1. BY: AUSTIN BRAIN (Studied by Katherine Gorham)

2.  Atmospheric Chemistry is the study of the composition of the atmosphere, the sources and fates of gases and particles in the air and changes that came by natural and anthropogenic processes.

3.  An important quantity of Atmospheric Chemistry is the Atmospheric Lifetime. The Atmospheric Lifetime measures the time scale on which changes happen in the production or loss rates of a species may be expected to translate into changes in the species concentration.

4. There are many different kinds of chemicals in the air. When the different chemicals combine in chemical reactions, it makes new chemicals. That is Atmospheric Chemistry.

5.  Air is 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen.  The focus of Katherine’s work was to measure hydrocarbons in the Arctic atmosphere.  She went to Summit Station in Greenland to collect large numbers of air samples that she took back to the laboratory.  Then she analyzed the samples using Gas Chromatography.

6. Human activities usually make hydro carbons. You can use the measurements of hydrocarbons to learn more about the human influence on the environment. It depends on what season it is, which determines the quantity of hydro carbons in the atmosphere. It’s possible to learn about the atmospheric conditions in each season by collecting samples at different times of the year.

7. Methane’s scientific name is CH4. Methane’s growth began to slow in the 1980’s. Methane levels have pretty much stayed the same from 1999 to 2006, which was unexpected. This pause was very different from the 1% increase per year in the 1980s.

8.  The Summit Science Station is working on moving the Mobile Science Facility.  The Mobile Science Facility contains the U.S. National Science Foundation which founded the ICECAPS project.  The construction team and heavy equipment operators had to excavate the structure, free the ice, and move it to about 80 meters away.  They have been very busy lately.

9.  I learned more about my scientist and what she does for a living. I also learned about Atmospheric Chemistry and the study of it and how it works.

10. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics UCLA Atmospheric Chemistry Ecomii Science Rowland Blake Research Group Noaa Rolf-Sander Earth Sciences RSC Washington Academics