Air mass classification in coastal New England and its relationship to meteorological conditions

Abstract

The dominant air mass types along coastal New England during summer 2004 were classified and their relationship to synoptic meteorological conditions investigated as a component of the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) campaign. Representative air mass types were defined on the basis of variability in the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and they were further grouped into distinct source‐related categories. Emissions from nearby anthropogenic sources were found to govern the total variance of the data set (58% at Appledore Island (AI) and 56% at Thompson Farm (TF)), whereas long‐distance transport was much less dominant (15% on AI and 17% at TF). This result indicates frequent influence from recent anthropogenic emissions at TF and AI, with periodic inputs of aged/processed pollutants. The fractional time periods dominated by anthropogenic (recent and aged/processed) and marine biogenic air masses were almost the same at TF and AI (36% versus 30% and 14% versus 16% respectively), clearly showing the strong impact of continental outflow on the nearshore marine atmosphere and a surprising persistent influence of marine biogenic emissions at an inland site. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis suggested that the most important circulation pattern during summer 2004 was characterized by a low trough positioned along coastal New England, leaving this region under the control of northwesterly flow from central Canada. This result helps explain why New England in summer 2004 was less polluted compared to previous years.