Abstract
Information on atmospheric particles’ concentration and sizes are important for environmental and human health reasons. Air quality monitor stations (AQMSs) for measuring Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations are found across the United States, but only three AQMSs measure PM2.5 concentrations (particles with an aerodynamic diameter of < 2.5 μm) in the Southern High Plains of West Texas (area ≥ 1.8 × 105 km2). This area is prone to many dust events (~21 per year), yet no information is available on other PM sizes, total particle concentration, or size distribution during these events. The Aerosol Research Observation Station (AEROS) was designed to continuously measure these particles’ concentrations to better understand the impact of dust events on local air quality. The AEROS aerosol measurements unit features a temperature-controlled shed with a dedicated inlet and custom-built dryer for each of the three aerosol instruments used. This article provides a description of AEROS as well as an intercomparison of the different instruments using laboratory and atmospheric particles, which shows that the instruments used provided similar concentration measurements. Measurement with AEROS can distinguish between various pollution events (natural dust events vs anthropogenic haze) to improve knowledge of the air quality in this region.
Highlights
Particulate matter (PM) comprises microscopic solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, which can be generated 20 by anthropogenic or natural sources
Air quality monitor stations (AQMSs) for measuring Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations are found across the United States, but only three AQMSs measure PM2.5 concentrations in the Southern High Plains of West Texas
This area is prone to many dust events (~21 per year), yet no information is available on other PM sizes, total particle concentration, or size distribution during these events
Summary
Particulate matter (PM) comprises microscopic solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, which can be generated 20 by anthropogenic or natural sources. Similar PM sizes are measured by the DustTrak and Grimm 11-D, and total number concentration and size distribution (at least for the size range of 0.3-10.0) are measured by both the OPS and Grimm 11-D The usage of these three different distinct instruments as part of the AEROS aerosol measurements unit was planned to overcome times of common instrument problems, e.g., connection issues, broken units, or the need for repair. When no particles were detected, the freshly baked dryer was connected to each instrument with a clean filter at the 180 inlet, and measurements of particles were performed to verify the dryer background particle level (PM, size distribution, and total concentration). These background values were subsequently subtracted from the instruments’ atmospheric measurements. Observations of meteorological conditions (e.g., thunderstorms, rain, haze, and dust) were retrieved for that period using the “Present Weather Code”, which is provided in the METAR
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