Relationship between urban and rural sulfate levels

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00022470.1982.10465441· OSTI ID:6428779

Rao, S T; Sistla, G

Aerosol data collected using manual dichotomous samplers in the Niagara Frontier region are utilized. It was found that a major portion of the observed sulfate occurred in the FINE (< 3.5 ..mu..m) fraction at both urban and rural sites, and constituted about 25% of the observed FINE particulate mass. Linear regression analysis showed a strong relationship between the urban and rural sulfate levels in the FINE mode while no such relationship was evident between the two masses of the FINE fraction. An examination of the synoptic situation revealed that high concentrations of sulfate at both urban and rural sites occurred under persistent south-westerly flow, and low concentrations at both locations occurred under persistent northerly flow conditions. Extreme value analysis of sulfate concentrations indicated that the probability associated with the highest measured concentration is about the same for both urban and rural locations. Since the rural site is generally upwind of the Niagara Frontier urban area and is far removed from any known sources, these results suggest that a major portion of the sulfate burden in western New York could be of nonlocal origin.

• Research Organization: New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany
• OSTI ID: 6428779
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States) Vol. 32:6; ISSN JPCAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXTREME-VALUE PROBLEMS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICS
METEOROLOGY
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
POLLUTION
POLLUTION SOURCES
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
RURAL AREAS
SIZE
SOLS
STATISTICS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
URBAN AREAS