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our Webinars
We regularly host webinars to share our latest advancements in particulate monitoring and air quality research. These sessions cover topics such as AirPhoton instruments with GRASP processing, urban-scale pollution modeling, and the GRASP open-source algorithm. Our webinars are designed for scientists, researchers, and professionals looking to stay updated on new technologies and methodologies. Below, you can find recordings of past sessions, providing valuable insights for operational applications. Stay connected to discover upcoming webinars and explore the latest developments in particulate monitoring.
IN series: Understanding Particulate Pollution Measurements with Nephelometers
Wed 8th May, 2025 | Dr. Richard Kleidman
Nephelometers have played a central role in air quality research and regulatory monitoring since the 1960s. They are also among the core instruments used within the ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) network to provide high-quality measurements of atmospheric aerosols. Despite their long-standing use, interpreting nephelometer data remains a challenge—even for experienced researchers. In this webinar, we will review the fundamentals of how nephelometers measure particulate matter, clarify what insights this data can and cannot provide, and discuss key factors that influence measurement capabilities and data quality. We will use the AirPhoton IN101 nephelometer—approved for use in ACTRIS, widely deployed globally by the SPARTAN network, and used by many research institutions in India—as a reference to explain the basic measurement principles. We’ll then introduce the IN102 model, highlighting how its hardware upgrades and integration with GRASP software enable enhanced characterization of particles, including estimates of size distribution and dry particulate mass.
IMAP webinar: New directions in particulate measurements using polarization from ground and satelite
Tue 25th Mar, 2025 | Dr. Barbara Bertozzi (PSI)
What can we learn from polarization measurements? The Paul Scherrer Institute’s Luminous field campaign in Grenada Spain observed several dust events and featured the first deployment of the IMAP 100 ground instrument. The IMAP100 characterizes particles using polarization as well as using multiple wavelengths, angles and size cuts. Dr. Barbara Bartozzi of PSI will discuss what they learned during Luminous using the IMAP in conjunction with several other instruments. She will dicuss instrument performance and future prospects for using polarization in conjunction with satellite data. Mr. Richard Kleidman of AirPhoton will provide an introduction that discusses the basics of particulate observations using polarization,multiple wavelengths, and angular information and the IMAP instrument.
Determining PM2.5 mass with Nephelometer optical measurements
Tue 3rd Sept, 2024; Wed 4th Sept, 2024 | Dr. Chong Li
Typically nephelometers use optical measurements to provide information about bulk particulate properties such as size and amount. AirPhoton nephelometers offer features that allow us to use GRASP to pull out additional information from the raw measurements such as size distribution and particulate mass. The SPARTAN network deploys our nephelometers around the globe alongside our filter based particle sampling stations. This provides us a unique data set to compare real time optical measurements and PM 2.5 retrievals with gravimetric based PM 2.5 measurements in a variety of environments and conditions. In our first webinar Dr. Chong Li will present the results of the work she has been doing with GRASP and machine learning to obtain PM2.5 dry mass estimates from AirPhoton nephelometer measurements deployed by the SPARTAN network.
Modeling Street Level PM Dispersal
Tue 8th Oct, 2024; Wed 9th Oct, 2024 | Dr. Konstantin Kuznetsov
The use of satellite data for urban pollution monitoring has been studied for over 25 years. The most serious limitations are the lack of spatially high-resolution data and the inability to obtain vertical resolution to understand exposure at ground level. A new generation of higher resolution satellite data for air quality monitoring as well as several techniques for improving ground level exposure estimates are under development. We are applying a new approach which combines satellite data with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling to retrieve road emissions and pollution concentrations at a detailed 1-meter resolution. This method developed by Dr Konstantin Kuznetsov simulates pollution dispersion in urban environments, accounting for factors like buildings, roads, and vegetation.