Angelina's Project Page

Who:  I am from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and came to Utah for the amazing programs and opportunities at the U, the beautiful landscape and mountains, and of course "the greatest snow on earth". When I'm not dancing, studying, or hiking, I can often be found enjoying music, frolicking outside, or actively trying to find dogs to play with.

My scientific interests:  Since childhood, STEM has both fueled and fulfilled my curiosity more than any other subjects, and in high school, I started to focus a lot more on science relating to our environment. In college, I am continuing to work on understanding the many complex interactions within our biosphere so I can apply those findings to the climate crisis.

Academic goals:  I am currently double majoring in Modern Dance and Atmospheric sciences with an emphasis on Environmental Science. I am extremely thankful to be a part of such strong programs for both of my passions, and I am excited to see how the two of them can continue to relate. I hope to continue with this research, explore my interests, and publish a paper before graduating.

Career goals:  I hope to help combat the looming climate challenge that we all face, whether that's by leading a group or an event, exploring new topics to better protect our environment, or by making information more accessible and understandable.

Ozone (O 3 ) is an atmospheric gas that is present in both the troposphere and stratosphere. Ozone formed in the stratosphere is necessary to absorb harmful UV radiation. However,  tropospheric ozone formed through the combination of NO x , sunlight, and either natural and anthropogenic VOCs can contribute to warming of the planet, have negative effects on human health, and is one of the main constituents in photochemical smog. Because of these negative effects, ozone is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the implementation of an 8 hour standard of 70ppb to protect public health. In order to evaluate long-term ozone trends, ground level ozone concentrations (2016-2017) at Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL), in Steamboat Springs, CO were collected using a Thermo Fisher model 49i Ozone Analyzer. Days with ozone concentrations over 70ppb were identified and potential causes for high ozone including stratospheric intrusion and transport from wildfires were considered. NOAA HYSPLIT backward air mass trajectory models were then created for days with sustained levels of high ozone (more than one hour of data above 70ppb) in order to determine the direction from which the air mass containing elevated ozone originated. At SPL, an isolated permanent facility in the Rocky Mountains, ozone concentrations often surpassed the EPA standard. From 2016-2017 ozone concentrations reached a level above 70ppb on roughly 18% of the days from 01/01/2016-12/31/2017 and out of those days nearly 22% had sustained levels of high ozone for periods greater than one hour. Although only 10 days in 2016 and 18 days in 2017 showed sustained high ozone, the cause of continuous high ozone at such a remote site warrants further investigation to better understand the specific conditions in our atmosphere that lead to these high ozone conditions.