Stratosphere Troposphere exchange (STE) is important to study as it controls the chemical composition of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) and thus the radiative balance of this region. STE also controls the transport of chemicals into the stratosphere which are vital to ozone depletion. The troposphere and the stratosphere have specific chemical characteristics and the transition region between these regions displays characteristics of both. Ozone and water vapour concentrations can be used as tracers for the characteristics of the troposphere and stratosphere. This thesis develops measures in tracer space, which allow the determination of the strength and depth of atmospheric mixing between the troposphere and the stratosphere in extratropical regions. The application of entropy as a measure of atmospheric mixing as introduced by Patmore and Toumi [2006], is improved in this study. This is a measure of how the ozone and water vapour mixing ratios vary as a result of mixing. An additional metric to give further information on the form of the mixing line in tracer space is also developed. This measure uses the ozone and water vapour mixing ratios at the boundaries of the transition region (BO3 and BH2O). This study uses data from ozonesondes and hygrometers, along with satellite data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The ozone product from AIRS is also validated as part of this study. The entropy, BO3 and BH2O measures from this study, are successfully shown to detect regions of enhanced mixing in comparison studies. A key comparison shows that the measures developed in this study are able to produce comparable conclusions to higher resolution aircraft data, with regards to mixing. The separation of entropy, BO3 and BH2O, into different categories allows mixing processes to be assigned to some of the categories. Mixing is shown to have geographic preference, with some regions having significantly more mixing. Some categories have preference with regards to their location either poleward or equatorward of the jet stream. In addition, some information as to the direction of the vertical transport, whether stratosphere to troposphere or vice versa, is obtained.

This thesis presents an experimental study of non-thermal atmospheric pressure gas plasmas in presence of liquid as an efficient source of transient and reactive species to initiate chemical reactions necessary for many important applications. Two types of liquid-containing plasmas are considered: discharges formed between a needle electrode and a liquid electrode, and plasma jets formed in a water vapour flow mixed in helium or argon gas. Two plasma modes (the pulsed and the continuous mode) are observed in the needle-to-liquid plasma. A comparative study of the needle-to-liquid plasma in the continuous mode with DC and AC excitations reveals that the plasmas are glow discharges, and AC excited plasmas have the highest energy efficiency. A study of helium/water vapour plasma jet shows that “plasma bullets” are formed even with water vapour in the gas mixture, but become quenched when the moist helium flow rate is above 300sccm (~1800ppm water concentration). Moderate amount of water vapour (~250ppm water concentration) is beneficial for active species production mainly due to the high electron density. Hydrogen peroxide production in saline solution with three different plasma sources is investigated due to the importance of H2O2 in several important applications. Long lifetime of H2O2 in the liquid after plasma treatment indicates an exciting possibility of plasma pharmacy.

Biodegradable, edible wheat gluten films offer a renewable alternative to plastic food packaging or can be incorporated directly in the food product. Wheat gluten is a good option because it forms a fibrous network, lending strength and elasticity to films. The goal of this research project was to produce, with a water-based film formulation and methodology, smooth, homogeneous wheat gluten films with low water vapour permeability (WVP). The water-based film formulation also served to compare the FT Wonder wheat cultivar, grown in Ontario, to commercially produced wheat gluten and determine the effect of wheat source on the film properties, surface morphology, surface hydrophobicity, WVP, and film swelling in water for different pH, temperature and casting surface conditions. Fluorescence, SPR, and casting formulation viscosity provided preliminary information on the mechanism of film formation and on gluten protein structure induced by modifying the film formulation. This research provides an alternate use for some Ontario wheat cultivars based on their properties in films compared to commercial sources of gluten. As a result, using Ontario cultivars to prepare gluten film packaging material has potential as an alternate source of income for Ontario farmers. This research also defines the film properties for gluten films produced from aqueous solutions, helping to identify processing parameters that could bring gluten films on par with plastic packaging and make gluten films a viable alternative food packaging material. Finally, it was determined that the water vapour permeability of wheat gluten films was not correlated to film surface contact angle.

Comprehensive studies are needed to discover materials and construction technologies contributing to the thermal performance of historical buildings and to keep them in working order over time. Examined in this study were the thermal performance characteristics of Seng&uuml / l Hamami, a 15th Century Ottoman bath, to discover original thermo-physical properties of historic materials and to assess thermal failures in present situation by taking into consideration recent incompatible repair work. The analyses were done by using non-destructive investigation methods, such as microclimatic monitoring, quantitative infrared thermography (QIRT), heat and water vapour transfer calculations, supported by laboratory analyses on thermo-physical properties of historic materials. The results were evaluated in terms of thermal properties of historic materials establishing the historic dome section, microclimatic characteristics of Seng&uuml / l Hamami, its original thermal characteristics, and thermal failures occurred in time due to wrong repairs. An in-situ assessment method was also developed for the identification of thermal and moisture failures at real boundary conditions by joint interpretation of QIRT and heat transfer calculation results. The study showed that historic dome structure of Seng&uuml / l Hamami was originally configured to provide sufficient thermal insulation characteristics owing to good thermal properties of its materials. That success was attributed to conscious use of low-density, high-porosity historic materials having low thermal conductance and high vapour permeability characteristics. It was seen that the thermal performance of historic structure was severely destroyed by recent repairs using concrete and cement-based materials, which were incompatible with historic fabric of the structure due to their different thermo-physical properties.

Biodegradable, edible wheat gluten films offer a renewable alternative to plastic food packaging or can be incorporated directly in the food product. Wheat gluten is a good option because it forms a fibrous network, lending strength and elasticity to films. The goal of this research project was to produce, with a water-based film formulation and methodology, smooth, homogeneous wheat gluten films with low water vapour permeability (WVP). The water-based film formulation also served to compare the FT Wonder wheat cultivar, grown in Ontario, to commercially produced wheat gluten and determine the effect of wheat source on the film properties, surface morphology, surface hydrophobicity, WVP, and film swelling in water for different pH, temperature and casting surface conditions. Fluorescence, SPR, and casting formulation viscosity provided preliminary information on the mechanism of film formation and on gluten protein structure induced by modifying the film formulation. This research provides an alternate use for some Ontario wheat cultivars based on their properties in films compared to commercial sources of gluten. As a result, using Ontario cultivars to prepare gluten film packaging material has potential as an alternate source of income for Ontario farmers. This research also defines the film properties for gluten films produced from aqueous solutions, helping to identify processing parameters that could bring gluten films on par with plastic packaging and make gluten films a viable alternative food packaging material. Finally, it was determined that the water vapour permeability of wheat gluten films was not correlated to film surface contact angle.

Stratosphere Troposphere exchange (STE) is important to study as it controls the chemical composition of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) and thus the radiative balance of this region. STE also controls the transport of chemicals into the stratosphere which are vital to ozone depletion. The troposphere and the stratosphere have specific chemical characteristics and the transition region between these regions displays characteristics of both. Ozone and water vapour concentrations can be used as tracers for the characteristics of the troposphere and stratosphere. This thesis develops measures in tracer space, which allow the determination of the strength and depth of atmospheric mixing between the troposphere and the stratosphere in extratropical regions. The application of entropy as a measure of atmospheric mixing as introduced by Patmore and Toumi [2006], is improved in this study. This is a measure of how the ozone and water vapour mixing ratios vary as a result of mixing. An additional metric to give further information on the form of the mixing line in tracer space is also developed. This measure uses the ozone and water vapour mixing ratios at the boundaries of the transition region (BO3 and BH2O). This study uses data from ozonesondes and hygrometers, along with satellite data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The ozone product from AIRS is also validated as part of this study. The entropy, BO3 and BH2O measures from this study, are successfully shown to detect regions of enhanced mixing in comparison studies. A key comparison shows that the measures developed in this study are able to produce comparable conclusions to higher resolution aircraft data, with regards to mixing. The separation of entropy, BO3 and BH2O, into different categories allows mixing processes to be assigned to some of the categories. Mixing is shown to have geographic preference, with some regions having significantly more mixing. Some categories have preference with regards to their location either poleward or equatorward of the jet stream. In addition, some information as to the direction of the vertical transport, whether stratosphere to troposphere or vice versa, is obtained.

In this diploma thesis the basic principles of inkjet print, ink composition, print media and degradation mechanisms of ink dyes are summarized. The thesis deals with study of varnish barrier properties in coloured inkjet prints. Permeability of water vapour and oxygen (parts of atmosphere) depending on different coatings are tested there. In addition the influence of ozone on degradation of dyes was studied, while ozone was permeating through barrier varnish layer of inkjet print. Ozone plays an important role in degradation processes of the inkjet prints and it also causes a gas-fading. Concentrations of acting ozone were established by iodometric titration. Simultaneously kinetics of degradation of Orange 7 was studied on indicator papers.

Die Signale des Global Positioning Systems (GPS) ermöglichen nicht nur die präzise Positionsbestimmung an jedem Ort der Erde, sondern enthalten auch Informationen über den Wasserdampfgehalt der Atmosphäre. Aus diesen Informationen kann mit Hilfe tomographischer Verfahren die dreidimensionale Wasserdampfverteilung in der Troposphäre rekonstruiert werden. Dabei ist es von besonderem Interesse, wie zuverlässig die Wasserdampfverteilung alleine aus den Daten bodengestützter GPS-Netzwerke, d. h. ohne die Einbeziehung von Low Earth Orbitern (LEOs) oder von Wettersatelliten, bestimmt werden kann. Zu diesem Zweck werden GPS-Daten für unterschiedliche GPS-Netzwerke simuliert und auf ihre Eignung für eine tomographische Rekonstruktion untersucht. Besonders der Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl der Satelliten, der Stationsdichte und der in der tomographischen Rekonstruktion erreichbaren Auflösung ist dabei von großer Bedeutung. Aus diesem Grund erfolgt zunächst eine geometrische Bewertung der GPS-Eingangsdaten. Die Rekonstruktion eines 3D-Feldes und die dabei auftretenden Abweichungen zwischen dem originalen und dem rekonstruierten Feld werden abschließend an einem Beispiel dargestellt. / The signals of the global positioning system (GPS) can not only be used to obtain the precise position all over the world but carry also information about the water vapour distribution in the atmosphere. This 3D distribution can be reconstructed from the GPS data by means of tomographic techniques. Of special interest is the quality of the reconstructed 3D distribution using data from GPS ground stations alone, without regarding low earth orbiters (LEOs) and weather satellites. Therefore, GPS data have been simulated for different model networks. A subsequent data validation shows the correlation between the number of GPS satellites, the density of ground stations and the spatial resolution of the water vapour field which might be obtained from a tomographic reconstruction. Some selected data sets have been used to reconstruct a given 3D distribution and to analyse variations between the initial model field and the results obtained with different tomographic techniques.

Der Wasserdampfgehalt der Atmosphäre gehört zu den Hauptkontrolleuren des Treibhauseffektes und spielt eine Schlüsselrolle im globalen Energiekreislauf, wobei den Polargebieten als globale Wärmesenken eine besondere Bedeutung zukommt. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde aus Messungen des Global Positioning System (GPS) der integrierte Wasserdampfgehalt innerhalb der letzten Dekade bestimmt und analysiert. Die Untersuchungen stützen sich auf die Reprozessierung eines aus 195 Stationen bestehenden globalen GPS-Netzes. Die aus den geschätzten GPS-Troposphärenparameter bestimmten Wasserdampf- zeitreihen wurden hinsichtlich Genauigkeit und Homogenität untersucht. Nach Korrektion der Inhomogenit äten ist es möglich, mit GPS mehrjährige Schwankungen im potenziellen Niederschlagswasser mit einer Genauigkeit besser als 0,3 mm Höhe der Wassersäule zu erfassen. Als Ergebnis der Untersuchungen zeigen sich in Europa und großen Teilen Nordamerikas Anomalien des Wasserdampfgehaltes im Bereich eines Millimeters, welche sich vor allem auf thermodynamische Effekte zurückführen lassen. In den Tropen und im Südosten der USA können die Wasserdampfanomalien 3 bis 5 mm betragen. Sie sind durch dynamische Prozesse bedingt, die mit der Südlichen Oszillation im Zusammenhang stehen. Eine Anwendung der aus GPS-Beobachtungen bestimmten Wasserdampfzeitreihen ist die Validierung des Wasserdampfes im globalen Wettervorhersagemodell des National Center for Environmental Predicton (NCEP). Über Europa und großen Teilen Nordamerikas reproduziert NCEP die Schwankungen des Wasserdampfgehaltes sehr gut und stellt damit eine gute Datengrundlage für ?ächendeckende Untersuchungen langfristiger Veränderungen im Wasserdampfgehalt dar. In der Antarktis und den Tropen wird jedoch das saisonale und mehrjährige Signal des Wasserdampfes von NCEP um 25% bis 40% unterschätzt. Als zweite Anwendung der GPS-Wasserdampfzeitreihen erfolgt die Validierung satellitenbasierter Radiometermessungen über der Antarktis. Sie zeigt eine gute Übereinstimmung der Wasserdampfwerte aus GPSund Radiometermessungen. Die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit aus GPS-Beobachtungen bestimmten Wasserdampfzeitreihen bilden eine sehr gute Datengrundlage für weitergehende Untersuchungen der Wetter- und Klimaforschung. / The atmospheric water vapour is one of the main variables controlling the greenhouse effect and it plays a crucial role in the global energy cycle. In this context the polar regions which act as global heat sinks are especially important. This study uses observations from the Global Positioning System (GPS) to investigate changes of the integrated atmospheric water vapour. It is based on a reprocessing of a global GPS network consisting of 195 stations. A strong emphasis was placed on the investigation of the accuracy and the homogeneity of the GPS derived water vapour time series. After correcting the inhomogeneities interannual ?uctuations in the precipitable water can be determined from GPS data with an accuracy of 0.3 mm in water column height. As a result, the interannual variations in the water vapour content are in the order of one millimetre over Europe and over large areas of North America. They are mainly related to thermodynamic effects. In the tropics and in the south east of the USA water vapour anomalies can reach 3 to 5 mm caused by dynamic processes connected to the Southern Oscillation. As one application of the estimated GPS water vapour time series a validation of water vapour from the global numerical weather prediction model of the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) was carried out. Over Europe and large parts of North America the seasonal signal and the interannual variations of the water vapour are very well reproduced by NCEP. Hence, in these regions NCEP presents a good database for area-wide investigations of long-term changes in the water vapour content. However, in Antarctica and in the Tropics the seasonal and also the interannual signals of the NCEP water vapour are strongly underestimated by 25% to 40%. A second application of the estimated GPS water vapour time series is the validation of satellite-based radiometer measurements over Antarctica. A good agreement was found between the water vapour derived from GPS and radiometer data. The water vapour time series estimated in this study provide a good basis for further weather and climate related investigations.

[ES] El vapor de agua es la llave del ciclo hidrológico, del balance energético atmosférico y el principal gas natural de efecto invernadero. Su estudio, es, por tanto, esencial para entender la dinámica climática y para la previsión de fenómenos meteorológicos. El uso de las observaciones GNSS para obtenerlo, contribuye de forma notable a su estudio, dada su alta resolución espacial y temporal. Para que se pueda obtener el vapor de agua a partir de observaciones GNSS, estas deben procesarse de un modo que asegure una alta precisión en la obtención de la componente troposférica. En esta tesis, se muestra una estrategia de cálculo con el programa científico Bernese 5.2, basado en Dobles Diferencias de fase, y detallada con sus diferentes opciones. Esa estrategia se aplicó sobre un conjunto de estaciones GNSS situadas desde la ciudad de Vigo, hasta la ciudad francesa de Brest con un total de nueve estaciones principales, a las que se sumaron otras 8 para el diseño de la red de procesamiento. La estrategia fue validada con los productos oficiales de referencia, EPN REPRO2, con las 13 estaciones comunes entre la red de procesamiento y la red EUREF, obteniendo un valor de error medio cuadrático de aproximadamente 3 milímetros. Después se procedió al cálculo del vapor de agua precipitable, con el uso del modelo GPT3 completando cuatro años de datos. Para la validación de estas series de vapor de agua se usaron observaciones de radiosonda, de dos estaciones, situadas cerca de la estación de GNSS de A Coruña y de Santander. La comparación del vapor de agua, arrojó valores máximos de error medio cuadrático de 3 milímetros. Con las series de vapor de agua, se procedió al estudio de su caracterización espacial y temporal. Se constató la disminución del vapor de agua al ascender en la latitud. Así mismo, se observó en la variación temporal una componente anual mucho más significativa que la semianual, así como una distribución claramente estacional del vapor de agua, con valores en la estación de verano muy superiores a la estación de invierno. Las anomalías diarias mostraron ciertas similitudes, con un valor mínimo en la noche, ascendiendo hacia un pico o valor máximo, generalmente en la tarde. Su comportamiento también se mostró claramente estacional, con una variación mucho más significativa y de mayor amplitud en el verano que en el invierno. La serie de vapor de agua de la ciudad de A Coruña, junto con los datos de una estación meteorológica, se aplicaron al estudio de su relación con otras variables atmosféricas. En el caso de la temperatura y el vapor de agua, el estudio mostró una fuerte correlación. Sin embargo, el estudio de la relación entre el vapor de agua y precipitación no mostró ninguna relación entre ambas. Además, la serie de vapor de agua permitió estudiar el índice de Eficiencia de Precipitación, encontrándose una baja efectividad de los mecanismos que producen la precipitación más acusada en verano que en invierno, a pesar del nivel alto de vapor de agua en la estación estival. Además, se estudiaron nueve episodios de lluvia de diferentes estaciones climáticas, estudiando la evolución temporal del vapor de agua antes, durante y después del fenómeno. Esto permitió observar un patrón de comportamiento similar con un claro aumento del vapor de agua antes del comienzo de la lluvia y un fuerte descenso posterior, que fue parametrizado en forma de diferentes indicadores, en los que, de nuevo, se constató una fuerte componente estacional. Además, se pudo observar un comportamiento más significativo en la ventana de 12 horas previas a los episodios de lluvia. / [CA] El vapor d'aigua és la clau del cicle hidrològic, del balanç energètic atmosfèric i el principal gas natural d'efecte d'hivernacle. El seu estudi, és, per tant, essencial per a entendre la dinàmica climàtica i per a la previsió de fenòmens meteorològics. L'ús de les observacions GNSS per a obtindre'l, contribuïx de manera notable al seu estudi, donada la seua alta resolució espacial i temporal. Perquè es puga obtindre el vapor d'aigua a partir d'observacions GNSS, estes han de processar-se d'un mode que assegure una alta precisió en l'obtenció de la component troposfèrica. En esta tesi, es mostra una estratègia de càlcul amb el programa científic Bernese 5.2, basat en Dobles Diferències de fase, i detallada amb les seues diferents opcions. Eixa estratègia es va aplicar sobre un conjunt d'estacions GNSS situades des de la ciutat de Vigo, fins a la ciutat francesa de Brest amb un total de nou estacions principals, a les quals es van sumar altres 8 per al disseny de la xarxa de processament. L'estratègia va ser validada amb els productes oficials de referència, EPN REPRO2, amb les 13 estacions comunes entre la xarxa de processament i la xarxa EUREF, obtenint un valor d'error mig quadràtic d'aproximadament 3 mil·límetres. Després es va procedir al càlcul del vapor d'aigua precipitable, amb l'ús del model GPT3 completant quatre anys de dades. Per a la validació d'estes sèries de vapor d'aigua es van usar observacions de radiosonda, de dos estacions, situades prop de l'estació de GNSS de la Corunya i de Santander. La comparació del vapor d'aigua, va llançar valors màxims d'error mig quadràtic de 3 mil·límetres. Amb les sèries de vapor d'aigua, es va procedir a l'estudi de la seua caracterització espacial i temporal. Es va constatar la disminució del vapor d'aigua en ascendir en la latitud. Així mateix, es va observar en la variació temporal una component anual molt més significativa que la semianual, així com una distribució clarament estacional del vapor d'aigua, amb valors en l'estació d'estiu molt superiors a l'estació d'hivern. Les anomalies diàries van mostrar unes certes similituds, amb un valor mínim en la nit, ascendint cap a un pic o valor màxim, generalment en la vesprada. El seu comportament també es va mostrar clarament estacional, amb una variació molt més significativa i de major amplitud en l'estiu que en l'hivern. La sèrie de vapor d'aigua de la ciutat de la Corunya, juntament amb les dades d'una estació meteorològica, es van aplicar a l'estudi de la seua relació amb altres variables atmosfèriques. En el cas de la temperatura i el vapor d'aigua, l'estudi va mostrar una forta correlació. No obstant això , l'estudi de la relació entre el vapor d'aigua i precipitació no va mostrar cap relació entre ambdues. A més, la sèrie de vapor d'aigua va permetre estudiar l'índex d'Eficiència de Precipitació, trobant-se una baixa efectivitat dels mecanismes que produïxen la precipitació més acusada a l'estiu que a l'hivern, malgrat el nivell alt de vapor d'aigua en l'estació estival. A més, es van estudiar nou episodis de pluja de diferents estacions climàtiques, estudiant l'evolució temporal del vapor d'aigua abans, durant i després del fenomen. Això va permetre observar un patró de comportament similar amb un clar augment del vapor d'aigua abans del començament de la pluja i un fort descens posterior, que va ser parametritzat en forma de diferents indicadors, en els quals, de nou, es va constatar una forta component estacional. A més, es va poder observar un comportament més significatiu en la finestra de 12 hores prèvies als episodis de pluja. / [EN] Water vapour is the key of the hydrological cycle and the atmospheric energy balance and the most important natural greenhouse gas. Its study is therefore essential for understanding climate dynamics and for forecasting meteorological phenomena. The use of GNSS observations to obtain it contributes significantly to its study, given its high spatial and temporal resolution. In order to obtain water vapour from GNSS observations, these must be processed in a way that ensures high accuracy in obtaining the tropospheric component. In this thesis, a calculation strategy with the scientific programme Bernese 5.2, based on Double Phase Differences, is shown, and detailed with its different options. This strategy was applied on a set of GNSS stations located from the Spanish city of Vigo to the French city of Brest with a total of nine main stations, to which another 8 were added for the design of the Double Difference processing network. The strategy was validated with the official reference products, EPN REPRO2, with the 13 common stations between the processing network and the EUREF network, obtaining a mean square error value of approximately 3 millimetres. Then, four years series of precipitable water vapour was calculated, using the GPT3 model. For the validation of these water vapour series, radiosonde observations from two stations, located near the GNSS station of A Coruña and Santander were used. The comparison between both sets of water vapour information was performed yielding maximum values of mean square error of 3 millimetres. Using the water vapour series, the spatial and temporal characterisation of water vapour in the working area was studied. It was then possible to observe the decrease in water vapour with increasing latitude. Likewise, a much more significant annual component than the semi-annual one was observed in the temporal variation, as well as a clearly seasonal distribution of water vapour in the whole working area, with values in the summer season much higher than in the winter season. The daily anomalies showed some similarities, showing in general a minimum value at night, rising towards a peak or maximum value in the afternoon. Their behaviour was also clearly seasonal, with a much more significant variation and greater amplitude in the summer than in the winter. The water vapour series of the city of A Coruña, together with data from a meteorological station, were applied to the study of their relationship with other atmospheric variables. In the case of temperature and water vapour, the study showed a strong correlation. However, the study of the relationship between water vapour and precipitation showed no relationship between the two. In addition, the water vapour series allowed the study of the Precipitation Efficiency index, finding a low effectiveness of the mechanisms that produce precipitation more pronounced in summer than in winter, despite the high level of water vapour in the summer season. Finally, nine rainfall events were studied in different climatic seasons, studying the temporal evolution of water vapour before, during and after the event. This allowed a similar pattern of behaviour to be observed, with a clear increase in water vapour before the onset of the rain and a sharp decrease afterwards, which was parameterised in the form of different indicators, in which, once again, a strong seasonal component was observed. In addition, a more significant behaviour was observed in the 12-hour window prior to rainfall events. / Perdiguer López, R. (2024). Estrategia de cálculo del vapor de agua a partir de las observaciones GNSS para su caracterización y aplicación climática [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/205795