Events Calendar

Oral Dissertation Defense

Speaker: Kalam Cheung, Environmental Engineering Ph.D. Candidate

Talk Title: Temporal, spatial and toxicological characteristics of coarse particulate matter in an urban area and relation to sources and regulations

Abstract:
To advance our understanding on the relationship between the sources, chemical composition and toxicity of coarse particles, two comprehensive investigations were conducted in the Los Angeles Basin from 2008 to 2010 to characterize the physico-chemical and toxicological properties of ambient coarse particulate matter (CPM). The first study features of a year-long sampling campaign at 10 sampling sites throughout the basin in an attempt to study the spatial and seasonal characteristics of ambient coarse particles. An intensive study, focusing on the diurnal trends, was conducted at 3 sampling sites to examine how the change in meteorological conditions throughout a day may affect the source strength and formation mechanisms of coarse mode aerosols. The results from these two studies have become an invaluable tool to advance our understanding on the cause of the temporal and spatial variation of CPM concentrations and chemical composition, and to identify the linkage between toxicity levels and source-specific chemical constituents in CPM. This investigation thereby provides valuable scientific information for environmental policy decision making, and a strong scientific basis to develop cost-effective strategies to protect the public health from coarse PM exposure.


Advisor: Dr. Costas Sioutas

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 345

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes