1. PERCH Air Quality Study – PAQS
Partnership for
Environmental
Research and
Community
Health
Special thanks to
Carl Mohrherr
Alan Knowes
Staff of OJSES
FL-DOH
FL-DEP
SEARCH

2. Air Quality Experience
Karsten Baumann
Michael Bergin
Ann Bostrom
Carlos Cardelino
Bill Chameides
Michael Chang
Talat Odman
Rick Peltier
Mohan Turaga
Ted Russell
Rodney Weber
Southern Oxidants Study
Fall line Air Quality Study
Atlanta Supersite
Texas Air Quality Study 2000
Southern Appalachian Mountain Initiative
Atlanta Ozone Forecasting
Southern Center for the Integrated Study of Secondary Air Pollutants
Air Resources Engineering Center

3. What’s the problem? Is there a problem?
Partnership for
Environmental
Research and
Community
Health
PERCH Mission: to determine if a connection exists between elevated levels of illness in Northwest Florida and the levels of toxic pollutants in the area.
Could the air be making people sick
or causing premature death?

4. PERCH Air Quality Study – Phase I
Scope: air toxics, ozone, and particulate matter.
Identify, compile, and assess existing emissions and ambient air data from US EPA, FL DEP, and private (e.g. SEARCH).
Review existing studies (particularly National Air Toxics Assessment and Gulf Coast Ozone Study). Any gaps?
Complete a health impacts literature search.
Screen for potential health risks due to realized and potential ambient exposures.
Design and conduct field pilot study in Phase II.

5. Deployment of GA Tech’s Mobile Lab Period: 15 July - 14 August, 2003
UWF
OLF
ELY
OJ Semmes ES
PNS
WAR
NVR
NAS

6. Meteorology at OJS

7. Pollutants at OJS

8. Pollutants in the Region

9. Pollutants in the Region Around August 9-10 Weekend
Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed

10. Diurnal Characteristics: Averages, Std.Dev.
OLF UWF ELY OJS PNS NAS NVR
Convective winds
Sporadic SO2 events
Bimodal CO and NOy
Similar daytime O3 maxima at all sites
Less nighttime O3 titration at NAS shoreline
Trend to higher PM2.5 mass in southern part

11. Diurnal Characteristics of Winds
OLF ELY PNS OJS NAS NVR
Indications for land-sea breeze circulation at shore sites NAS and NVR, with southerly component flow at daytime, northerly at night.
Land-sea breeze influence weakens further inland.
Indications for “convergence” with synoptic westerlies.

12. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Wind Frequency Distributions
OLF
ELY
OJS
WAR
PNS
NVR
NAS

13. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Wind Speed
OLF
ELY
OJS
WAR
PNS
NVR
NAS

14. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
UWF
ELY
OLF
OJS
PNS
WAR
NVR
NAS

15. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Carbon Monoxide (CO)
OLF
UWF
ELY
OJS
PNS
NVR
WAR
NAS

16. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Nitrogen Oxides (NOx & NOy)
UWF
OLF
ELY
OJS
PNS
WAR
NVR
NAS

17. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Ozone (O3)
ELY
OLF
OJS
WAR
PNS
NVR
NAS

18. Transport from Local and Distant Sources Fine PM Mass (PM2.5)
OLF
ELY
OJS
PNS
NVR
NAS

19. Air Toxics from VOC can samples
Halogenated HCs
F-114
F-11
F-113
CCl4
AVG
STD
Aromatics
Benzene
Toluene
Ethylbenzene
m-xylene
p-xylene
o-xylene
1,3-butadiene
4-ethyltolene
1,3,5-trimethylbenzene
1,2,4-trimethylbenzene
AVG
STD

20. Photochemical Processes Leading to O3 and PM
An Assessment of Tropospheric Ozone Pollution, A North American Perspective, NARSTO, National Acad. Press, 2000.
NOz
SOA

21. Photochemical Activity Source – Receptor Considerations: O3/NOz as “OPE”
Atlanta JST
Griffin
downwind
Elevated regional O3 background reflected in regression’s intercept: higher in Aug 99!
At JST higher intercept and slope during Aug ’99 (OPE= 4 vs 3): more efficient P(O3).
OPE in air mass arriving at Griffin is likely larger given by upper and lower limits.
Lower limit assumes 1st order loss of HNO3 due to surface deposition at k ≈ 0.22 h-1.

22. OPE Considerations for Pensacola
Crude midday OPE is very similar for both sites, indicating moderate OPE.
A much more refined analysis is required for true OPE.
Intercept indicating relatively low background O3 level.

23. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA):
Organic compounds, some highly oxygenated, residing in the aerosol phase as a function of atmospheric reactions that occur in either gas or particle phases.
SOA formation mainly depends on:
Emissions & forming potential of precursors
aromatics (BTX, aldehydes, carbonyls)
terpenes (mono-, sesqui-)
other biogenics (aldehydes, alcohols)
Presence of other initiating reactants
O3, OH, NO3, sunlight, acid catalysts
Mechanisms (with half hr to few hr yields):
Gas-to-particle conversion/partitioning
e.g. terpene oxidation
Heterogeneous reactions
aldehydes via hydration and polymerization, forming hemiacetal/acetal in presence of alcohols
Particle-phase reactions
acetal formation catalytically accelerated by particle sulfuric acid (Jang and Kamens, ES&T, 2001)

24. Particle Composition Monitor “PCM”
Channel 1:
NH3
Na+, K+, NH4+, Ca+2
Channel 2:
HF, HCl, HONO, HNO3, SO2,
HCOOH, CH3COOH, (COOH)2
F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO4=,
HCOO-, CH3COO-, C2O4=
Channel 3:
EC, OC, WSOC, “SVOC”
Additional higher resolution CO, NO, NOy, O3, PM-mass, and basic meteorology

25. Preliminary PM2.5 Mass and Composition Data

26. Preliminary Findings and Outlook
Period 7/15-8/14 characterized by frequent precipitation
Period has been unseasonably wet for SE-US
Leading to low [O3] and [PM2.5] region-wide
Land-sea breeze circulation most prominent at shore sites
Sea breeze (southerly flow) converging with westerlies on middays
Highest [O3] associated with southerly component flow at all sites
Highest [PM2.5] with continental air mass during dry period at end
OJS predominantly influenced by mobile sources
Sporadic SO2 events during morning BL evolution
Integrate, further evaluate PILS-IC, VOC, FLDEP, SEARCH data
Relate air toxics to other compounds/sources
Complete fine PM mass and composition analyses
Find resources for transition metals analyses (ICP-MS)
Analyze back trajectories for certain episodes
Analyze P(O3)/OPE for late episode of regionally high PM
Assess fraction of SOA from mass balance
Help integrate data for comprehensive exposure/health risk analysis
Listen to what is needed!!

27. Questions, comments, suggestions?
Dr. Karsten Baumann
Dr. Michael Chang
Dr. Ranga Rao