AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Contribution of Atmospheric Aerosols to Urban Stormwater Runoff
JEREMY TAMARGO, Cliff Davidson, Syracuse University
Abstract Number: 304 Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract There is currently a gap in understanding the contribution of atmospheric aerosols to the contamination of urban stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff can be influenced by emissions from motor vehicles, aerosol deposition on surfaces in the watershed, vegetation growing in the watershed, trash on the streets and other urban surfaces, and erosion of the material comprising the urban surfaces. Such contaminants can reach bodies of water used for drinking water supplies and thus can cause serious public health problems. However, little research on the various sources of contamination in urban stormwater runoff, especially atmospheric contaminants, has been conducted.
Current research efforts in the city of Syracuse focus on stormwater management, including both the quantity and quality of runoff associated with rain and snow storms. Chemical contaminants transported from the atmosphere are believed to be a major source of contamination of certain species in the runoff, including organics, metals and sulfur. This research focuses on a 60,000 square foot green roof on the Oncenter Convention Center in downtown Syracuse, one of the largest green roofs in the northeastern United States. Airborne concentrations of contaminants are measured at the green roof and at other locations in the Syracuse urban environment. Deposition of airborne contaminants on the green roof is measured directly using symmetric airfoils. Urban runoff samples are collected and analyzed for contaminants of interest. Measured airborne concentrations,deposition measurements and runoff concentrations are compared to data from nearby monitoring sites and to data from the literature.