Melissa G. Trainer
Postdoctoral Assistant
NASA Astrobiology Institute
Cover of the Journal Astrobiology, Volume 4, Number 4, Winter 2004.
|
Current Research: Heterogeneous Chemistry of Methane on Mars
Email: trainer@lasp.colorado.edu
Website: http://lasp.colorado.edu/aerosol/trainer.php
Graduate Research: Laboratory Studies of Organic Haze Formation in Simulated Early Earth Atmospheres
Photochemistry in the atmosphere of the early Earth may have led to the formation of complex organic molecules, similar to those observed in the haze layer on Saturn’s moon Titan. With a mildly reducing atmosphere, the balance between trace gases such as CH4 and CO2 may have had a considerable effect on the chemical and physical properties of the aerosols formed by these organic products. A haze layer on the early Earth would have had significant implications for the evolution of the planet’s atmosphere and emerging life on its surface, yet there have been few laboratory studies of the organic material produced under possible early Earth conditions. We are currently using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) to study the chemical composition and size of particles as a function of trace gas composition. We use a deuterium lamp with a spectral range from 115 - 400 nm to produce particles from gaseous mixtures of CH4/CO2/H2/N2. Ongoing studies explore the chemical and physical properties of these aerosols as function of C/O ratio as well as other experimental parameters such as temperature and total pressure. Additional instruments are used in conjunction with the AMS to give complementary information about the morphology of these haze particles. |
Current Tolbert Group
Where are they now?
Galleries
|
