Multiple-year black carbon measurements and source apportionment using Delta-C in Rochester, New York

• Published in: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) Vol. 62; no. 8; pp. 880 - 887
• Main Authors: Wang, Yungang, Hopke, Philip K., Rattigan, Oliver V., Chalupa, David C., Utell, Mark J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pittsburgh, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2012; Air & Waste Management Association; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air Pollutants - chemistry; Air pollution; Applied sciences; Atmospheric aerosols; Atmospheric pollution; Atoms & subatomic particles; Black carbon; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Cities; Combustion; Diesel; Diesel engines; Diesel fuels; Emissions; Environmental protection; Exact sciences and technology; Global environmental pollution; Heart attacks; Highways; Mathematical models; New York; Nitrates; Organic carbon; Particle Size; Particulate Matter; Pollution; Roads & highways; Speciation; Time Factors; Traffic engineering; Traffic flow; Urban areas; Vehicle Emissions; Waste management; Wood; New York; United States > US; ANW, USA, New York; USA, New York, Rochester; Receptor model; Carbon black; Pollutant behavior; Samplings; Highway; Combustion; Matrix factorization; Identification; Motor vehicle; Urban area; Pollutant emission; Modeling; Health and environment; Surveillance; Aerosols; Pollution source inventory; Air pollution; Road traffic; Sampling; Public health; Speciation; Environmental protection; Tracers
• ISSN: 1096-2247; 2162-2906
• DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2012.671792

Black carbon (BC), an important component of the atmospheric aerosol, has climatic, environmental, and human health significance. In this study, BC was continuously measured using a two-wavelength aethalometer (370 nm and 880 nm) in Rochester, New York, from January 2007 to December 2010. The monitoring site is adjacent to two major urban highways (I-490 and I-590), where 14% to 21% of the total traffic was heavy-duty diesel vehicles. The annual average BC concentrations were 0.76 μg/m 3 , 0.67 μg/m 3 , 0.60 μg/m 3 , and 0.52 μg/m 3 in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) modeling was performed using PM 2.5 elements, sulfate, nitrate, ammonia, elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC) data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) speciation network and Delta-C (UVBC 370nm - BC 880nm ) data. Delta-C has been previously shown to be a tracer of wood combustion factor. It was used as an input variable in source apportionment models for the first time in this study and was found to play an important role in separating traffic (especially diesel) emissions from wood combustion emissions. The result showed the annual average PM 2.5 concentrations apportioned to diesel emissions in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 were 1.34 μg/m 3 , 1.25 μg/m 3 , 1.13 μg/m 3 , and 0.97 μg/m 3 , respectively. The BC conditional probability function (CPF) plots show a large contribution from the highway diesel traffic to elevated BC concentrations. The measurements and modeling results suggest an impact of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2007 Heavy-Duty Highway Rule on the decrease of BC and PM 2.5 concentrations during the study period.