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.

Die Wurzelwasseraufnahme aus dem Boden wird durch die Rhizosphäre beeinflusst. Die Rhizosphäre ist eine dünne Bodenschicht, die sich um Wurzeln herum bildet. Die Rhizosphäre wird durch Mucilage beeinflusst. Mucilage ist ein polymeres Gel, was von Wurzeln abgesondert wird und vor allem die hydraulischen Eigenschaften der Rhizosphäre verändert. Wenn es im Kontakt mit Wasser ist, kann Mucilage große Mengen an Wasser aufnehmen, aber wenn es trocken ist, wird seine Oberfläche hydrophob. Hier konzentrieren wir uns auf den Effekt von Mucilage auf die hydraulischen Eigenschaften des Bodens. Zunächst präsentieren wir experimentelle und numerische Studien, die die hydraulischen Prozesse in der Rhizosphäre nach der Bewässerung von trockenem Boden beschreiben. Bei Mucilagekonzentrationen, die niedriger als ein gewisser Schwellwert waren, konnte Wasser durch die Rhizosphärenschicht fließen, über dieser Konzentration wurde die Schicht wasserundurchlässig während der ersten Minuten bis zu Stunden nach Bewässerung. Wir präsentieren eine analytische Abschätzung der Mucilagekonzentration an der Perkolationsschwelle als Funktion von mittlerer Teilchengröße und Bodenwasserpotential nach Bewässerung. Die Abschätzung wurde an Hand von Experimenten des kapillaren Aufstiegs in Bodensäulen validiert. Wir entwickelten ein effektives Model um zu beschreiben, wir Mucilage die hydraulischen Funktionen des Bodens verändert: (a) Quell- und Trocknungsprozesse von Mucilage resultieren in Nicht-Gleichgewichtsdynamiken zwischen Wassergehalt und Wasserpotential, (b) die Präsenz von Mucilage im Boden reduziert das Wasserpotential bei einem gegebenen Wassergehalt und (c) Mucilage ist viskos und reduziert dadurch die hydraulische Leitfähigkeit des Bodens bei einem gegebenen Wassergehalt. In Experimenten mit Boden-Mucilage-Mischungen testeten wir das Model und wandten es an, um Beobachtungen von früheren Experimenten mit echten Pflanzen zu simulieren, die veränderte hydraulische Dynamiken in der Rhizophäre zeigen. Im Anhang dieser Arbeit sind zwei Studien zur Wärmeausbreitung von Erdkabeln. Hier können hydraulische Dynamiken autreten, die dem radialen Wasserfluss zu einer einzelnen Wurzel ähneln.