Monitoring of fine particle air pollutants at FWS Class 1 air quality areas
Conference
·
OSTI ID:382729
Fine particle samplers have been installed at five FWS wilderness areas, all Class 1 air quality areas. The samplers are designed primarily to measure the fine particles in ambient air responsible for visibility impairment and are part of the national IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) network. Filters in the samplers are analyzed for trace elements, soil elements, sulfur, hydrogen, nitrate, chloride, organic carbon, and inorganic carbon. Several composite parameters are derived from the measured parameters and include sulfate, nitrate, organic mass, light-absorbing carbon, and soil. Data indicate that fine particle concentrations at FWS sites are consistent with geographical trends observed in the national IMPROVE network. For instance, concentrations of most parameters are higher in the eastern US than in the western US, reflecting the pattern or greater air pollution and lower visibility in the east. Of the five FWS sites, Brigantine Wilderness Area experiences the greatest air pollution, receiving polluted air masses from the Ohio Valley and eastern metropolitan areas, including Philadelphia and Washington, DC. As the data record lengthens, attributing air pollution and visibility impairment at the wilderness areas to specific source types and regions will be more accurate.
- OSTI ID:
- 382729
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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