E VEN ON THE CLEAREST OF DAYS, THE scientists and engineers, was the very same that atmosphere over our heads buoys up thou- the space agency had used to discover the “ozone sands of tons of nature’s crud — pollen, hole” (really, a roughly 50% reduction in ozone con-mold spores, microscopic fragments of decayed centration) that appears during the coldest winter plants, insect parts, wind-borne dust, water vapor, months in the stratosphere above the Antarctic. smoke from forest fires, and volcanic ash — that Indeed, back then, this spectrometer was NASA’s we collectively call haze. Of course, we humans principle source of information about the health of contribute more than our share as well. Smog is the the protective sheath of molecules that block the best-known example of artificial haze. sun’s most damaging ultraviolet rays.
Although many cities monitor the quality of their NASA was understandably reluctant to admit that local atmosphere, shockingly little is known about it had been shown up by an amateur. However, to how haze is changing globally because, believe it their credit, when the red-faced researchers finally or not, no one is coordinating haze observations did own up to the error, they made Mims a col-around the world. Considering how important these laborator. NASA sent this dogged citizen scientist observations could be for the health of all life on to Brazil, Hawaii, and the western United States to our planet, this lack of attention is not only shame- study the atmospheric impacts of biomass burning ful, it could also be downright dangerous. and volcanic eruptions using his clever collection of
All this may soon change, thanks to the inven- low-cost homemade instruments. tiveness of one of America’s greatest living citizen scientists. Forrest M. Mims III is renowned as a MIMS’ VISIBLE HAZE science writer for mentoring more than a million PHOTOMETER professional and amateur gadgeteers through a One of Mims’ ingenious gadgets is his Visible Haze series of wonderfully earthy, hand-drawn how-to Photometer. This remarkable device can be cobbled booklets that he wrote for RadioShack. And even together from an old videocassette case and about though he has no formal scientific training, Mims is $20 worth of RadioShack parts. Moreover, it’s a living legend amongst amateur scientists for his so simple to make that even the most hardened knack at besting the professionals at their own game. technophobe can put it together in an afternoon.
In 1991, for instance, while standing in his back- This instrument could revolutionize haze research yard testing a $200 hand-held device of his own by opening the field to all comers: citizen scientists, design, Mims discovered that an instrument cost- science fair students, and weather watchers of ing perhaps a thousand times more than his, flying all stripes. aboard the Nimbus 7 satellite, was steadily drifting The Visible Haze Photometer exploits the fact out of calibration. That highly sensitive spectro- that the sun is the perfect probe for measuring photometer, developed by NASA’s elite corps of haze. The intensity of sunlight striking the top of
References:
Archives