Air pollution source identification

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1975

OSTI ID:7358716

Fordyce, J S

The techniques available for source identification are reviewed: remote sensing, injected tracers, and pollutants themselves as tracers. The use of the large number of trace elements in the ambient airborne particulate matter as a practical means of identifying sources is discussed. Trace constituents are determined by sensitive, inexpensive, nondestructive, multielement analytical methods such as instrumental neutron activation and charged particle x-ray fluorescence. The application to a large data set of pairwise correlation, the more advanced pattern recognition-cluster analysis approach with and without training sets, enrichment factors, and pollutant concentration rose displays for each element is described. It is shown that elemental constituents are related to specific source types: earth crustal, automotive, metallurgical, and more specific industries. A field-ready source identification system based on time and wind direction resolved sampling is described. (auth)

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, Ohio (USA). Lewis Research Center
• OSTI ID: 7358716
• Report Number(s): N-75-21831; NASA-TM-X-71704; E-8313
• Resource Relation: Conference: Sources and emissions workshop, Argonne, IL (USA), 25 Mar 1975
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL ACTIVATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FLUORESCENCE
INDUSTRY
NEUTRONS
PARTICLES
TRACE AMOUNTS
WIND
BARYONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
LUMINESCENCE
NUCLEONS
POLLUTION
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)