CONFERENCE
Project title: Heavy metal concentration in precipitation and their impact on the environment
Project number: 1.1.1.9/LZP/1/24/141
Research manager (Postdoctoral fellow): Dr. Anda Ābola
Project partners: none
Project implementation time: 01.03.2025 – 29.02.2028
Total project funding:: 184 140 EUR, including ERDF 156 519 EUR
Aim of the project:
(1) To perform heavy metal - mercury and indium - concentration monitoring in the rainwater, to assess them as a potential pollution source,
(2) To perform spectral diagnostics of indium-containing light sources to optimize them for usage in atomic absorption spectroscopy.
Project results: Scientific publications - 3
Publicity
• Participation in the science festival "Mērsraga ābols", in the framework of the Latvian Council of Science activity "Zinātnes burbulis", with demonstrations on light spectra (15.08.2026, Mērsrags)
• Participation at Europhysics Conference on the Atomic and Molecular Physics of Ionized Gases (ESCAMPIG) with a poster presentation ‘Assessment of indium-argon inductively coupled plasma spectral characteristics’, July 7-11, 2026, Funchal, Portugal
• Participation to the UL 84th International scientific conference with a poster presentation ‘Preliminary study of Mercury concentrations in rainwater’ (14.-16.04.2026), Riga, Latvia
• Excursion at the laboratory for teachers (04.02.2026)
• Excursion at the laboratory for UL FST students (04.11.2025)
• Poster presentation (as a co-author) Mercury Light Source Optimization for Zeeman Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy at the international conference PIERS, Japan, November 5-7, 2025
• Mobility to Temple University in Philadelphia, USA (1.10.2025 – 31.10.2025)
• Researchers' Night 2025 (26.09.2025)
• 36th International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases (ICPIG) - 20-25 July, 2025, Aix en Provence, France. Poster report on first results published in the conference Abstract book
• COST Action CA20137 VOICES event ‘Capacity Building Symposium for Early Carrier Researchers’ Vilnius, Lithuania (03.-04.03.2025)
Insight into publicity events
Researchers' Night 2025 - Do you smell like mercury?
During the event, visitors had the opportunity to see a mercury analyser in action, to determine whether mercury was present in their exhaled air, as well as to learn more about mercury and the importance of measuring its concentration in the environment.
During the demonstrations, the PostDoc project was presented, introducing its objectives and the first results
Mobility to Temple University in Philadelphia, USA (1.10.2025 – 31.10.2025)
The mobility visit took place with the research group on Atoms, Molecules, and Optical Processes, led by Professor A. Marjatta Lyyra at the Department of Physics, Temple University. The visit provided an opportunity to gain insight into the host institution’s theoretical and experimental research activities, to broaden knowledge of optical processes and the practical applications of laser spectroscopy, and to observe ongoing molecular investigations in the laboratory.
As part of the mobility, a presentation was delivered on electrode-less light sources, spectroscopy, and their practical applications in detecting environmental pollution, including the latest results from the PostDoc project
84th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia
Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Anda Ābola participated at the 84th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia under the theme ‘Environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation’ within section ‘Multidisciplinary perspectives on climate change and environmental sustainability’ with a poster ‘Preliminary study of Mercury concentrations in rainwater’
International Conference ESCAMPIG 2026
International Europhysics Conference on the Atomic and Molecular Physics of Ionized Gases (ESCAMPIG) was held 7-11 July 2026 in Funchal (Madeira, Portugal).
At the conference, participants were introduced to spectral studies of indium-containing light sources in a poster "Assessment of indium-argon inductively coupled plasma spectral characteristics".
Science festival "Mērsraga ābols"
Science festival “The Mērsrags Apple” was organised by the Latvian Council of Science (LCS) for Latvian Post-Doc researchers.
As part of the festival, in collaboration with Nataļja Zorina, visitors had the opportunity to explore the activity ‘The Secret Language of Light’, focusing on the spectra of different light sources, how they are obtained, and their further applications, including research on environmental pollution.