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Naimie LE, Sullivan AP, Benedict KB, Prenni AJ, Sive BC, Schichtel BA, Fischer EV, Pollack I, Collett J. PM 2.5 in Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Composition, sources, and visibility impacts. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2022; 72:1201-1218. [PMID: 35605169 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2022.2081634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico is adjacent to the Permian Basin, one of the most productive oil and gas regions in the country. The 2019 Carlsbad Caverns Air Quality Study (CarCavAQS) was designed to examine the influence of regional sources, including urban emissions, oil and gas development, wildfires, and soil dust on air quality in the park. Field measurements of aerosols, trace gases, and deposition were conducted from 25 July through 5 September 2019. Here, we focus on observations of fine particles and key trace gas precursors to understand the important contributing species and their sources and associated impacts on haze. Key gases measured included aerosol precursors, nitric acid and ammonia, and oil and gas tracer, methane. High-time resolution (6-min) PM2.5 mass ranged up to 31.8 µg m-3, with an average of 7.67 µg m-3. The main inorganic ion contributors were sulfate (avg 1.3 µg m-3), ammonium (0.30 µg m-3), calcium (Ca2+) (0.22 µg m-3), nitrate (0.16 µg m-3), and sodium (0.057 µg m-3). The WSOC concentration averaged 1.2 µg C m-3. Sharp spikes were observed in Ca2+, consistent with local dust generation and transport. Ion balance analysis and abundant nitric acid suggest PM2.5 nitrate often reflected reaction between nitric acid and sea salt, forming sodium nitrate, and between nitric acid and soil dust containing calcium carbonate, forming calcium nitrate. Sulfate and soil dust are the major contributors to modeled light extinction in the 24-hr average daily IMPROVE observations. Higher time resolution data revealed a maximum 1-hr extinction value of 90 Mm-1 (excluding coarse aerosol) and included periods of significant light extinction from BC as well as sulfate and soil dust. Residence time analysis indicated enrichment of sulfate, BC, and methane during periods of transport from the southeast, the direction of greatest abundance of oil and gas development.Implications: Rapid development of U.S. oil and gas resources raises concerns about potential impacts on air quality in National Parks. Measurements in Carlsbad Caverns National Park provide new insight into impacts of unconventional oil and gas development and other sources on visual air quality in the park. Major contributors to visibility impairment include sulfate, soil dust (often reacted with nitric acid), and black carbon. The worst periods of visibility and highest concentrations of many aerosol components were observed during transport from the southeast, a region of dense Permian Basin oil and gas development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lillian E Naimie
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Amy P Sullivan
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - K B Benedict
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Anthony J Prenni
- National Park Service Air Resource Division, Lakewood, CO, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - B C Sive
- National Park Service Air Resource Division, Lakewood, CO, USA
| | - Bret A Schichtel
- National Park Service Air Resource Division, Lakewood, CO, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Emily V Fischer
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Ilana Pollack
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jeffrey Collett
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Lee JY, Peterson PK, Vear LR, Cook RD, Sullivan AP, Smith E, Hawkins LN, Olson NE, Hems R, Snyder PK, Pratt KA. Wildfire Smoke Influence on Cloud Water Chemical Composition at Whiteface Mountain, New York. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES : JGR 2022; 127:e2022JD037177. [PMID: 36590830 PMCID: PMC9787799 DOI: 10.1029/2022jd037177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires significantly impact air quality and climate, including through the production of aerosols that can nucleate cloud droplets and participate in aqueous-phase reactions. Cloud water was collected during the summer months (June-September) of 2010-2017 at Whiteface Mountain, New York and examined for biomass burning influence. Cloud water samples were classified by their smoke influence based on backward air mass trajectories and satellite-detected smoke. A total of 1,338 cloud water samples collected over 485 days were classified by their probability of smoke influence, with 49% of these days categorized as having moderate to high probability of smoke influence. Carbon monoxide and ozone levels were enhanced during smoke influenced days at the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Smoke-influenced cloud water samples were characterized by enhanced concentrations of potassium, sulfate, ammonium, and total organic carbon, compared to samples lacking identified influence. Five cloud water samples were examined further for the presence of dissolved organic compounds, insoluble particles, and light-absorbing components. The five selected cloud water samples contained the biomass burning tracer levoglucosan at 0.02-0.09 μM. Samples influenced by air masses that remained aloft, above the boundary layer during transport, had lower insoluble particle concentrations, larger insoluble particle diameters, and larger oxalate:sulfate ratios, suggesting cloud processing had occurred. These findings highlight the influence that local and long-range transported smoke have on cloud water composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamy Y. Lee
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | - Peter K. Peterson
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
- Now at Department of ChemistryWhittier CollegeWhittierCAUSA
| | - Logan R. Vear
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | - Ryan D. Cook
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | - Amy P. Sullivan
- Department of Atmospheric ScienceColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Ellie Smith
- Department of ChemistryHarvey Mudd CollegeClaremontCAUSA
| | | | | | - Rachel Hems
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | | | - Kerri A. Pratt
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
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Source Identification of PM2.5 during a Smoke Haze Period in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13071149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Open biomass burning (BB) has contributed severely to the ambient levels of particulate matter of less than 2.5 μm diameter (PM2.5) in upper northern Thailand over the last decade. Some methods have been reported to identify the sources of burning using chemical compositions, i.e., ions, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. However, recent advances in nuclear techniques have been limited in use due to their specific instrumentation. The aims of this study were to investigate the sources of ambient PM2.5 in Chiang Mai city using stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotopes (δ15N). The mean concentrations of total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) in PM2.5 were 12.2 ± 5.42 and 1.91 ± 1.07 μg/m3, respectively, whereas δ13C and δ15N PM2.5 were −26.1 ± 0.77‰ and 10.3 ± 2.86‰, respectively. This isotopic analysis confirmed that biomass burning was the source of PM2.5 and that C3 and C4 plants contributed about 74% and 26%, respectively. These study results confirm that the stable isotope is an important tool in identifying the sources of aerosols.
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Patil S, Rohrer J. A fast, single column high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection method for determination of saccharides in atmospheric aerosol samples. J Sep Sci 2022; 45:3422-3430. [PMID: 35839084 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202100842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Saccharides, especially anhydro sugars present in atmospheric aerosols, can be used as tracers to track sources of atmospheric aerosol. High-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection is a commonly used technique for determining these saccharides, but the reported methods suffer from three drawbacks. One, to achieve separation of the complete set of atmospheric saccharides, run times are very long, typically longer than 60 minutes. Two, some methods require two columns to achieve the desired separation. Finally, in an era when electrolytic eluent preparation allows for excellent precision and accuracy, these methods require manually prepared eluents, which can lead to separation inconsistency for closely eluting analytes. These drawbacks make existing methods difficult to automate. To address this issue, we developed a fast method that uses only a single column for separation, and electrolytically generated eluent that resolves 12 key atmospheric aerosol saccharides in 20 minutes. The resolved saccharides include anhydro sugars (levoglucosan, galactosan, and mannosan), sugar alcohols (erythritol, xylitol, and mannitol), and mono-/disaccharides (arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, fructose, and sucrose). To our knowledge this report is the first instance of achieving such significant reduction in run time with good resolution for this set of saccharides. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Patil
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA
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A Quantitative Method to Measure and Speciate Amines in Ambient Aerosol Samples. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11080808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ambient reactive nitrogen is a mix of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic compounds. These various compounds are found in both aerosol- and gas-phases with oxidized and reduced forms of nitrogen. Aerosol-phase reduced nitrogen is predominately thought to include ammonium and amines. In ambient samples, the ammonium concentration is routinely determined, but the contribution of amines is not. We developed a method to discretely measure amines from ambient aerosol samples. It employs ion chromatography using a Thermo Scientific IonPac Dionex CS-19 column with conductivity detection and a three-step separation using a methanesulfonic acid eluent. This method allows for the quantification of 18 different amines, including the series of methylamines and the different isomers of butylamine. Almost all amines quantifiable by this technique were measured regularly when applying this method to ambient filter samples collected in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and Greeley, CO. The sum of the amines was ~0.02 µg m−3 at both sites. This increased to 0.04 and 0.09 µg m−3 at RMNP and Greeley, respectively, at the same time they were impacted by smoke. Analysis of separate, fresh biomass burning source samples, however, suggests that smoke is likely a minor emission source of amines in most environments.
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Assessment of Ambient Air Toxics and Wood Smoke Pollution among Communities in Sacramento County. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17031080. [PMID: 32046291 PMCID: PMC7037835 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17031080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ambient air monitoring and phone survey data were collected in three environmental justice (EJ) and three non-EJ communities in Sacramento County during winter 2016–2017 to understand the differences in air toxics and in wood smoke pollution among communities. Concentrations of six hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and black carbon (BC) from fossil fuel (BCff) were significantly higher at EJ communities versus non-EJ communities. BC from wood burning (BCwb) was significantly higher at non-EJ communities. Correlation analysis indicated that the six HAPs were predominantly from fossil fuel combustion sources, not from wood burning. The HAPs were moderately variable across sites (coefficient of divergence (COD) range of 0.07 for carbon tetrachloride to 0.28 for m- and p-xylenes), while BCff and BCwb were highly variable (COD values of 0.46 and 0.50). The BCwb was well correlated with levoglucosan (R2 of 0.68 to 0.95), indicating that BCwb was a robust indicator for wood burning. At the two permanent monitoring sites, wood burning comprised 29–39% of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on nights when PM2.5 concentrations were forecasted to be high. Phone survey data were consistent with study measurements; the only significant difference in the survey results among communities were that non-EJ residents burn with indoor devices more often than EJ residents.
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Landis MS, Edgerton ES, White EM, Wentworth GR, Sullivan AP, Dillner AM. The impact of the 2016 Fort McMurray Horse River Wildfire on ambient air pollution levels in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 618:1665-1676. [PMID: 29102183 PMCID: PMC6084447 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
An unprecedented wildfire impacted the northern Alberta city of Fort McMurray in May 2016 causing a mandatory city wide evacuation and the loss of 2,400 homes and commercial structures. A two-hectare wildfire was discovered on May 1, grew to ~157,000ha by May 5, and continued to burn an estimated ~590,000ha by June 13. A comprehensive air monitoring network operated by the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) in and around Fort McMurray provided essential health-related real-time air quality data to firefighters during the emergency, and provided a rare opportunity to elucidate the impact of gaseous and particulate matter emissions on near-field communities and regional air pollution concentrations. The WBEA network recorded 188 fire-related exceedances of 1-hr and 24-hr Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives. Two air monitoring sites within Fort McMurray recorded mean/maximum 1-hr PM2.5 concentrations of 291/5229μgm-3 (AMS-6) and 293/3259μgm-3 (AMS-7) during fire impact periods. High correlations (r2=0.83-0.97) between biomass combustion related gases (carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), total hydrocarbons (THC), total reduced sulfur (TRS), ammonia) and PM2.5 were observed at the sites. Filter-based 24-hr integrated PM2.5 samples collected every 6 days showed maximum concentrations of 267μgm-3 (AMS-6) and 394μgm-3 (AMS-7). Normalized excess emission ratios relative to CO were 149.87±3.37μgm-3ppm-1 (PM2.5), 0.274±0.002ppmppm-1 (THC), 0.169±0.001ppmppm-1 (NMHC), 0.104±0.001ppmppm-1 (CH4), 0.694±0.007ppbppm-1 (TRS), 0.519±0.040ppbppm-1 (SO2), 0.412±0.045ppbppm-1 (NO), 1.968±0.053ppbppm-1 (NO2), and 2.337±0.077ppbppm-1 (NOX). A subset of PM2.5 filter samples was analyzed for trace elements, major ions, organic carbon, elemental carbon, and carbohydrates. Sample mass reconstruction and fire specific emission profiles are presented and discussed. Potential fire-related photometric ozone instrument positive interferences were observed and were positively correlated with NO and NMHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Landis
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
| | | | | | - Gregory R Wentworth
- Alberta Environment and Parks, Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Sullivan AP, Frank N, Onstad G, Simpson CD, Collett JL. Application of high-performance anion-exchange chromatography–pulsed amperometric detection for measuring carbohydrates in routine daily filter samples collected by a national network: 1. Determination of the impact of biomass burning in the upper Midwest. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2010jd014166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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