skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Study of air-pollution mixing heights and atmospheric turbulence over New York City - data report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6380614

A major factor that affects the variation of ground-level concentration of air pollutants such as particulates, sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and photochemical oxidants is the mixing height in the earth's atmosphere close to the surface. This is the layer within which processes associated with the atmospheric turbulence generated by the surface roughness and heating dominate. In order to investigate the variation of this mixing height and associated turbulence over New York City, an experiment was performed over the Barney building of New York University located in lower Manhattan. The mixing height was measured continuously with an acoustic sounder for 10 days from the roof of the Barney building estimated to be 50m above the street level. Several meteorological instruments were used on a 16m tower located on the roof of this building to study other atmospheric variables in the mixed layer. A description is given of the instruments and the data acquisition system used in the experiment. The data reveal significant heights of the mixed layer (200 to 400m) during nocturnal conditions which are probably due to urban heat island effects. Horizontal turbulence levels vary between 10 and 20 percent.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
6380614
Report Number(s):
BNL-51625; ON: DE83010624
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English