Open AccessDistinct Ultrafine Particle Profiles Associated with Aircraft and Roadway Traffic
Author(s) -
Elena Austin,
Jianbang Xiang,
Timothy Gould,
Jeffry H. Shirai,
Sukyong Yun,
Michael G. Yost,
Timothy V. Larson,
Edmund Seto
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
environmental science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.851
H-Index - 397
eISSN - 1520-5851
pISSN - 0013-936X
DOI - 10.1021/acs.est.0c05933
Subject(s) - ultrafine particle , environmental science , air quality index , carbon black , particle number , meteorology , air pollution , atmospheric sciences , environmental engineering , geography , engineering , geology , chemistry , chemical engineering , natural rubber , plasma , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
The Mobile ObserVations of Ultrafine Particles study was a two-year project to analyze potential air quality impacts of ultrafine particles (UFPs) from aircraft traffic for communities near an international airport. The study assessed UFP concentrations within 10 miles of the airport in the directions of aircraft flight. Over the course of four seasons, this study conducted a mobile sampling scheme to collect time-resolved measures of UFP, CO 2 , and black carbon (BC) concentrations, as well as UFP size distributions. Primary findings were that UFPs were associated with both roadway traffic and aircraft sources, with the highest UFP counts found on the major roadway (I-5). Total concentrations of UFPs alone (10-1000 nm) did not distinguish roadway and aircraft features. However, key differences existed in the particle size distribution and the black carbon concentration for roadway and aircraft features. These differences can help distinguish between the spatial impact of roadway traffic and aircraft UFP emissions using a combination of mobile monitoring and standard statistical methods.