Robert Long
Hi everyone!
Throughout high school and college, my main interest was in the weather while my favorite science course was chemistry. I combined the two in graduate school when I entered the Meteorology department at Penn State University to study ocean chemistry. After receiving my master’s degree, I shifted gears slightly and began research on atmospheric chemistry, specifically trends in the production and loss of unhealthy ozone (in other words, ozone near the surface). This research led me to Dr. Anne Thompson and the MILAGRO project.
During this campaign, Dr. Thompson and I will launch an ozonesonde every day at the T1 (Tecamac) site. An ozonesonde is a weather balloon that has sensors to measure temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and ozone concentration as the balloon ascends. These measurements will help scientists participating in airborne studies tentatively locate layers of pollution (lots of ozone) before they embark on a flight. Tentatively knowing the location of pollution aids these scientists prepare their flight paths so they can capture the most scientifically interesting observations within a limited flight time. Dr. Thompson and I will launch these balloons at approximately 1PM local time to coordinate with the overpass of the Aura satellite. We hope the ozonesondes provide a robust dataset for validating the total amount of atmospheric ozone at the T1 site measured by the Aura satellite.
During free time, my fiancée (left, in photo) and I enjoy attending baseball and college football games, cooking, and walking along the Potomac in Washington D.C. (her home).
