Heterogeneity of Coarse Particles in an Urban Area

Heterogeneity of Coarse Particles in an Urban Area

The variation in composition and concentration of coarse particles in Rochester, a medium-sized city in western New York, was studied using UNC passive samplers and computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM). The samplers were deployed in a 5 × 5 grid (2 km × 2 km per grid cell) for 2−...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology Vol. 45; no. 8; pp. 3288 - 3296
Main Authors: Lagudu, Uma Ramesh K, Raja, Suresh, Hopke, Philip K, Chalupa, David C, Utell, Mark J, Casuccio, Gary, Lersch, Traci L, West, Roger R
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 15-04-2011
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air Pollutants - chemistry
Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data
Airborne particulates
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Characterization of Natural and Affected Environments
Cities
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Exact sciences and technology
Measurement
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Particulate Matter - analysis
Particulate Matter - chemistry
Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution
Pollution
Scanning electron microscopy
Spectrum analysis
Urban areas
New York
United States
North America
America
Heterogeneity
Aerosols
Chemical composition
Urban area
Spatial variation
Concentration distribution
Coarse particle
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Summary:The variation in composition and concentration of coarse particles in Rochester, a medium-sized city in western New York, was studied using UNC passive samplers and computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM). The samplers were deployed in a 5 × 5 grid (2 km × 2 km per grid cell) for 2−3 week periods in two seasons (September 2008 and May 2009) at 25 different sites across Rochester. CCSEM analysis yielded size and elemental composition for individual particles and analyzed more than 800 coarse particles per sample. Based on the composition as reflected in the fluoresced X-ray spectrum, the particles were grouped into classes with similar chemical compositions using an adaptive resonance theory (ART) network. The mass fractions of particles in the identified classes were then used to assess the homogeneity of composition and concentration across the measurement domain. These results illustrate how particle sampling using the UNC passive sampler coupled with CCSEM/ART can be used to determine the concentration and source of the coarse particulate matter at multiple sites. The particle compositions were dominated by elements suggesting that the major particle sources are road dust and biological particles. Considerable heterogeneity in both composition and concentration were observed between adjacent sites as indicated by cofficient of divergence analyses.
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ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es103831w