This Saturday, January 19th, in the Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, Nicole Mölders will give a free public lecture on her research into air quality problems in the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 2:00 pm.
Mölders is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the Geophysical Institute, as well as the Founder and Chair of UAF’s Atmospheric Sciences Department. (Read more about her work here.) As another segment of UAF’s Science for Alaska Lecture Series, Saturday’s lecture will focus on her research into the challenges, causes, and mitigation options for Fairbanks’ problems with airborne particulate matter. The area has had frequent air-quality problems with respect to particles of less than 2.5 m m in diameter (PM2.5). These problems occur during winter months due to strong inversions, low temperatures and calm winds combined with high emissions. Unhealthy air conditions are of great concern for pregnant women, children, the elderly, people with allergies and those spending long periods outside in activity (dog mushing, skiing, etc.).
UAF has undertaken research efforts on how to mitigate the PM2.5 concentrations. Extensive data has been collected from Fairbanks’ cold-season with state-of-art research models and observations. This presentation will review the potential impacts of various strategies proposed to address air-quality concerns, such as: wood-burning device change-outs, use of natural gas, use of low-sulfur fuel and combinations of thereof.
For more information about the event, visit the Science for Alaska Lecture Series webpage, here.
