AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Characterization of Rural and Urban PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 Mass Concentrations in Colorado from 3 Years of Continuous Monitoring
NICHOLAS CLEMENTS, Jana Milford, Shelly Miller, Jennifer Peel, Michael Hannigan, University of Colorado at Boulder
Abstract Number: 362 Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract The Colorado Coarse Rural-Urban Sources and Health (CCRUSH) study is investigating the health impacts of PM$_(10-2.5) in arid rural and urban environments. PM$_(10-2.5) was measured continuously from 2009 to 2012 at six monitoring sites, 4 urban (Denver, CO) and 2 rural (Greeley, CO). Four of these sites used TEOM 1405-DF continuous dichotomous monitors. Two urban sites, operated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, provided collocated PM$_(10) and PM$_(2.5) TEOM data, measuring PM$_(10-2.5) through subtraction. Temporal and spatial trends of total mass concentrations and concentrations of semi-volatile loss are characterized for PM$_(2.5) and PM$_(10-2.5). Nonparametric smoothing kernels reveal general spatial trends associated with the influence of wind direction on particulate concentrations, as well as any nearby point sources. This method is also used to compare relationships between mass concentrations and other meteorological factors such as wind speed and humidity. These regressions can reveal characteristics of particle sources, such as the resuspension of deposited particles and geogenic dust. Due to instrument problems, large gaps in the time series exist, so a spatially predictive statistical model is developed to fill in these gaps.