SLausucal Analysls and valldauon of Low-

Slgnal Alrborne Ammonla MeasuremenLs from

a novel MlnlaLure Chemlcal lonlzauon Mass
SpecLromeLer
LalLh Alhusseln
Ceorge Mason unlverslLy
Ma[or: 8lomedlcal Lnglneerlng
MenLor: SLeve Schlll
rlnclple lnvesugaLor: 1lm 8erLram
Sources of Ammonla
rlor Lo agrlculLural pracuces: blomass burnlng, wlld
anlmals, and naLural solls
Puman populauon growLh has lncreased need for
ammonla as a ferullzer
1oday, agrlculLural operauons accounL for Lhe
ma[orlLy of ammonla emmlsslons
CLher sources lnclude: fossll fuel combusuon, Lhe
ocean, and auLomoblles
lmporLance of Ammonla
lays a key role ln boLh formauon of paruculaLe
mauer and Lhe blogeochemlcal cycllng of nlLrogen
uownwlnd LransporLauon can over saLuraLe soll and
aquauc ecosysLems, causlng envlronmenLal
degradauon
uslng Mlnl-ClMS
Mlnl-ClMS: MlnlaLure chemlcal lonlzauon mass
specLromeLer
Measures concenLrauons of gases ln real ume
lons are produced Lhrough analyLe-lon
lnLeracuons
lons pass Lhrough a serles of lon beam focuslng
elecLro-opucs, whlch gulde and lLer Lhe lons
Measurlng Ammonla: Sources of nolse
LlecLro-opucs were parually deacuvaLed for Lhe lasL
lghL
uC blas presenL
Low slgnal Lo nolse sources:
ulsLance from source polnLs
Ammonla ls known as Lhe Sucky Compound"
naLural varlablllLy
8esulLs: 8aw uaLa
lnsLrumenL was
callbraLed
LhroughouL Lhe
lghL
8aw uaLa does noL
represenL Lrue
values
Analysls: 8asellne Correcuon
lnsLrumenL
zero polnLs
were found
and
lnLerpolaLed
Analysls: CorrecLed 8aw uaLa
uaLa ls very
nolsy
Clear Lrends
aren'L vlslble
need Lo
deLermlne whaL
Lype of nolse ls
presenL
ower SpecLral uenslLy
uescrlbes Lhe slgnal power dlsLrlbuuon over Lhe
frequency.
lL descrlbes how Lhe varlance of Lhe daLa ls
dlsLrlbuLed over Lhe frequency componenLs lnLo
whlch Lhe slgnal may be decomposed.
ower SpecLral uenslLy Lxample
1he volce waveform over ume
(le) has a broad audlo power
specLrum (rlghL).
Analysls: ower SpecLrum
lrequency ls
Lhe number of
occurrences of
a repeaung
evenL per unlL
ume
A power
specLrum
allows for a
deLermlnauon
of whlch
frequencles are
produclng more
nolse
Analysls: ower SpecLrum
Plgh frequency
nolse
lrequency ls
Lhe number of
occurrences of
a repeaung
evenL per unlL
ume
A power
specLrum
allows for a
deLermlnauon
of whlch
frequencles are
produclng more
nolse
WhlLe nolse
Analysls: Low ass lllLer
Low-pass lLers pass
low-frequency slgnals
and auenuaLe (reduces
Lhe ampllLude of)
slgnals wlLh hlgher
frequencles
lurLher lLerlng would
cause more auenuauon
Local 8egresslon: A mouvaung example
Some measuremenLs conLaln local varlablllLy
A polynomlal, welghLed llnear leasL square
regresslon ls used wlLh a user-dened kernel
1rl-cublc welghung funcuon was used:
Analysls: Modellng Lhe uaLa
Modeled daLa
shows clear
Lrends
Analysls wlLh
ammonla ls now
posslble
Analysls: nolse 8educed
Analysls: lllghL aLh over Callfornla
eaks ln Lhe daLa were found ln Lhe lghL paLh
Analysls: lllghL aLh over Callfornla
SanLa 8arbara Channel appears Lo have Lhe greaLesL ammonla concenLrauons
Ammonla and uMS
LlLeraLure sources suggesL a sLrong correlauon
beLween ammonla and uMS ln Lhe ocean
aLmosphere (8oberLson eL. al, !ohnson eL. al)
Analysls: valldaung 8esulLs
1he angle of Lhe
elllpse ls
deLermlned by Lhe
covarlance of Lhe
daLa
Ma[or axls
represenLs Lhe
varlance ln uMS,
and Lhe mlnor axls
represenLs Lhe
varlance ln
ammonla
Correlauon
coemclenL shows
sLrong llnear
relauonshlp
Mean of Lhe daLa
8=.8032
Concluslons
uslng sLausucal and slgnal analysls Lechnlques,
dlscernlng an ammonla slgnal was posslble
CcLupole deprlved ClMS lnsLrumenL can sull be
used Lo measure relauve ammonla
concenLrauons
Ammonla measuremenLs correlaLed wlLh uMS,
ln llne wlLh llLeraLure ndlngs
AcknowledgemenLs
1eam A Leam (1ala, 1orl, !usun, Parrlson,
ulllon, Allle, and Abby)
SLeve Schlll
1lm 8erLram
Lmlly Schaller
8lck Sheuer