Investigations of Factors Determining the Occurrence of Ozone and Fine Particles in Northeastern USA
Document ID: 140
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Research Laboratory,University Park, PA, U.S.A.
Presented: Specialty Conference: Measurement of Toxic and Related Air Pollutants
Cary. North Carolina, September 1-3, 1998
Abstract
An investigation which concentrates on the atmospheric pollution in an urban region, where the fine particle concentrations and ozone concentration levels are frequently coupled during pollution events, has been undertaken by a consortium of university investigators and research institutes These investigations in the northeast region are focused on the urban area of Philadelphia, PA The major goal of these air pollution studies is to understand the emission sources and atmospheric processes which cause elevated air pollutant concentrations by carefully planned measurement programs using the most advanced techniques al ground based sites and on aircraft platforms to consider both local and regional scales. Many pollutants exhibit similar spatial and temporal concentration patterns, due to photochemical, meteorological, and other factors, including the fact that they have similar precursors which have similar emissions sources. The links between ozone and fine particle mass are especially striking, but there are several significant gaps in understanding which can limit effective decision making and control strategies The initial research efforts and plans for the three year program are described A first year pilot study has been conducted in July/ August 1998 to prepare the primary measurement site in Philadelphia PA and conduct a series of measurements that can be used to evaluate key instrument performance and assess accuracies of data products.
Keywords: air pollution, ozone, particle matter, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric dynamics, urban environment