Issue 10 | July/August 2018 | $9.95
Featured Department Maryland Heights Canine Unit
2018
K9 SWAT Deployment Bakersfield Debrief
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Detection Training SCENT CONES AND HOW SCENT MOVES By Dondi Hydrick
H
ow much do you really know and understand about scent? How and why does it act in the manner it does? Why does it travel to certain areas, and how and why do hot and cold temperatures affect it? We all know that hot air rises and cold air sinks, and that this is what happens to scent. But do you really understand why and what causes this to happen? Do you really know what a scent cone looks like? Let’s start with why hot air rises and cold air sinks. This will open the door for how and why temperature affects scent, and not just in the manner it moves. First, we must understand what the kinetic theory of matter is and how it applies. The main points of this theory are: (1) all matter consists of molecules and atoms; (2) these molecules and atoms are constantly in motion; and (3) as the temperature increases, the speed of the particles, and therefore the energy of the matter, increases.
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K9 photos by Kim Carino Photography kimcarinophotography.com July/August 2018 | 19
“Stability or instability can be determined by comparing surface temperature with the temperature in the air. The greater the temperature difference, the more unstable the air and the greater the turbulence.”
Scent is detected when airborne molecules stimulate olfactory receptor cells. If a substance is unstable, it will give off molecules, or odorants. Stable materials like glass don’t have a smell because they don’t give off molecules. Temperature and humidity affect scent because they increase molecular instability. A substance’s solubility affects its scent. Substances that dissolve in water or fatty tissues usually give off an intense odor. Scent is dispersed in the same manner as smoke and other aerosols emanating from a continuous source. Smoke is defined as a colloid. Colloids are mixtures whose particles are larger than the size of a molecule but smaller than particles that can be seen with the naked eye. It is a suspension of solid and or liquid particles in the air. The particles in smoke are so fine they behave like gases. The force due to gravity is not large enough to allow the particles to settle and their surface charge causes them to repel one another so they cannot coagulate into larger particles. In addition, collisions with high-speed molecules of atmospheric gases keep them active. Thus, we know that anything that produces a scent (odor) must emit either vapors or particles or both, as well as that each of these have energy that causes them to move. This being so, it also proves that these particles increase or decrease their speed and interaction with each other based on temperature. With an increase in temperature, the particles tend to collide and move faster until some of the particles escape into the atmosphere. The opposite happens when they are exposed to cold.
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HOT
Convection is the cause of the movement of air by way of heat transfer. In convection, the warmer particles transfer their energy to the cooler particles as they move in a circular pattern called a “convection current.” As one area warms, its air rises which causes the cooler air to move in where the warm air had been; then as the warm air cools, it moves out and away from the warm updraft of air. This is the reason for continual winds along the coast.
Climatic or convectional turbulence is caused by atmospheric instability which is manipulated by major air masses, solar radiation, and resulting air temperature variance. Stability or instability can be determined by comparing surface temperature with the temperature in the air. The greater the temperature difference, the more unstable the air and the greater the turbulence.
To demonstrate what a scent cone looks like and how it acts, I used small smoke generators. In photo A, you can see the effect the board on the top of the desk has on the odor (orange smoke). Since the odor cannot go through or under the object, it has only the option of going over it. Also, note the swirling pattern on the downwind side of the board.
A
As air moves, any scent molecules in the air are moved along with it. As the scent particles are pushed and pulled or bounced around (warmth) or held closer together (cool), they move away from their source. When the source is contained within a cabinet, box or other container, it must first fill the container before it can seep out. Whether or not the source is contained within a vessel or exposed to the open air, it will and must move away from that location (provided that location is not at or near absolute zero in temperature). We refer to this movement as a scent cone. We have been taught to think of a scent cone as a rough cone shape with the source being at the apex and widening as it expands. However, this is not entirely accurate.
B1
B2
Before any odor can be affected by outside air current, it must fill whatever is containing it. Only when it starts to seep out can it be carried or moved by any wind or air currents (as in photos B1 and B2). It does not matter if the container is a cabinet, a vehicle interior or has an open side.
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C1
C2
D1
E1
D2
E2
F
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K9s pictured were participating in a CT State Police K9 training program.
In pictures C1 and C2, the source of the odor is located below the door. The main concentration of odor (as seen by the yellow smoke) seeps out from the bottom with a lesser quantity seeping out at the top of the door seam. The air current moves the odor along the bottom of the door seam, but as the air current changes and as more odor is emitted, the location changes slightly. Pictures D1 and D2 show that the wheel well contains the source. As the wheel well reaches its capacity, the odor (white smoke) seeps out and is affected by the air current. As more escapes the wheel well, it is carried along the body of the truck and into the surrounding area. The photos of the metal tool box (E1 and E2) show the odor escaping. The odor (white smoke), as it escapes, travels with the air current away from the tool box. In picture F, it’s easy to identify where the source of the odor is (underneath the cabinet) as well as where the strongest odor is. Yet you can also see where the odor is less abundant. Dogs that tend to fringe sit often give their indications
much further away. They may tend to indicate at the end of the cabinet where there is less odor and not closer to the source, nearer the cabinet where the deeper purple color shows. So now you have seen an approximation of what scent cones are and a basic understanding of why and how they can travel. We can now use this knowledge to examine scent movement and how it affects tracking/trailing dogs and patrol dogs used to locate hidden subjects inside buildings.
Dondi Hydrick has over 35 years of experience training dogs and handlers for SAR, police, and military special operations. He has conducted training both within the U.S. and several foreign countries. Dondi is a former sheriff’s deputy and was the Master K9 Trainer for 3/75th Ranger Battalion later becoming the Master K9 Trainer for 75th Ranger Regiment. Currently, he is the owner and chief trainer of K9 Dog Center USA located in Pine Mountain, GA. He conducts K9 training and seminars worldwide. Email: oldk9man@gmail.com
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