People
Lynne Gratz, Associate Professor
Colorado College Environmental Studies Program
I am an atmospheric scientist who studies the fate and transport of air pollutants, such as mercury and ozone, over varying spatiotemporal scales. My work is motivated by the potential negative impacts that atmospheric emissions can have on sensitive ecosystems and human populations. I use both ground-based and airborne chemical and meteorological measurements to investigate the reactions and removal processes that pollutants undergo in the atmosphere. I combine statistical and meteorological models with these measurements to distinguish local, regional, and global pathways of atmospheric contaminants.
Education
B.S. Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, 2004
M.S. Atmospheric and Space Science, University of Michigan, 2005
Ph.D. Atmospheric and Space Science, University of Michigan, 2010
Contact Information:
Email: lgratz@coloradocollege.edu
Phone: 719-389-7465
Current Research and Thesis Students
Zoe Zwecker, ’21 – “Mercury oxidation pathways in a continental atmosphere” (senior thesis forthcoming in fall 2021)
Tiantian Zhu, ’22 – “Vertical transect analysis of ozone from the Denver metropolitan area to the Continental Divide” (senior thesis forthcoming in spring 2022)
Brandon Chan, ’21 – summer research student, 2021
Past Research and Thesis Students
Alli Moon, ’20 – “Trends in Arctic aerosol sources, chemical composition, and optical properties at Utqiagvik, Alaska” (Senior thesis, Environmental Science)
Saria Sato Bajracharya, ’20 – “A study of mercury concentrations in songbirds from urban and rural sites in southeast Michigan” (Senior thesis, Environmental Science)
Margot Flynn, ’20 – “Spatial patterns in summertime surface ozone in the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, USA” (Senior thesis, Environmental Science)
Noah Hirshorn, ’20 – “Analysis of the vertical profile of aerosols over the Salton Sea during SARP 2019” (Senior thesis, Environmental Science – Chemistry Emphasis)
Story Schwantes, ’19 – “Sources and temporal variability of summertime total atmospheric mercury in the Colorado Front Range” (Senior thesis, Integrated Environmental Science)
Melissa Taing, ’19 – “Development of an improved method for detecting ambient oxidized mercury” (Summer research student, Environmental Science – Chemistry Emphasis)
Danny Rodriguez, ’18 – “A closer look at the abundance of oxygenated VOCs in the Colorado Front Range during spring and summer 2015” (Senior thesis, Environmental Science – Chemistry Emphasis)
Aracely Navarro, ’18 – “The inequitable distribution of NO2 in the Los Angeles Basin determined from the NASA Geostationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO)” (Senior thesis, Integrated Environmental Science, NASA SARP)
Nate Sweet, ’18 – “Investigating the Enhancement of PM2.5 Levels in Major U.S. Urban Areas Due to Local and Regional Wildfires” (Senior paper, Integrated Environmental Science)
Evan Laufman, ’18 – “Sources and temporal variability in summertime ambient mercury in Colorado Springs, CO, USA” (Summer research student, Integrated Environmental Science)
Yingxuan Li, ’17 – “Attainment of the lowered National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in Colorado Springs, CO, USA” (Senior thesis, Integrated Environmental Science)
Nolan Fromm, ’17 – “The effects of wildfire on mercury retention and cycling in forest soils” (Senior paper, Integrated Environmental Science)
Rachel Sussman, ’16 – “Size-resolved aerosol composition near Rocky Mountain National Park” (Senior thesis, Integrated Environmental Science)
