................................... 20 2.5.1 Statistical model: lognormal distributional regression .................................. 21 3. Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 27 3.1 First publication .................................................................................................... 27 3.1.1 Methodology for high-quality mobile measurement with focus on black carbon and particle mass concentrations ............................................................................ 27 3.2 Second publication ................................................................................................ 45 3.2.1 Performance of microAethalometers: Real-world field intercomparisons from multiple mobile measurement campaigns in different atmospheric environments 45 3.3 Third Publication .................................................................................................. 73 iv 3.3.1 Pedestrian exposure to black carbon and PM2.5 emissions in urban hotspots: New findings using mobile measurement techniques and flexible Bayesian regression models .................................................................................................... 73 4. Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................... 101 5. Outlook ..................................................................................................................... 107 Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 109 A.1 Publications included in the Doctoral Thesis and Author’s contributions ......... 109 A.2 Other Publications as First Author and Co-author during PhD ......................... 111 A.3 PhD Committee .................................................................................................. 113 A.4 Supervision Committee ...................................................................................... 114 List of Figures ............................................................................................................... 115 List of Tables ................................................................................................................ 116 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 117 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 119 Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................ 129 / Die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen der Luftverschmutzung durch Feinstaub und die Bewertung von Maßnahmen zu ihrer Eindämmung konzentrierten sich bisher auf Messungen der Massenkonzentration von Aerosolpartikeln (PM; Particulate Matter) an festen Standorten und nicht auf verkehrsbedingte Aerosolpartikel wie z. B. Ruß (BC; Black Carbon). Eine zielgerichtete Untersuchung der räumlichen und zeitlichen Variabilität dieser Schadstoffe ist notwendig, um die realistische Exposition von Fußgängern effektiv abzuschätzen. In dieser Arbeit werden drei neue wissenschaftliche Ansätze mit dem übergreifenden Ziel vorgestellt, den Einfluss von Umweltfaktoren auf die räumliche und zeitliche Verteilung von BC und PM2,5 in städtischen Gebieten zu quantifizieren. Die Massenkonzentrationen von BC und PM2,5 (alle Partikel kleiner 2,5 Mikrometer) wurden mit einer mobilen Plattform, dem Aerosol-Rucksack, gemessen. Damit wurden strategische mobile Messkampagnen an mehreren Standorten in verschiedenen Ländern durchgeführt, um die wissenschaftlichen Ziele dieser Arbeit zu erreichen. Dazu wurde zunächst ein Konzept zur Optimierung der mobilen Messstrategie entwickelt, um qualitativ hochwertige Daten für wissenschaftliche Analysen zu erhalten, einschließlich einer nachvollziehbaren Methode zur Rekonstruktion und Berechnung von PM2.5-Massekonzentrationen aus Messungen mit einem optischen Partikelgrößenspektrometer. Zweitens wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit der am häufigsten verwendeten tragbaren Absorptionsphotometers zur Messung der BCMassekonzentration unter realistischen Bedingungen untersucht. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die verwendeten Geräte in den unterschiedlichsten Umgebungen robust und zuverlässig einsetzbar sind. Drittens wurde ein statistischer Ansatz entwickelt und angepasst, um mobile Messdatensätze in geeigneter Weise zu analysieren und weitere nützliche Informationen zu gewinnen. Mithilfe dieses Modells wurden die Unterschiede zwischen den Auswirkungen menschlicher Aktivitäten und anderer Umweltfaktoren auf BC und PM2,5 quantifiziert. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen quantitativ, dass räumliche und zeitliche Merkmale im Zusammenhang mit menschlichen Aktivitäten stärkere Auswirkungen auf die Variabilität der BC-Massekonzentration haben als auf die regulierte PM2,5-Konzentration - und folglich auch einen größeren Einfluss auf die Exposition von Fußgängern. Diese Studie unterstreicht die Bedeutung hoher Datenqualität bei mobilen Messungen zur Expositionsabschätzung, insbesondere bei Schadstoffen, die räumlich sehr variabel sind. Insbesondere trägt diese Studie dazu bei, die Notwendigkeit hervorzuheben, in städtischen Gebieten mehr verkehrsbedingte Luftschadstoffe in die Überwachung der Luftqualität einzubeziehen. Darüber hinaus sollen geeignete Strategien, zur Bekämpfung der gesundheitsschädlichen Auswirkungen der Luftverschmutzung, entwickelt werden.:Table of Contents Bibliographic Description .................................................................................................. i Bibliografische Beschreibung ........................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Black carbon ....................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Mobile measurements ........................................................................................ 5 1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 6 2. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 TROPOS Aerosol backpack ................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Instrumentation .............................................................................................. 10 2.2 Mobile measurement strategy ........................................................................... 12 2.3 Phase 1 – Pilot studies .......................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 MACE-2015, Manila Philippines (Master thesis) ......................................... 13 2.3.2 Saxony Soot Project 2016, Leipzig and Dresden, Germany .......................... 15 2.4 Phase 2 – Optimization of MM and quality assurance ......................................... 18 2.4.1 CARE-2017, Rome, Italy .............................................................................. 18 2.4.2 Other datasets ................................................................................................. 19 2.5 Phase 3 – Data analysis ......................................................................................... 20 2.5.1 Statistical model: lognormal distributional regression .................................. 21 3. Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 27 3.1 First publication .................................................................................................... 27 3.1.1 Methodology for high-quality mobile measurement with focus on black carbon and particle mass concentrations ............................................................................ 27 3.2 Second publication ................................................................................................ 45 3.2.1 Performance of microAethalometers: Real-world field intercomparisons from multiple mobile measurement campaigns in different atmospheric environments 45 3.3 Third Publication .................................................................................................. 73 iv 3.3.1 Pedestrian exposure to black carbon and PM2.5 emissions in urban hotspots: New findings using mobile measurement techniques and flexible Bayesian regression models .................................................................................................... 73 4. Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................... 101 5. Outlook ..................................................................................................................... 107 Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 109 A.1 Publications included in the Doctoral Thesis and Author’s contributions ......... 109 A.2 Other Publications as First Author and Co-author during PhD ......................... 111 A.3 PhD Committee .................................................................................................. 113 A.4 Supervision Committee ...................................................................................... 114 List of Figures ............................................................................................................... 115 List of Tables ................................................................................................................ 116 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 117 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 119 Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................ 129
2

Myspeedtest: active and passive measurements of cellular data networks

Muckaden, Sachit 09 April 2013 (has links)
As the number and diversity of applications available to mobile users increases, there is an increasing need for developers, network service providers, and users to understand how users perceive the network performance of these applications. MySpeedTest is a measurement tool that actively probes the network to determine not only TCP throughput and round trip time, but also the proximity to popular content providers, IP packet delay variation, and loss. It also records other metadata that could affect user experience, such as signal strength, service provider, connection type, battery state, device type, manufacturer, time of day, and location. The tool also takes passive measurements of the applications installed on the device and the network usage of these applications. My SpeedTest is available on the Google Play Store and currently has 1300+ active users. This thesis presents the design and implementation of MySpeedTest as well as effect of metrics like latency and IP packet delay variation on performance.
3

Caractérisation des îlots de chaleur urbain par zonage climatique et mesures mobiles : cas de Nancy / Characterization of urban heat island based on climatic zoning and mobile measurements : Case study of Nancy

Leconte, François 11 December 2014 (has links)
De par ses caractéristiques, l’environnement urbain influe significativement sur le climat observé dans et à la périphérie des villes. Il est communément admis que le centre des villes présente fréquemment des températures d’air plus élevées que celles mesurées dans les zones rurales environnantes. Ce phénomène appelé îlot de chaleur urbain intéresse les enjeux relatifs à la santé publique, au confort urbain et à la demande énergétique. Ce travail de thèse propose de caractériser le phénomène d’îlot de chaleur à partir de l'association d'un zonage climatique et de mesures mobiles à haute résolution spatiale dans la canopée urbaine. Il repose sur une approche méthodologique en trois temps. Une classification climatique ("Local Climate Zones" (LCZ)) est tout d'abord appliquée à l'agglomération de Nancy. Ce découpage climatique du territoire sert de support à la réalisation de mesures embarquées effectuées en période estivale à l'aide d'un véhicule instrumenté. Celles-ci ont pour but d'observer in situ les spécificités climatiques des LCZ recensées dans l'agglomération. L'association d'une base de données de relevés météorologiques et de la classification LCZ permet de caractériser le comportement climatique du milieu urbain et de comparer le comportement de différentes typologies de quartiers en présence d'un îlot de chaleur urbain. Cette démarche propose également un cadre théorique pour le développement d'un modèle de diagnostic à partir d'indicateurs urbains et climatiques, avec la perspective de construction d'un outil de prise en compte de l'îlot de chaleur dans le processus de planification urbaine / Urban environment impacts significantly the climate observed within and around cities. In this context, city centers frequently present higher air temperatures than those measured in the rural areas nearby. This phenomenon called urban heat island impacts major issues such as public health, urban comfort and energy demand. This Ph.D. thesis proposes to characterize the urban heat island phenomenon based on the combination of a climatic zoning and high spatial density mobile measurements performed within the urban canopy layer. This study is divided into three steps. A climate classification ("Local Climate Zones" (LCZ)) is first applied to the conurbation of Nancy, France. This climatic zoning is used in order to perform mobile measurements thanks to an instrumented vehicle. These measurements target to observe the climatic patterns of the LCZ built in this conurbation. The combination of meteorological database and LCZ classification scheme allows to characterize the urban climate behavior and to compare the thermal behavior of different neighbourhood types. This approach provides a theoretical framework for the development of a diagnosis model based on urban and climatic indicators. It also brings outlooks regarding the building of a decision-support tool that aims to supply information about urban heat island adapted to the urban planners needs
4

Spatiotemporal analysis of criteria air pollutants and volatile organic compounds from a moving vehicle

Davidson, Jon 31 August 2021 (has links)
This thesis describes the on-road analysis of criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a moving vehicle. CAPs and VOCs have numerous direct and indirect effects on the environment and public health and are generated from a variety of point and diffuse sources. The concentration of these pollutants can vary on the scale of metres and seconds due to variable emission rates of sources, meteorology, and the topography of an area. CAPs are conventionally measured on a spatial scale of tens of kilometres and one hour or longer time resolution, which limits the understanding of their impact and leaving many communities lacking information regarding their air quality. VOCs are not measured as frequently as CAPs, owing to the difficulty, challenges, and cost associated with sampling. The Mobile Mass Spectrometry Lab (MMSL) was developed to collect high geospatial (15 – 1,500 m) and temporal (1 – 10 s) resolution measurements of CAPs (O3, NOx, PM2.5), CO2, CH4, and VOCs. CAPs and greenhouse gases were monitored using standard analyzers, while VOCs were measured using a proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-MS). PTR-MS is a real-time, direct, in situ technique that can monitor VOCs in the ambient atmosphere without sample collection. The PTR-MS monitored up to mass-to-charge 330 with a sample integration time of 1 or 10 seconds and had detection limits into the low- to mid-ppt. PTR-MS is a soft ionization technique that is selective to all compounds with a proton affinity less than water, which excludes the atmospheric matrix and includes most VOCs. The measurements provided by the PTR-MS provided a rich dataset for which to develop workflow and processing methods alongside sampling strategies for the collection of high geospatial and temporal VOC data. The first on-road deployment of the MMSL was performed across the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District in British Columbia, Canada, from July iv 2018 – April 2019 to monitor the geospatial and temporal variation in the concentration of CAPs and VOCs. VOCs detected in the areas include hydrocarbons like toluene, C2-benzenes, and terpenes, organic acids like acetic acid, oxygenated compounds like acetone and acetaldehyde, and reduced sulfur compounds like methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide. While observed concentrations of VOCs were mostly below detection limits, concentration excursions upwards of 2,200 ppb for C2-benzenes (reported as ethylbenzene) for instance, were observed across the various communities and industries that comprise central Vancouver Island. VOCs like monoterpenes, were observed near the wood industries up to 229 ppb. Combustion related VOCs, like toluene and C2-benzenes, were often observed on major transportation corridors and was found to vary significantly between seasons, with winter measurements often exceeding those made in the summer. Reduced sulfur compounds, common components of nuisance odours, were measured around a few industries like waste management and wood industries. The second on-road deployment of the MMSL focused on the analysis of VOCs in the community around a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to identify the source of odours in the area. VOCs were also monitored in the odour control process of the WWTP to identify the VOCs being emitted, how much were emitted, and where potential deficiencies were in the process in a unique study. Median emission rates at the facility for methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide were determined to be 100, 19, and 21 kg yr-1, respectively. VOC monitoring in the community encompassed the WWTP and the other major industries in the area, including agricultural land, a composting facility, and a marina. The highest measurements of odorous reduced sulfur compounds were observed around the WWTP, upwards of 36 ppb for methanethiol. Unsupervised multivariate analysis was performed to identify groups of VOCs present and their potential sources. Three groups were identified, one of which was related to reduced sulfur compounds. This group was observed around the WWTP, indicating that the WWTP was the likely source of malodours in the community. / Graduate

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