AGS-FIRP Track 1: Lake-induced Inversion Trapping of Emissions on the Superior Coast (LITESC)

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

The project team will deploy the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) in L’Anse and Houghton, Michigan from October 1 – 21, 2024 for a Track 1 Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Equipment education and outreach project. The project will focus on observing and understanding the extent to which lake-induced temperature inversions and lake breezes impact the dispersion of locally derived air pollution in L’Anse, Michigan, located on the southern shore of Lake Superior. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in atmospheric sciences courses at Michigan Technological University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will gain field measurement and data analysis experience, and outreach will be conducted to K-12 students and the wider community. The research objectives of this project are to characterize the atmospheric boundary layers over by measuring (1) vertical profiles of tropospheric temperature and water vapor; (2) wind speed and direction profiles; and (3) mixing height of the boundary layer using. The SPARC will also be used to measure vertical profiles of tropospheric aerosols and their physical properties, and to indicate periods of inversion-based aerosol trapping. The primary observation location for this project, L’Anse, is situated in Keweenaw Bay along the southern shore of Lake Superior, adjacent to the reservation of an Ojibwe tribe, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The L’Anse Warden Electric Company, a wood, paper, plastics, and tire-derived fuel waste-to-energy plant is located in L’Anse. Additionally, community households burn wood for heating in the colder months of the year. Community members have expressed concern that the emissions from the facility and wood burning adversely impact their air quality. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.