Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Reconciling urban VOC/NOx (volatile organic compounds/NOx) emission inventories with ambient concentration data

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6120240
A review of the current state of emission inventories of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and NOx data compiled for urban areas in the U.S. is presented. The study reveals great differences in the gross-emission magnitudes when compared with corresponding ambient-air concentration data. The VOC emissions data are, in general, shown to be underestimated by factors exceeding 3 or more for most cities. The aggregated emission from urban areas is determined from measurements of excess crosswind and vertically integrated pollutant concentration over background in the urban plume just downwind of the emissions area.
Research Organization:
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Atmospheric Sciences Research Lab.
OSTI ID:
6120240
Report Number(s):
PB-87-202891/XAB; EPA-600/D-87/199
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English