Technological advances in scientific instrumentation have resulted in the development of an increasing number of ‘lab-based’ chemical measurements being mobilized into the field, providing spatially and temporally resolved information for determinants of environmental and human health. Work in our group has employed the use of direct sampling, on-line mass spectrometry to measure trace organic compounds in complex environmental samples. These techniques can be adapted for quantitative analysis of targeted analytes as well as non-targeted qualitative assessments. We report some recent work involving the operation of direct mass spectrometry techniques to measure atmospheric volatile organic compounds in a moving vehicle for ‘on-the-fly’ and ‘on-site’ measurements. This includes mapping chemical concentrations and discriminating air masses based on their chemical composition and source.
The resulting geo-spatial visualization of chemical information can be employed to assess exposures, map plumes, monitor processes, and ‘adaptively’ collect grab-samples for conventional analysis, when and where they are needed. We will introduce several parallel developments in direct chemical measurements in both air and water samples, peering into the future of environmental assessments.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream (Channel 1). Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.