Study of summer midday low-visibility events in the Los Angeles area

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5520465

Larson, S M

The reduction of visibility due to air pollutants in the Los Angeles atmosphere can be severe. During summer midday periods, visibility can be reduced to less than a few kilometers. A five-site air monitoring network operated during the summer of 1984 provided data needed to characterize the summer midday visibility problem in the Los Angeles area. Light scattering and absorption by fine aerosol particles was found to account for more than 80% of the light extinction at the five sites studied. Carbonaceous aerosols and sulfates were responsible for approximately half of that fine aerosol burden. Since carbonaceous aerosol is the largest single contributor to fine particle concentrations in the Los Angeles atmosphere, pollutant abatement programs directed at visibility improvement must consider the reduction of primary carbon particle concentrations. The effects on visibility of strategies that have been proposed for reducing the emissions of primary carbon particles are examined. It is estimated that the mean light extinction coefficient in the Los Angeles area atmosphere could be reduced by 8% to 15% by means of carbon particle emission controls costing $80.4 {times} 10{sup 6} year{sup {minus}1}. Controls on other emissions would further improve local visibility.

• Research Organization: California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5520465
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ABSORPTION
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
CALIFORNIA
CARBON
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION IX
LIGHT SCATTERING
LOS ANGELES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
SCATTERING
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
USA
VARIATIONS
VISIBILITY