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DOAS URBAN POLLUTION MEASUREMENTS
Citation:
Stevens, R. AND T. Vossler. DOAS URBAN POLLUTION MEASUREMENTS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-91/044 (NTIS PB91176966), 1991.
Description:
During July and August of 1990, a differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS) made by OPSIS Inc. was used to measure gaseous air pollutants over three separate open paths in Atlanta, GA. ver path 1 (1099 m) and path 2 (1824 m), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide NO2), nitrous acid (HNO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), benzene, toluene, and o-xylene ere monitored. itric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH3) were monitored over path 3 (143 m). he data quality and data capture depended on the compound being measured and the path over which it was measured. enzene, toluene, and o-xylene concentration measured over path 2, which crossed over an interstate highway, were higher than concentrations measured over path 1, implicating emissions from vehicles on the highway as a significant source of the compound. ederal Reference Method (FRM) instruments and a gas chromatograph (GC) were located near the DOAS light receivers and operated concurrently. Correlation coefficients greater than 0.85 were obtained between the DOAS and RM's for O3, NO2, and NO; however, there was a difference between the main value obtained by the two methods for O3 and NO. orrelation coefficients of about 0.66 were obtained between the DOAS and GC measurements of benzene ind o-xylene. owever, the correlation coefficient between the DOAS and GC measurements of toluene averaged only 0.15 for the two DOAS measurement paths. he lack of correlation and other factors indicate the possibility of a localized source of toluene near the GC.
