2026-09-20T12:43:39Zhttps://api.mountainscholar.org/server/oai/request

oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/2409262026-06-11T20:18:19Zcom_10217_100532com_10217_100000com_10217_100470com_10217_100303col_10217_182111col_10217_100472

Gunniah Vijayakumar, Akshay Kumar, author Jathar, Shantanu, advisor L'Orange, Christian, committee member Magzamen, Sheryl, committee member Quinn, Casey, committee member Carter, Ellison, committee member 2025-06-02T15:19:53Z 2026-05-28 2025 GunniahVijayakumar_colostate_0053N_18820.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10217/240926 https://doi.org/10.25675/3.02356 Ozone (O3), a criteria air pollutant, is often overlooked in rural and remote regions, leaving the spatial distribution and exposure levels poorly understood, particularly in underserved communities. In this study, we developed and deployed a network of 12 autonomous, low-cost, and solar-powered air quality monitoring units (VOZboxes) in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV). Co-located with a reference monitor in Fresno, CA, the VOZboxes underwent calibration before and after field deployment in June and November 2023, respectively, to measure O3 concentrations over a dynamic range of 20 to 100 ppbv with an RMSE < 5 ppbv. Deployed across 11 unique locations in SJV from July to November 2023 at varying periods, the VOZboxes revealed modest spatial variability in O3 mixing ratios, with elevated concentrations recorded in bigger cities and smaller eastern townships, while lower concentrations were found in smaller western regions. By leveraging multivariate regression models for data calibration, the VOZboxes effectively assessed compliance with the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for O3 (maximum daily 8-hour average of 70 ppbv) across locations. This study underscores the potential of low-cost environmental sensors for characterizing air quality and O3 exposure in rural and remote environments. Additionally, it emphasizes their utility as tools for addressing the monitoring needs of underserved communities and acts as a tool for environmental justice. born digital masters theses English eng Colorado State University. Libraries 2020- Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. low cost sensors VOZbox ozone sensors compliance Autonomous low-cost network of ozone sensors: to study the spatial distribution and exposure in underserved agricultural communities in central California Text 2026-05-28 2026-05-28 This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). Master of Science (M.S.) Masters Mechanical Engineering Colorado State University open.access