EAGER: Coronas, Hydrogen Oxides, and Ozone Produced in the Atmosphere by Trees under Thunderstorms and by High Voltage Electrical Power Transmission Lines

EAGER项目的重点是研究大气电晕产生大气氧化剂的可能性，如羟基（OH），过氧化氢（HO2）和臭氧（O3）。电晕经常发生在大气中的增强电场源附近，如高压输电线路（HVTL）和雷暴。附近雷暴下的树木是日冕的潜在重要来源，因此也是大气氧化剂的来源。大气氧化剂可以影响空气污染物和温室气体的寿命，从而影响空气质量和气候变化。本研究将解决的主要问题是：（1）雷暴经过森林时产生了多少日冕（产生OH、HO 2和O 3）？(2)一棵树上有多少根树枝，在雷暴下的森林中有多少棵树会产生日冕？(3)每个分支上的日冕是如何随时间和环境条件而变化的？(4)在不同环境条件下，不同电压（典型值为50 kV至500 kV）的高压输电线路（HVTL）上会产生多少电晕（产生OH、HO 2和O3）？该项目符合EAGER奖的资格，因为它是一个高风险，高回报的项目。这将是第一次测量，定义的数额和分布的电晕和电晕产生的OH和HO 2的HVTL和树木在雷暴。在雷暴期间，树木上可能没有或很少有可检测到的日冕。此外，在成功进行测量之前，必须解决几个光学、机械、电子和操作设计问题。然而，初步数据表明，这项研究很有可能成功地提供有关雷暴和HVTL相关的电晕排放的关键信息，这些信息可能会导致有关大气氧化能力的重要新知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This EAGER project is focused on an investigation of the potential for atmospheric corona to generate atmospheric oxidants, such as hydroxyl (OH), hydroperoxyl (HO2), and ozone (O3). Coronas occur frequently in the atmosphere near sources of enhanced electric fields, such as high voltage electrical power transmission lines (HVTLs) and thunderstorms. Trees under nearby thunderstorms are a potentially important source of coronas and thus atmospheric oxidants. Atmospheric oxidants can affect the lifetime of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, thereby influencing air quality and climate change. This research could lead to a new understanding of global atmospheric oxidation and its past and future trends.The main questions that this research will address are: (1) How many coronas (producing OH, HO2, and O3) are generated as a thunderstorm passes over a forest? (2) How many branches on a tree and what fraction of trees in a forest under a thunderstorm produce coronas? (3) How do coronas vary on each branch with time and environmental conditions? (4) How many coronas (producing OH, HO2, and O3) are generated on high voltage transmission lines (HVTLs) of different voltages (50 kV to 500 kV typical) for different environmental conditions? This project meets the qualification for an EAGER award due to its nature as a high-risk, high-reward project. These will be the first measurements that define the amounts and the distributions of coronas and corona-generated OH and HO2 by HVTLs and on trees during thunderstorms. It is possible that there may be no or very little detectable coronas on trees during thunderstorms. In addition, there are several optical, mechanical, electronic, and operational design issues that must be resolved before successful measurements can be made. However, preliminary data suggest a significant probability that this research will be successful in providing key information about corona emissions related to thunderstorms and HVTLs that may lead to important new knowledge about the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.