Visibility and aerosol composition in Houston, Texas

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00102a017· OSTI ID:6589434

Dzubay, T G ^[1]; Stevens, R K; Lewis, C W; Hern, D H; Courtney, W T; Tesch, J W; Mason, M A

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1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC

eelationships between light extinction coefficients, visual range, and aerosol mass and composition were studied in Houston, TX. Light extinction coefficients, measured with a telephotometer and black-box targets, agreed accurately with sums of light scattering and absorption coefficients. The light-scatteing coefficient due to particles in heated air was highly correlated (R = 0.987) with the mass concentration of fine particles (<2.5 ..mu..m), and the ratio of averages was 3.5 m/sup 2/g/sup -1/. Major species in the fine fraction were 18% carbon and 54% sulfate and related cations; the average sulfate was predominantly ammonium sulfate mixed with 19% sulfuric acid during the day and 7% sulfuric acid at night. The coarse fraction (2.5-15 ..mu..m) was alkaline and consisted of 69% crustal matter, 12% carbon, and 7% nitrate. The average daytime light extinction coefficient was apportioned 32% to sulfate and related cations, 17-24% to carbon, 16% to water on particles, 6% to Rayleigh scattering, 5% to nitrogen dioxide, and 13 +/- 7% to unmeasured matter.

• OSTI ID: 6589434
• Journal Information: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 16:8; ISSN ESTHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
CARBON
CATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION VI
IONS
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
POLLUTION
SOLS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TEXAS
USA
VISIBILITY