2024 JPSS VSF Top Projects
HIGH SCHOOL 1st Place
Canadian Wildfires Polluted New Jersey in Early June 2023
by William Yang
West-Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor, New Jersey
COACH: Dr. Liwei Jia
ABSTRACT: In early June 2023, New Jersey experienced a historical pollution event. In this project, I utilized satellite images and ground observations to investigate this pollution event and its link to the Canadian wildfires. The VIIRS images detected widespread wildfire hot spots in Quebec, Canada and large-scale smoke plumes spreading the Canadian wildfire pollution across the northeastern US (including NJ) during this event. Further meteorological data analysis shows that a cyclone, positioned over Nova Scotia, Canada, generated a counterclockwise wind flow, carrying the pollutants from Canada into New Jersey. This project demonstrates VIIRS’s ability to pinpoint wildfire locations and monitor the wildfire pollution plumes, providing scientific guidance to potentially mitigate the health risks posed by wildfire pollution on human beings. Additionally, this study emphasizes how meteorological wind patterns can transport wildfire pollutants across borders, underscoring the importance of a global approach to combating wildfire pollution.
Honorable Mentions:
Omega Block effects on Wildfire Smoke
by Srivishnu Sugumaran
Skyline High School / Sammamish Washington
COACH: Shankar Subramaniam
Using Cloud Optical Depth Data to Monitor Atmospheric Rivers
by Deepa Shanmugam
Richard Montgomery High School / Rockville, Maryland
COACH: Mani Meiyappan
MIDDLE SCHOOL 1st Place
Investigation of Hurricane Ian
David Frith, Tatiana Garcia, Inler Lu, Inler and Emma York
Desert Ridge / Albuquerque, New Mexico
COACH: Turtle Haste
We are investigating Hurricane Ian’s damage on human settlements. VIIRS is the tool we are going to use, as it provides high-quality data that can be used for this kind of research. We think that coastal cities located near the Equator will receive less damage than other cities, because hurricanes do not enter the area around the Equator. We also expect to see that coastal cities with a warmer climate will receive more damage, as hurricanes will direct themselves toward warm water.
Honorable Mentions:
VIIRS Imagery Viewer helps see what happens at High Latitudes
by Braylon Cummings, Maddison Legrand, and Sam Generosa
Desert Ridge Middle School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
COACH: Turtle Haste
