Measurements of peroxyacyl nitrates (PANS) in Mexico City: implications for megacity air quality impacts on regional scales

Peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs) were measured using gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC/ECD) in north central Mexico City during February–March of 1997. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) was observed to exceed 30 ppb during five days of the study, with peroxypropionyl nitrate (PPN) and peroxybutryl nitrate (PBN) reaching 6 and 1 ppb maximum, respectively. Levels of total PANs typically exceeded 10 ppb during the period of measurement and showed a very strong diurnal variation with PANs maximum during the early afternoon and falling to less than 0.1 ppb during the evening hours. These levels of PANs are the highest reported values in North America (and the world) for an urban center, since levels of approximately 30 ppb were reported during the late 1970s in the Los Angeles area (South Coast Air Basin, Tuazon et al., 1978). Hydrocarbon measurements indicate that the levels of olefins, specifically butenes are significant in Mexico City. A time series taken of source indicator hydrocarbons taken before and during a Mexican National Holiday with reduced automobile traffic clearly show that mobile sources of butenes are as important as liquefied petroleum gas. Observations of 10–40 ppb C methyl-t-butyl ether (MTBE) are consistent with MTBE/gasoline fuel usage as a source of isobutene and formaldehyde. Both these reactive species can lead to increased oxidant and PAN formation. The strong diurnal profiles of PANs are consistent with regional clearing of the Mexico City air basin on a daily basis. Estimates are given using a simple box model calculation for a number of key primary and secondary pollutant emissions from this megacity on an annual basis. These calculations indicate that megacities can be important sources of both primary and secondary pollutants, and that PANs produced in megacity environments are likely to contribute strongly to regional scale ozone and aerosol productions during long range transport.     

Field monitoring of volatile organic compounds using passive air samplers in an industrial city in Japan

Highly portable, sensitive, and selective passive air samplers were used to investigate ambient volatile organic compound (VOC) levels at multiple sampling sites in an industrial city, Fuji, Japan. We determined the spatial distributions of 27 species of VOCs in three campaigns: Mar (cold season), May (warm season), and Nov (mild season) of 2004. In all campaigns, toluene (geometric mean concentration, 14.0microg/m3) was the most abundant VOC, followed by acetaldehyde (4.76microg/m3), and formaldehyde (2.58microg/m3). The spatial distributions for certain VOCs showed characteristic patterns: high concentrations of benzene and formaldehyde were typically found along major roads, whereas high concentrations of toluene and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) were usually found near factories. The spatial distribution of PCE observed was extremely consistent with the diffusion pattern calculated from Pollutant Release and Transfer Register data and meteorological data, indicated that passive air samplers are useful for determining the sources and distributions of ambient VOCs.     

基于能位测定和示踪检测法的地下煤火漏风状态研究

应用能位测定法和示踪检测技术联合检测了鸡西老二井火区地下漏风状态。通过测试计算相对总压值得出了火区范围内井巷系统与采空区的风流关系,进而定性确定了火区内老二井与胜利井之间存在的可能漏风路径。在此基础上,利用瞬时释放示踪气体法确定了胜利井和老二井间的漏风方向和漏风速度,计算得出了火区下采空区内平均直线漏风风速为0.13m/s,漏风量为776m3/min。研究结果为矿区采取针对性的防灭火措施提供依据,并为同类问题的解决提供参考。     

特长隧道风仓接力通风关键参数及其效果研究

通过长斜井进入正洞施工的特长隧道,往往面临独头通风距离过长、工作面风量不足等问题,造成污染物难以在规定时间排出洞外。以衢宁铁路鹫峰山隧道风仓接力施工通风为依托,采用数值模拟方法研究了风仓长度、隔板长度及风机布置方式对轴流风机通风效率的影响,分析了原压入式通风和风仓接力通风洞内CO运移特性。结果表明,风仓长度从10 m增至25 m时,轴流风机通风效率大幅提高,风仓长度大于25 m时,对轴流风机通风效率的影响不大。设置中隔板会影响空气在风仓内的分流并产生较多旋流,从而降低风机通风效率;轴流风机远离斜井端对称布置,风仓内部风流的引流速度和引流范围最大,风流运动路径最优,通风效率最高。由于压入式通风受限于斜井断面尺寸及现场布置方式,当通风距离超过3 000 m后,无法满足洞内作业环境规定的条件。在正洞与斜井交叉部位设置密封的风仓,形成接力通风,能大幅度延长通风距离,提高通风效率,改善洞内空气质量。     

空气微生物对铜陵市环境质量的指示作用

所测铜陵市区空气的平均细菌含量约４１８１．５ＣＦＵ．ｍ－３，总菌含量约４４９５．９ＣＦＵ．ｍ－３。与许多中国的大中城市比，污染不重，结果指示铜陵空气尚处于正常状态之中。     

Time and cost characterisation of emissions from non-road diesel equipment for infrastructure projects

The construction process contributes to pollutant emissions, particularly through the operation of diesel- and gasoline-powered equipment. In the past decade, a series of investigations were undertaken to quantify these emissions for a variety of non-road construction equipment performing different activities and undergoing different duty cycles, and a model to estimate quantities of six types of pollutant was developed. This paper uses that model to estimate emissions for four street and utility construction projects which no one has done previously. We combined information from company records with standard construction industry manuals to estimate total emissions for the projects and to examine the pollution patterns and magnitudes. The street construction projects all had similar emission profiles with a large peak at the beginning and a steady output of emissions throughout the duration of the project. For example, in two of the projects studied, half of all CO₂ emissions were produced before the projects were 40% completed. Results showed that demolition and earthwork are the activities with the largest contribution. The equipment types with the largest contribution are backhoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers and trenchers. Trenchers, for example, produced 30% of all emissions on the projects on which they were used.     

Response of the pigment system of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution

To estimate the response of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution at the pigment system level, the dynamics of photosynthetic pigments have been studied in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) growing at different distances from the emission source (a pulp and paper mill). It has been shown that the pigment apparatus of spruce. The results show that in spruce, unlike in pine, the pigment apparatus remains unchanged under the effect of weak pollution. Long-term exposure at high levels of industrial emission results in suppression of chlorophyll and carotenoid syntheses in pine but stimulates pigment production in spruce. An increase in the contents of pigments in the needles of conifers growing in the impact zone of the pulp and paper mill reflects a compensatory mechanism of adaptation of their pigment system to long-term stress exposure.     

Connecting the Dots: Public Engagement with Environmental Data

Air pollution and other environmental hazards are often imperceptible and need to be made publicly visible. The paper argues for the importance of visualizations in drawing public attention to imperceptible hazards and in providing the public with access to empirical data describing the risks. It also argues for critical inquiry into hazards’ selective visibility as it is produced by visualizations. The impact of visualizations and their selective visibility are considered through the example of a public art project called Particle Falls installed in 2014 in Pittsburgh, a city with a long history of both ignoring air pollution and working to ameliorate this problem. I examine the impact and selective visibility of Particle Falls by considering the underlying production of data, as well as context and support systems for this visualization, and by comparing it with other visualizations of local air quality.     

湖北省2008年初低温雨雪冰冻过程气候特征分析

2008年初，湖北省出现了严重的低温雨雪冰冻灾害，直接经济损失高达110亿元以上，有必要对灾害期间的气候特征进行系统、科学的分析和总结。对湖北省76个气象站2008年1月12日～2月3日气温、降水（雪）、日照以及低温持续日数等要素进行时空间差异分析及历史与同期比较，并选取10个代表站历史上所有低温雨雪天气过程，对其过程持续低温日数、最长连续雨雪日数、过程极端低温进行比较分析。结果表明：（1）此次过程的平均气温异常偏低，该省大部为-1～-2℃，比常年同期偏低4～6℃，为各站历史同期最低，其中主要是最高气温异常偏低所致，但极端低温并不低；（2）降雪过程频繁，雨雪量异常偏多；（3）低温冰冻持续时间长，该省大部在16～22 d，位于历史第一；（4）日照异常偏少。持续而稳定的大气环流异常形势是湖北省大范围低温雨雪天气的直接原因。     

电极配置和操作条件对静电油烟净化效率的影响

以有机气溶胶发生器产生的0.02～2.02μm癸二酸二辛酯颗粒模拟餐饮业排出的油烟PM2 5组分,利用静电低压撞击器颗粒物检测仪测定各粒径范围的颗粒个数和质量浓度,并系统研究了电极配置、电场风速和供电电压等因素对静电油烟净化效率的影响.结果表明:油烟荷电量以及荷电颗粒迁移距离是影响净化效率的关键因素,优化电极配置的增效...