International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—The Chesapeake Bay watershed is one of the most expansive bodies of water in the United States, extending from the southernmost tip of Virginia gradually reducing its reach into upstate New York. The airshed of the Chesapeake Bay, however, is influenced by nearly the entire Eastern and Midwestern United States, consequently necessitating recurrent monitoring of air contamination levels. Currently, there are limited practical methods available to keep a record of the true levels of pollution in the atmosphere. A simple approach to alleviate this limitation is the use of light detection and ranging, or lidar, by means of stationary emplacements located near major toxic hotspot zones. The efficacy of this system can be attributed to the particulates in the atmosphere that can be detected as a result of pollution deriving from different sources. Furthermore, the level of air pollution has been shown to be directly correlated to the atmospheric temperature, subsequently allowing relationships to be established between the atmospheric temperature and various forms of lidar data. Implications of a significant correlation being discovered between atmospheric temperature and any form of lidar data collected would provide insight on the effectiveness of lidar towards detecting and monitoring air pollution. In a broader sense, results from this investigation may be utilized to improve the atmospheric health and quality around the Chesapeake Bay and subsequently, the world.

Index Terms—Air quality, lidar, pollution, particulate matter, Baltimore.

L. B. McCullum is with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA (e-mail: lumccul3@gmail.com).

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Cite: Lucas B. McCullum, "Tracking Air Pollution in the City of Baltimore, Maryland Utilizing Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 703-706, 2017.