Understanding the Influence of Global Air Pollution on U.S. Air Quality Through Observations at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The Principal Investigator (PI) and colleagues will carry out a multi-year sequence of observations of carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), total reactive nitrogen (NOy), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and aerosol physical properties at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory, a high elevation site in the Pacific Northwest. This site has been shown to frequently receive pollutants transported from Asia in the free troposphere. This project builds on previous work on the implications of increasing Asian and global emissions for background air quality. The observations will be used to address new scientific questions concerning the implications of Asian pollutants on U.S. air quality. The over-arching question is: How do changing Asian emissions and global biomass burning emissions influence air quality in the U.S? A major hypothesis is that PAN is a key indicator of changing Asian NOx emissions (from all sources) and that interannual variations in PAN will correlate with interannual variations in tropospheric ozone, as observed by both in-situ and satellite instruments. Broader impacts stem from the fact that Asian emissions affect air quality in the United States. This project will provide scientific information to air quality regulators on influences from non-local sources. In addition, the project will allow the Mt. Bachelor Observatory to continue to develop as a national resource by making it available to other researchers. Several graduate students will also receive research experience and training over the course of the experiments.