Abstract

            The aim of this experiment was to compare the concentration of carbon dioxide in heavily trafficked study spaces at the California State University, Sacramento Campus, namely the Library and the Academic Information Resource Center (AIRC). Data were collected between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:00 am. The AIRC had significantly higher CO2 concentrations (p=<0.0001) compared to the library. Floor levels had a significant difference in CO2 concentration (p=0.0019) and also the interaction between buildings and floors was significant (p=0.0014). The significant difference in CO2 concentration may be due to a variety of reasons such as area of the buildings, student density, time of day, and ventilation systems. Future studies need to account for these parameters to truly understand the reason for these elevated carbon dioxide levels.