American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Air Pollution Measurements Employing Multiple Mobile Platforms in Denver, CO, Summer 2014

MELISSA M. LUNDEN, Nick Staubach, Davida Herzl, Paul A. Solomon, Melinda Beaver, Surender Kaushik, Aclima Inc.

     Abstract Number: 565
     Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods

Abstract
Characterizing the detailed interplay between air pollutant sources, transport of air pollutants, and their eventual exposure to human populations and the environment can be improved by the use of networks of small inexpensive air quality sensors. These systems enable greater spatial resolution than provided by routine, stationary air monitoring sites. In the current study, three automobiles were instrumented with a suite of small air quality sensors as well as reference-grade equipment to measure pollutants of interest, such as O$_3, NO, NO$_2, CO$_2, and particulate matter. A series of supplemental measurements that included temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), and wind direction (WD) was also included. These three instrumented automobiles were driven concurrently in a variety of spatiotemporal patterns in Denver, Colorado from mid-July to mid-August 2014, including dense driving around stationary air monitoring sites. Routes were designed to make use of simultaneous sampling from three mobile platforms, including interconnected and overlapping patterns. This presentation will give an overview of the project and focus on two primary science questions: (1) validation of the reference monitors and sensors as applied to mobile platforms and (2) additional information gained by use of multiple mobile platforms relative to stationary air monitoring sites.