Measured and modeled variation in pollutant concentration near roadways

Gordon, M; Staebler, RM; Liggio, J; Li, SM; Wentzell, J; Lu, G; Lee, P; Brook, JR

HERO ID

1508508

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year

2012

HERO ID 1508508
In Press No
Year 2012
Title Measured and modeled variation in pollutant concentration near roadways
Authors Gordon, M; Staebler, RM; Liggio, J; Li, SM; Wentzell, J; Lu, G; Lee, P; Brook, JR
Journal Atmospheric Environment
Volume 57
Page Numbers 138-145
Abstract This paper presents a study of the evolution of particles and gases downwind of a highway, with a focus on the diurnal variation of pollutant gradients and its controlling variables. A mobile laboratory was used to measure the concentration gradients of ultra-fine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), CO2, NO, and NO2 at varying distances up to 850 m from a major highway. The horizontal distributions of pollutants show a strong diurnal pattern. Results suggest that the horizontal gradients are predominantly influenced by traffic levels, friction velocity, and atmospheric stability. The results were compared to a dispersion model, which showed good agreement with the measurements and was able to qualitatively capture the observed diurnal cycles. Emission rates [g km(-1)] calculated from the model fits are within 10% of the Mobile 6.2C inventory for CO2 and demonstrate good agreement for NOx, but are higher than the inventory by a factor between 2.0 and 5.9 for black carbon. Hourly NOx emission rates correlate with the fraction of heavy-duty vehicles in the total fleet and agree with inventory values based on maximum vehicle emission rates. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Doi 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.04.022
Wosid WOS:000307140100017
Url http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1352231012003524
Is Certified Translation No
Dupe Override No
Comments Source: Web of Science WOS:000307140100017
Is Public Yes
Keyword Traffic induced pollution; Boundary-layer mixing; Emission rates; Plume modeling