Students monitor ozone levels in the upper atmosphere (ozone hole) and lower atmosphere (pollution). The project is part of a world wide network of schools involved in ozone monitoring. Students send their results to the Global Labı database in the USA and to the ozone web site which has been established by Sunshine Secondary College.
Students communicate by email, comparing results with other students and scientists working in this field, eg at the Bureau of Meteorology, the Environment Protection Authority, Macquarie Island and in the Antarctic. The project involves approximately 500 students from primary and secondary schools from government and non government sectors across the whole state. Students which are involved in project will have their picture placed on the web site.
The project consists of 2 parts:
(a) Stratospheric
(upper level) ozone monitoring : 10 schools take stratospheric ozone measurements using a device from TERC, Testbed for Telecollaboration, (USA), called the Total Column Ozonometer (TCO). The ozone level can be measured by entering this data into a spreadsheet program called Alice which calculates Dobson Units, (ozone).
(b) Tropospheric
(ground level) ozone measurements : 20 schools conduct tropospheric ozone measurements using Drager gas sampling tubes for instantaneous readings and Ecobadge readings for one or eight hour periods . Some schools will do both the Stratospheric and Tropospheric monitoring. Pictures of the equipment used can be seen here.
