The Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP) measures atmospheric ozone on weather balloons. Started at Rice University in July 2014, TOPP has engaged 150+ undergraduates in four countries and six U.S. states, and been supported with funding from NASA, Fulbright, and the State of Texas. Five HSIs have partnered on TOPP, including St. Edward’s. This overview presents program outcomes and the TOPP student experience, from laboratory and field work to data analysis projects. Students leverage a variety of data sets to validate balloon and satellite measurements and to partition pollution between anthropogenic and natural sources, and between local and long-range transport.
