Ozone Experiment (Rodesney)

Come up with several possibilities that you think may influence ozone levels, and record them
for later posting on the website.

I have smelled what I was told was ozone when an electric motor is overworked. This could
increase ozone levels in rooms like copy rooms or where other electric machinery is being
used often.
Wind speed may affect the amount of ozone an area is exposed to. Im not sure how though.
More wind could bring more ozone to an area or blow it away. A lack of wind could allow
ozone to build up in an area.

(1) Describe your experiment

I placed my ozone test strips at different locations around my school to see how humans affect
the amount of ozone in the local atmosphere. All strips placed outside will be shaded for the
duration of the experiment. I do not have access to a color printer so the Schoenbein number will
have to be interpreted from a picture on my computer screen. Im expecting the strips that are
placed outside to come into contact with more ozone. However, the strip in the copy room will
show significantly more contact than any other indoor location.
Strip Placement
1. Bus Loop
2. Parent Pick-Up
3. School Sign near Moody Avenue
4. Cafeteria
5. Copy Room
6. Front Office
7. Gym
8. My Classroom
9. Culinary Classroom
10. Isolated Corner of Campus behind a tree

Location

Schnbein
Number
3.5

Ozone Level
(ppb)
120

Parent Pick-Up
Start Time:
8:03
End Time: 3:35
Duration:
7h42m

110

School Sign
Start Time:
8:06
End Time: 3:47
Duration:
7h41m

3.5

120

Cafeteria
Start Time:
8:08
End Time: 3:49
Duration:
7h41m

1.5

35

Bus Loop
Start Time:
8:00
End Time: 3:42
Duration:
7h42m

Before

After

Copy Room
Start Time:
8:10
End Time: 3:50
Duration:
7h40m

1.5

35

Front Office
Start Time:
8:11
End Time: 3:51
Duration:
7h40m

1.5

35

Gym
Start Time:
8:15
End Time: 3:53
Duration:
7h38m

1.5

35

Science
Classroom
Start Time:
8:18
End Time: 3:57
Duration:
7h39m

25

Culinary
Classroom
Start Time:
8:20
End Time: 3:57
Duration:
7h37m

25

Wooded Area
Start Time:
8:25
End Time: 4:04
Duration:
7h39m

80

Before

After

https://sites.google.com/site/amhsapenvironmentalscience/unit-4-land-water-use/unit-4b-airpollution
The average humidity for Orange Park, Florida on April 8th was 45%. The temperature at the
beginning of the experiment was around 62 degrees Fahrenheit. By the end of the experiment the
temperature has risen to about 83 degrees. It was a windy day with winds coming from the west
and increasing through the experiment from 9mph at the beginning and around 19mph at the end.
The strongest winds were around 24 mph a little before the beginning of the 8th hour of the
experiment.
https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KNIP/2016/4/8/DailyHistory.html?
req_city=Orange+Park&req_state=FL&req_statename=Florida&reqdb.zip=32073&reqdb.magic
=1&reqdb.wmo=99999

(2) What are your conclusions?

The strips that were placed outside showed an increased amount of ground-level ozone as I
expected. The major letdown was the strip placed in the copy room, which did not show an
elevated level of ozone as I had expected.

(3) What hypotheses have you developed about how ozone

levels are affected?
According to my observations ozone levels are affected by the amount of outside atmosphere a
location is exposed to. All of my strips that were placed outside were exposed to more ozone
than the strips placed indoors. Of the strips that were placed indoors, the ones placed in high
traffic areas (front office, copy room, and gym) where doors to the outside are open often
showed a slightly higher reading on the strips than the other indoor strips.