Ceilometer Dedication Ceremony

Dedication ceremony at UMBC on Earth Day (April 22) to celebrate the transfer of our  Lufft CHZ 15K Ceilometer to the Navajo Technical University (NTU) in Crownpoint, New Mexico, under the attached MOU between UMBC and NTU. This is one of three instruments acquired under my NASA grant to collect and calculate with our machine learning algorithms the planetary boundary layer heights (pblh) over the continental US from the aerosol concentration heights deduced from the backscatter off Lidar pulses at  1064 nm every 5 seconds up to 15km in the atmosphere.  The citing at NTU serves a dual purpose. First, it provides us with real-time scientifically important edge streaming data for calculating the pblh from a US site that experiences the effect of severe dust bowl-like events (see attached image) and can detect smoke from California wildland fires that can travel across the US and influence our local air quality by penetrating the pblh. Second, it affords UMBC the opportunity to share our expertise in training the Navajo nation students in the use of AI for inferring live scientific events as they occur in real-time.

Dust Storms & Wildfire Smoke
Navaho Technical Univ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location

  • The ASOK gallery of the UMBC Library

Agenda

  • Main presentation: 2:00 – 2:30 PM: Remarks by the NASA Chief Science Technologist Michael Seablom, Dr. Milt Halem, and Dr. Belay Demoz
  • Student Talks: 2:30-4:00 Samit and Kinjal “”A Pilot for Inferring and Analyzing the Planetary Boundary Layer Height Record over the US”
  • Remarks: 4:00 -4:45 PM Dean Bowman, UMBC, and Dean Agbaraji, NTU
  • Demo: Dr. Delgado UMBC and Dr. Meles NTU will demonstrate data streaming from Crownpoint NM to Catonsville MD.

Project Members

  1. Bristol, PA. Department of Environmental Protection
    Co-Located Air Quality Monitoring Station (with PANDORA)
  2. Blacksburg, VA / Virginia Tech- Prof. Elena Lind
    Co-located with PANDORA and AERONET
  3. UMBC-Relocating to Crownpoint NM / Navaho Technical University
    Promote broader participation of MSI in  Remote Sensing
    NTU-UMBC Academic MOU signed 2021