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Particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and select volatile organic compounds during a winter sampling period in Logan, Utah, USA
Citation:
Mukerjee, S., L. Smith, R. Long, W. Lonneman, S. Kaushik, M. Colon, K. Oliver, AND D. Whitaker. Particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and select volatile organic compounds during a winter sampling period in Logan, Utah, USA. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION. Air & Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA, 69(6):778-788, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2019.1587553
Impact/Purpose:
The Cache Valley in Idaho and Utah has been designated a PM2.5 non-attainment area which has been attributed to air pollution buildup during winter stagnation events. To inform state implementation plans for PM2.5 in Cache Valley and other PM2.5 non-attainment areas in Utah, a state and multi-agency federal research effort known as the UWFPS was conducted in winter 2017. As part of the UWFPS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) measured ground-based PM species and their precursors, VOCs and meteorology in Logan, Utah. Results reported here from the EPA study in Logan provide additional understanding of wintertime air pollution conditions and possible sources of PM and gaseous pollutants as well as being useful for future PM control strategies in this area.
Description:
Particulate matter mass (PM), trace gaseous pollutants, and select volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with meteorological variables were measured in Logan, Utah (Cache Valley) for > 4-weeks during winter 2017 as part of the Utah Winter Fine Particle Study (UWFPS). Higher PM levels for short time periods and lower ozone (O3) levels were present due to meteorological and mountain valley conditions. Nitrogenous pollutants were relatively strongly correlated with PM variables. Diurnal cycles of NOx, O3 and fine PM (PM2.5) suggested O3 formation from nitrogen oxides and gradual breakup of the nocturnal boundary layer in the valley. Toluene/benzene and xylenes/benzene ratios and VOC correlations with nitrogenous and PM species were indicative of local traffic sources. Wind sector comparisons suggested pollutant levels were lower when winds were from nearby mountains to the east versus winds from northerly or southerly origins.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and select volatile organic compounds during a winter sampling period in Logan, Utah, USA
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