Abstract |
Aerometric data collected in the Los Angeles Basin during the Fall of 1968 was analyzed to study the relationships among the chemical and meteorological parameters measured. Emphasis was placed on defining the formation rates of the products of atmospheric chemical and photochemical reactions, especially nitrogen dioxide and ozone. The study was concentrated on the empirical relationships which connect the outputs of the atmospheric system, i.e. the photochemical products, to the inputs represented by pollutant emissions and ultraviolet radiation. The concentrations of many contaminants followed similar diurnal patterns. Airborne measurements revealed much information about the three-dimensional aspects of the Los Angeles Basin. The vertical profiles showed that the base of the temperature inversion was at an approximate altitude of 700 feet above sea level during the morning. The work dealing with improvement of methods applicable to atmospheric analysis concentrated on techniques for atmospheric nitrogen compounds, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and oxidants. Among the achievements of this effort were automation of the electron capture chromatograph used for peroxyacetyl nitrate and development of an improved technique and calibration standard for use with it. The C1 to C10 hydrocarbon analysis was also improved by revising the chromatograph flow system, developing a purifier for the carrier gas and identifying additional chromtographic peaks. (Author) |