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Volatile Organic Compound and Ozone Measurements at Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Impacts of Oil and Natural Gas Operation Emissions on Park Air Quality
Citation:
Sive, B., I. George, K. Benedict, A. Prenni, Y. Zhou, D. Pan, L. Naimie, I. Pollack, E. Fischer, A. Sullivan, W. Luke, A. Marsavin, H. Mao, M. Sarther, B. bret.schichtel@colostate.edu, AND J. Collett, Jr. Volatile Organic Compound and Ozone Measurements at Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Impacts of Oil and Natural Gas Operation Emissions on Park Air Quality. American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, January 08 - 12, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This is an abstract for presentation to be presented by National Park Service project collaborator Barkley Sive at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Denver, CO to be held on January 8-12, 2022. Carlsbad, New Mexico has experienced elevated ozone levels over the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) over the past several years. There are many oil and gas facilities near Carlsbad in the Permian Basin and emissions from these facilities could contribute to these observed ozone levels. There is little information on the concentrations of ozone precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the area around Carlsbad. This presentation discusses two summertime field intensive measurement campaigns, the Carlsbad Caverns Air Quality Study (CarCavAQS) and the Southeastern New Mexico Air Quality Study 2021 (SENMAQS-21), to characterize ozone precursor levels, including and ambient air quality in the Permian Basin. The SENMAQS-21 effort was conducted by National Park Service and Colorado State University researchers in collaboration with US EPA ORD and Region 6 that was funded as part of a Region 6 Regional Applied Research Effort.
Description:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CAVE), located in New Mexico, has recently experienced an increase in both frequency and magnitude of elevated ozone (O3) levels that exceed the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) level of 70 ppb. In 2018, there were 10, 8-hour O3 exceedances at the park, 8 in 2019, 9 in 2020, 15 in 2021, and through July 2022, CAVE has already experienced 16 exceedances, whereas there were none from 2013 through 2017. To address the emerging air quality issues in southeast New Mexico, a series of special studies were conducted. In 2019, the Carlsbad Caverns Air Quality Study (CarCavAQS) was designed to examine the influence of regional sources, including urban emissions, increased oil and gas development, wildfires and other biogenic sources on the park and provide key insight into our understanding of the elevated O3 levels. The special study was conducted from 25 July through 4 September 2019, with a comprehensive suite of gaseous and particulate measurements made at the park. A follow up study, the Southeastern New Mexico Air Quality Study 2021 (SENMAQS-21), was conducted with the U.S. EPA because of the shared interest in better understanding the rapidly changing air quality problems throughout the region, with the intensive portion of this study conducted at CAVE from 22 July through 5 August 2021. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using a continuous real-time gas chromatographic (GC) system during both studies. Whole air canister samples were also collected around the region during both studies to aid in characterizing air mass transport from the source regions to the park. A signature of elevated nonmethane hydrocarbon mixing ratios was observed throughout both study periods. Moreover, the average C2-C5 alkane mixing ratios were approximately an order of magnitude greater than regional background levels. Light alkane mixing ratios at CAVE were similar to various other sites influenced by oil and gas emissions, and the i-pentane to n-pentane ratio clearly demonstrates the widespread impact from oil and gas production emissions throughout the region. Results from the CarCavAQS and SENMAQS-21 studies will be presented, with an emphasis on VOC and O3 distributions. Moreover, as the instantaneous production of O3 is directly related to oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and VOC mixing ratios, the factors affecting the O3-NOx-VOC sensitivity will be discussed and how the VOC/NOx regime is potentially shifting to enhance O3 production in the region.