Assessment of aerosol transport into the Mojave Desert. Final report

Technical Report · Sat Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6284042

Myrup, L O; Flocchini, R G

The objective of the project was to assess the transport of atmospheric aerosols into the Mojave Desert from the San Joaquin Valley (via Techachapi Pass), Los Angeles (via Soledad Canyon), and San Bernadino (via Cajon Pass). The authors conducted a field study in summer, 1983 to measure the concentrations of aerosols and the meteorology at these three sites. They measured particles in five size ranges with a six-hour time resolution, hourly average wind speed and direction, temperature, and humidity at two meters and ten meters above ground, upper air winds (pibals) at four-hour intervals, and boundary layer structure with continuous acoustic sounder. The upper air data were not used in the analysis. The authors developed two new analytical methods for the data set, the 8-sector binary method and the shaped acceptance window method. Both methods proved useful in analyzing the data. As expected, there is a net transport of aerosol from the population centers to the Mojave Desert at each of the three passes studied. Lead and sulfur aerosol transport was highest at night, and was primarily from the direction of the passes. Crustal elements did not show a directional influence, so most likely were generated locally from wind-dust in the Mojave Desert.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Davis (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6284042
• Report Number(s): PB-89-145379/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
ARID LANDS
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
CALIFORNIA
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION IX
HUMIDITY
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
PROGRESS REPORT
SOLS
USA