1
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Pan D, Mauzerall DL, Wang R, Guo X, Puchalski M, Guo Y, Song S, Tong D, Sullivan AP, Schichtel BA, Collett JL, Zondlo MA. Regime shift in secondary inorganic aerosol formation and nitrogen deposition in the rural United States. NATURE GEOSCIENCE 2024; 17:617-623. [PMID: 39006244 PMCID: PMC11245397 DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01455-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Secondary inorganic aerosols play an important role in air pollution and climate change, and their formation modulates the atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen (including oxidized and reduced nitrogen), thus impacting the nitrogen cycle. Large-scale and long-term analyses of secondary inorganic aerosol formation based on model simulations have substantial uncertainties. Here we improve constraints on secondary inorganic aerosol formation using decade-long in situ observations of aerosol composition and gaseous precursors from multiple monitoring networks across the United States. We reveal a shift in the secondary inorganic aerosol formation regime in the rural United States between 2011 and 2020, making rural areas less sensitive to changes in ammonia concentrations and shortening the effective atmospheric lifetime of reduced forms of reactive nitrogen. This leads to potential increases in reactive nitrogen deposition near ammonia emission hotspots, with ecosystem impacts warranting further investigation. Ammonia (NH3), a critical but not directly regulated precursor of fine particulate matter in the United States, has been increasingly scrutinized to improve air quality. Our findings, however, show that controlling NH3 became significantly less effective for mitigating fine particulate matter in the rural United States. We highlight the need for more collocated aerosol and precursor observations for better characterization of secondary inorganic aerosols formation in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Pan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Denise L Mauzerall
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
| | - Xuehui Guo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
- Present Address: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA USA
| | - Melissa Puchalski
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation, Washington, DC USA
| | - Yixin Guo
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
- Present Address: Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojie Song
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ambient Air Particulate Matter Pollution Prevention and Control & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Urban Transport Emission Research, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Daniel Tong
- Atmospheric, Oceanic & Earth Sciences Department and Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA USA
| | - Amy P Sullivan
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Bret A Schichtel
- National Park Service, Air Resources Division, Lakewood, CO USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Jeffrey L Collett
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Mark A Zondlo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
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2
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Burns A, Chandler G, Dunham KJ, Carlton AG. Data Gap: Air Quality Networks Miss Air Pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:20718-20725. [PMID: 38032082 PMCID: PMC10720380 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
In the U.S., the agricultural sector is the largest controllable source of several air pollutants, including ammonia (NH3), which is a key precursor to PM2.5 formation. Livestock waste is the dominant contributor to ammonia emissions. In contrast to most controllable air pollutants, satellite records show ammonia mixing ratios are rising. The number of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that generate considerable livestock waste is also increasing. Spatial and temporal trends in USDA-reported animal numbers normalized by county area at medium and large CAFOs provide plausible explanations for patterns in satellite-derived NH3 over the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). The correlation between summertime ammonia derived from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and CAFO animal unit density in 2017 is positive and significant (r = 0.642; p ≈ 0). The temporal changes from 2002 to 2017 in animal unit density and NH3 derived from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are spatially similar. Trends and ambient concentrations of PM2.5 mass in agricultural regions are difficult to assess relative to those of urban population centers given the sparseness of rural monitors in regulatory surface networks. Results suggest that in agricultural areas where ammonia concentrations and animal density are highest, air quality improvement lags behind the national average.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa
M. Burns
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92617, United States
| | - Gabriel Chandler
- Department
of Mathematics and Statistics, Pomona College, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Kira J. Dunham
- Food
and Water Watch, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States
| | - Annmarie G. Carlton
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92617, United States
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3
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Bertagni MB, Socolow RH, Martirez JMP, Carter EA, Greig C, Ju Y, Lieuwen T, Mueller ME, Sundaresan S, Wang R, Zondlo MA, Porporato A. Minimizing the impacts of the ammonia economy on the nitrogen cycle and climate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311728120. [PMID: 37931102 PMCID: PMC10655559 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311728120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3) is an attractive low-carbon fuel and hydrogen carrier. However, losses and inefficiencies across the value chain could result in reactive nitrogen emissions (NH3, NOx, and N2O), negatively impacting air quality, the environment, human health, and climate. A relatively robust ammonia economy (30 EJ/y) could perturb the global nitrogen cycle by up to 65 Mt/y with a 5% nitrogen loss rate, equivalent to 50% of the current global perturbation caused by fertilizers. Moreover, the emission rate of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting molecule, determines whether ammonia combustion has a greenhouse footprint comparable to renewable energy sources or higher than coal (100 to 1,400 gCO2e/kWh). The success of the ammonia economy hence hinges on adopting optimal practices and technologies that minimize reactive nitrogen emissions. We discuss how this constraint should be included in the ongoing broad engineering research to reduce environmental concerns and prevent the lock-in of high-leakage practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo B. Bertagni
- High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Robert H. Socolow
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - John Mark P. Martirez
- Applied Materials and Sustainability Sciences, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ08540
| | - Emily A. Carter
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
- Applied Materials and Sustainability Sciences, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ08540
- Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Chris Greig
- Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Yiguang Ju
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Tim Lieuwen
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA30332-0150
| | - Michael E. Mueller
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Sankaran Sundaresan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Mark A. Zondlo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Amilcare Porporato
- High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
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4
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Cao H, Henze DK, Zhu L, Shephard MW, Cady‐Pereira K, Dammers E, Sitwell M, Heath N, Lonsdale C, Bash JO, Miyazaki K, Flechard C, Fauvel Y, Kruit RW, Feigenspan S, Brümmer C, Schrader F, Twigg MM, Leeson S, Tang YS, Stephens ACM, Braban C, Vincent K, Meier M, Seitler E, Geels C, Ellermann T, Sanocka A, Capps SL. 4D-Var Inversion of European NH 3 Emissions Using CrIS NH 3 Measurements and GEOS-Chem Adjoint With Bi-Directional and Uni-Directional Flux Schemes. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES : JGR 2022; 127:e2021JD035687. [PMID: 35865809 PMCID: PMC9286853 DOI: 10.1029/2021jd035687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We conduct the first 4D-Var inversion of NH3 accounting for NH3 bi-directional flux, using CrIS satellite NH3 observations over Europe in 2016. We find posterior NH3 emissions peak more in springtime than prior emissions at continental to national scales, and annually they are generally smaller than the prior emissions over central Europe, but larger over most of the rest of Europe. Annual posterior anthropogenic NH3 emissions for 25 European Union members (EU25) are 25% higher than the prior emissions and very close (<2% difference) to other inventories. Our posterior annual anthropogenic emissions for EU25, the UK, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are generally 10%-20% smaller than when treating NH3 fluxes as uni-directional emissions, while the monthly regional difference can be up to 34% (Switzerland in July). Compared to monthly mean in-situ observations, our posterior NH3 emissions from both schemes generally improve the magnitude and seasonality of simulated surface NH3 and bulk NH x wet deposition throughout most of Europe, whereas evaluation against hourly measurements at a background site shows the bi-directional scheme better captures observed diurnal variability of surface NH3. This contrast highlights the need for accurately simulating diurnal variability of NH3 in assimilation of sun-synchronous observations and also the potential value of future geostationary satellite observations. Overall, our top-down ammonia emissions can help to examine the effectiveness of air pollution control policies to facilitate future air pollution management, as well as helping us understand the uncertainty in top-down NH3 emissions estimates associated with treatment of NH3 surface exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Liye Zhu
- Sun Yat‐sen UniversityZhuhaiChina
| | | | | | - Enrico Dammers
- Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)Climate Air and Sustainability (CAS)UtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Nicholas Heath
- Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc.LexingtonMAUSA
| | - Chantelle Lonsdale
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental EngineeringUniversity at BuffaloBuffaloNYUSA
| | | | - Kazuyuki Miyazaki
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - Christophe Flechard
- INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment)UMR SASAgrocampus OuestRennesFrance
| | - Yannick Fauvel
- INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment)UMR SASAgrocampus OuestRennesFrance
| | - Roy Wichink Kruit
- National Institute for Public Health and the EnvironmentBilthovenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mario Meier
- Forschungsstelle für UmweltbeobachtungSankt GallenSwitzerland
| | - Eva Seitler
- Forschungsstelle für UmweltbeobachtungSankt GallenSwitzerland
| | - Camilla Geels
- Department of Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Thomas Ellermann
- Department of Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | | | - Shannon L. Capps
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering DepartmentDrexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPAUSAmailto:
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5
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Petrus M, Popa C, Bratu AM. Ammonia Concentration in Ambient Air in a Peri-Urban Area Using a Laser Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Detector. MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15093182. [PMID: 35591515 PMCID: PMC9101576 DOI: 10.3390/ma15093182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Measuring ammonia from the environmental air is a sensitive and prioritized issue due to its harmful effects on humans, ecosystems, and climate. Ammonia is an environmental pollutant that has an important role in forming secondary inorganic aerosols, the main component of fine particulate matter concentrations in the urban atmosphere. Through this study, we present a gas analyzer that utilizes the technique of laser photoacoustic spectroscopy to measure ammonia concentration in three different sites located in Magurele, (44°20'58″ N 26°01'47″ E, 93 m altitude), Romania, from March to August 2021 at the breathing level of 1.5 m above ground. The ammonia concentrations from the ambient air were elevated in summer (mean of 46.03 ± 8.05 ppb (parts per billion)) compared to those measured in spring (18.62 ± 2.92 ppb), which means that atmospheric temperature affects ammonia concentrations. The highest mean ammonia concentrations occurred in August, with an ammonia concentration level of 100.68 ± 11.12 ppb, and the low mean ammonia concentrations occurred in March, with an ammonia level concentration of 0.161 ± 0.03 ppb. The results confirm that meteorological characteristics (i.e., temperature) and motor vehicles are major contributors to the elevated ammonia levels during the monitoring period.
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6
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Hood RR, Shenk GW, Dixon RL, Smith SMC, Ball WP, Bash JO, Batiuk R, Boomer K, Brady DC, Cerco C, Claggett P, de Mutsert K, Easton ZM, Elmore AJ, Friedrichs MAM, Harris LA, Ihde TF, Lacher I, Li L, Linker LC, Miller A, Moriarty J, Noe GB, Onyullo G, Rose K, Skalak K, Tian R, Veith TL, Wainger L, Weller D, Zhang YJ. The Chesapeake Bay Program Modeling System: Overview and Recommendations for Future Development. Ecol Modell 2021; 465:1-109635. [PMID: 34675451 PMCID: PMC8525429 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest, most productive, and most biologically diverse estuary in the continental United States providing crucial habitat and natural resources for culturally and economically important species. Pressures from human population growth and associated development and agricultural intensification have led to excessive nutrient and sediment inputs entering the Bay, negatively affecting the health of the Bay ecosystem and the economic services it provides. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is a unique program formally created in 1983 as a multi-stakeholder partnership to guide and foster restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Since its inception, the CBP Partnership has been developing, updating, and applying a complex linked modeling system of watershed, airshed, and estuary models as a planning tool to inform strategic management decisions and Bay restoration efforts. This paper provides a description of the 2017 CBP Modeling System and the higher trophic level models developed by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, along with specific recommendations that emerged from a 2018 workshop designed to inform future model development. Recommendations highlight the need for simulation of watershed inputs, conditions, processes, and practices at higher resolution to provide improved information to guide local nutrient and sediment management plans. More explicit and extensive modeling of connectivity between watershed landforms and estuary sub-areas, estuarine hydrodynamics, watershed and estuarine water quality, the estuarine-watershed socioecological system, and living resources will be important to broaden and improve characterization of responses to targeted nutrient and sediment load reductions. Finally, the value and importance of maintaining effective collaborations among jurisdictional managers, scientists, modelers, support staff, and stakeholder communities is emphasized. An open collaborative and transparent process has been a key element of successes to date and is vitally important as the CBP Partnership moves forward with modeling system improvements that help stakeholders evolve new knowledge, improve management strategies, and better communicate outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raleigh R Hood
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Gary W Shenk
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Rachel L Dixon
- Chesapeake Research Consortium, 645 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Sean M C Smith
- University of Maine, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, Bryand Global Science Center, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - William P Ball
- Chesapeake Research Consortium, 645 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Jesse O Bash
- Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Rich Batiuk
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Kathy Boomer
- The Nature Conservancy, 114 South Washington Street, Easton, MD 21601, USA
| | - Damian C Brady
- Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, 193 Clarks Cove Rd, Walpole, ME 04573, USA
| | - Carl Cerco
- #U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, P.O. Box 631, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
| | - Peter Claggett
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Kim de Mutsert
- University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 703 East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA
| | | | - Andrew J Elmore
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 301 Braddock Rd, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA
| | - Marjorie A M Friedrichs
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1375 Greate Rd, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
| | - Lora A Harris
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - Thomas F Ihde
- Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory, Morgan State University, 10545 Mackall Road, St. Leonard, MD 20685, USA
| | - Iara Lacher
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630 USA
| | - Li Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lewis C Linker
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Andrew Miller
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Julia Moriarty
- Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309, USA
| | - Gregory B Noe
- Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS926A, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - George Onyullo
- District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, 1200 First Street NE, Washington DC 20002, USA
| | - Kenneth Rose
- Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 775, Cambridge, MD 21613, USA
| | - Katie Skalak
- National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - Richard Tian
- USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA
| | - Tamie L Veith
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, Building 3702, Curtin Road, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa Wainger
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - Donald Weller
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Yinglong Joseph Zhang
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, 1375 Greate Rd, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA
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7
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Kelly JT, Jang C, Zhu Y, Long S, Xing J, Wang S, Murphy BN, Pye HOT. Predicting the Nonlinear Response of PM 2.5 and Ozone to Precursor Emission Changes with a Response Surface Model. ATMOSPHERE 2021; 12:1-1044. [PMID: 34567797 PMCID: PMC8459679 DOI: 10.3390/atmos12081044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Reducing PM2.5 and ozone concentrations is important to protect human health and the environment. Chemical transport models, such as the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, are valuable tools for exploring policy options for improving air quality but are computationally expensive. Here, we statistically fit an efficient polynomial function in a response surface model (pf-RSM) to CMAQ simulations over the eastern U.S. for January and July 2016. The pf-RSM predictions were evaluated using out-of-sample CMAQ simulations and used to examine the nonlinear response of air quality to emission changes. Predictions of the pf-RSM are in good agreement with the out-of-sample CMAQ simulations, with some exceptions for cases with anthropogenic emission reductions approaching 100%. NOX emission reductions were more effective for reducing PM2.5 and ozone concentrations than SO2, NH3, or traditional VOC emission reductions. NH3 emission reductions effectively reduced nitrate concentrations in January but increased secondary organic aerosol (SOA) concentrations in July. More work is needed on SOA formation under conditions of low NH3 emissions to verify the responses of SOA to NH3 emission changes predicted here. Overall, the pf-RSM performs well in the eastern U.S., but next-generation RSMs based on deep learning may be needed to meet the computational requirements of typical regulatory applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T. Kelly
- Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA
| | - Carey Jang
- Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA
| | - Yun Zhu
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shicheng Long
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jia Xing
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Benjamin N. Murphy
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA
| | - Havala O. T. Pye
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27711, USA
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8
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Pan D, Benedict KB, Golston LM, Wang R, Collett JL, Tao L, Sun K, Guo X, Ham J, Prenni AJ, Schichtel BA, Mikoviny T, Müller M, Wisthaler A, Zondlo MA. Ammonia Dry Deposition in an Alpine Ecosystem Traced to Agricultural Emission Hotpots. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:7776-7785. [PMID: 34061518 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Elevated reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition is a concern for alpine ecosystems, and dry NH3 deposition is a key contributor. Understanding how emission hotspots impact downwind ecosystems through dry NH3 deposition provides opportunities for effective mitigation. However, direct NH3 flux measurements with sufficient temporal resolution to quantify such events are rare. Here, we measured NH3 fluxes at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) during two summers and analyzed transport events from upwind agricultural and urban sources in northeastern Colorado. We deployed open-path NH3 sensors on a mobile laboratory and an eddy covariance tower to measure NH3 concentrations and fluxes. Our spatial sampling illustrated an upslope event that transported NH3 emissions from the hotspot to RMNP. Observed NH3 deposition was significantly higher when backtrajectories passed through only the agricultural region (7.9 ng m-2 s-1) versus only the urban area (1.0 ng m-2 s-1) and both urban and agricultural areas (2.7 ng m-2 s-1). Cumulative NH3 fluxes were calculated using observed, bidirectional modeled, and gap-filled fluxes. More than 40% of the total dry NH3 deposition occurred when air masses were traced back to agricultural source regions. More generally, we identified that 10 (25) more national parks in the U.S. are within 100 (200) km of an NH3 hotspot, and more observations are needed to quantify the impacts of these hotspots on dry NH3 deposition in these regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Pan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Katherine B Benedict
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Levi M Golston
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Jeffrey L Collett
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Lei Tao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Kang Sun
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
- Research and Education in Energy, Environment and Water (RENEW) Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Xuehui Guo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
| | - Jay Ham
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, United States
| | - Anthony J Prenni
- Air Resources Division, National Park Service, Lakewood, Colorado 80235, United States
| | - Bret A Schichtel
- Air Resources Division, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, United States
| | - Tomas Mikoviny
- Chemistry and Dynamics Branch, Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23666, United States
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Oslo 0315, Norway
| | - Markus Müller
- Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Armin Wisthaler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Oslo 0315, Norway
- Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Mark A Zondlo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton 08544, New Jersey, United States
- Center for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environmental, NSF-ERC, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, United States
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