Project 33 | Isotopic Analysis of Airport Air Quality

Project 33’s objectives are to:

use a coordinated aerosol sulfate sampling in the vicinity of LAX to measure the sulfate oxygen isotope ratio measurements. These measurements will be used to directly determine for the first time, the aircraft sulfate emissions in this region
determine the regional dispersion of the aircraft emissions and, to use the isotope ratios to distinguish from other sulfate sources that are overlain with the aircraft source
evaluate the seasonal character of the emissions
investigate and develop technique for shorter duration sampling and analysis for future, more extensive campaigns

Anticipated outcomes

The analyses will aid in high precision determinations of community exposure attributable to aircraft and other airport sources, a critical question for interpreting local community concerns and for designing future campaigns. The measurements will facilitate and improve the ability of the FAA to make informed regional management decisions from the higher level of impact assessment. The work will also have direct applications in addressing regional health issues and linkage to aircraft and in addressing major airport impacts.

Participating universities

University of California at San Diego
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Lead investigator

Mark H. Thiemens; Dean, Division of Physical Sciences; Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at San Diego, mthiemens@ucsd.edu

Project manager

Christopher Sequeira, christopher.sequeira@faa.gov