News from the West Silver Valley in northern Idaho, USA

Dan Smith, from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Bridgett Cote, a senior at Kellogg High School, and Tony Ward and Brett Taylor from the University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences deployed 28 ODIN outdoor air quality monitors throughout the Kellogg, Idaho area. The ODINs were supplied by Ian Longley and Gus Olivares, air quality researchers with the New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmosphere - NIWA.

The monitors were deployed at the end of January and will be recovered during the week of March 18. This time period represents winter temperature inversion season where many of the local homes rely on wood burning for heat.

Data collected from the monitors will be used by students from the Kellogg School District as part of their air quality research projects. The deployment also provides NIWA researchers with data about ODIN performance and reliability in cold climates with short winter days. Kellogg has had a cold, snowy February-March so the ODINs will get a good test. Five of the ODINs were checked for battery charge and data collection in the middle of February; three weeks after installation. All of the units had battery charge indicating the solar panel chargers were functioning despite many cold, -16C days, and cloudy days. Each unit had also collected a full compliment of data. We are anxious to retrieve the monitors and analyze the data.

Brett Taylor & Dan Smith installing

an ODIN in Kellogg, Idaho

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Culminating Air Quality Activities in Kellogg Schools

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Community Observations Network for Air - Montana and Idaho

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