Size‐selective nonrefractory ambient aerosol measurements during the Particulate Matter Technology Assessment and Characterization Study–New York 2004 Winter Intensive in New York City

Abstract

During the Particulate Matter Technology Assessment and Characterization Study–New York (PMTACS‐NY) in January/February 2004 a variety of modern aerosol measurement instruments were deployed at a field site on the campus of Queens College in Queens, New York. These instruments included the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Q‐AMS), R&P Particulate Ambient Sulfate and Nitrate monitors (8400S&N), a Particle‐into‐liquid Sampler equipped with ion chromatographs (PILS‐IC), an R&P FDMS TEOM, and several other techniques to measure physical aerosol properties. The PMTACS‐NY 2004 winter campaign was designed to replicate measurements performed at this site during the PMTACS‐NY 2001 summer campaign. The field campaign experienced significant meteorological variability and extreme weather conditions, which together with local and regional aerosol and precursor emissions generated a wide range of PM concentrations at the site, with significant changes in physical aerosol properties as well as aerosol composition as a function of particle size. Q‐AMS quantification procedures and intercomparison studies of nonrefractory species mass concentrations measured with the Q‐AMS and other colocated instruments (PILS‐IC, R&P 8400 S/N, FDMS TEOM, and Sunset Labs OC Analyzer) are presented. The size‐resolved aerosol composition over the measurement period and its variation with time of the day, regional meteorology and local source impacts are discussed. Results obtained during this field campaign are compared to data from the PMTACS‐NY 2001 summer campaign, where aerosol composition was observed to have higher sulfate, significantly lower nitrate content and overall mean aerosol mass size distributions with larger mode diameters.

Evaluation and application of a semi-continuous chemical characterization system for water soluble inorganic PM<sub>2.5</sub> and associated precursor gases

“…Temperature driven diurnal variations, as described next, were also superimposed on top of the synoptic variability. A similar concentration variation was noted during the 2001 PMTACS-NY summer and winter sampling campaigns conducted in New York City (Weimer et al, 2006).…”

“…The late afternoon peak reported by the latter study was postulated to be the result of regional pollution episodes coupled with in situ SO 2 photochemical processing. However, disagreement between studies exists in the literature regarding diurnal sulphate behaviour: a pronounced broad morning (07:00 to 12:00) sulphate peak identified by Weimer et al (2006) was attributed with a rising boundary layer. (Zhang et al, 2006).…”

A case study of aerosol processing and evolution in summer in New York City

“…In addition to measurements from the ASRC-ML, aerosol and gas species were also measured inside the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) Air Monitoring Building, ∼140 m north of Lot 6. Detailed descriptions of this site are given in Drewnick et al (2004a) and Weimer et al (2006). The key measurements at this site included water-soluble ions by a Particle-into-Liquid Sampler (PILS) coupled with two Ion Chromatographs (IC), chemical composition and mass concentrations of NR-species by an Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM), Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) by a Sunset Labs OC/EC Analyzer, sulfate by a Thermo Electron 5020 Sulfate Particulate Analyzer, and PM 2.5 mass by a Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM).…”

“…In comparison to the Quadrupole AMS (Q-AMS) system deployed in 2001deployed in and 2004deployed in (Drewnick et al, 2004aWeimer et al, 2006), HR-AMS has significantly improved chemical resolution and sensitivity, allowing greater details to be gained about the chemical composition and atmospheric processing of OA. The real-time, highly time-resolved (5 min resolution) concentrations and size distributions of nonrefractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM 1 ) species (i.e.…”

Technical Note: Use of a beam width probe in an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer to monitor particle collection efficiency in the field

“…The use of a particle beam width probe (BWP) to determine E s in the laboratory (Jayne et al, 2000;Huffman et al, 2005) and in the field (Allan et al, 2006a;Weimer et al, 2006) has been described previously. However, this is the first report that analyzes in detail data from a BWP deployed in the field and compares the results obtained in several field studies.…”