Baseline ambient gaseous ammonia concentrations in the Four Corners area and eastern Oklahoma, USA.
Ambient ammonia monitoring using Ogawa passive samplers was conducted in the Four Corners area and eastern Oklahoma, USA during 2007. The resulting data will be useful in the multipollutant management of ozone, nitrogen oxides, and visibility (atmospheric regional haze) in the Four Corners area, an area with growing oil/gas production and increasing coal-based power plant construction. The passive monitoring data also add new ambient ammonia concentration information for the U.S. and will be useful to scientists involved in present and future visibility modeling exercises. Three week integrated passive ammonia samples were taken at five sites in the Four Corners area and two sites in eastern Oklahoma from December, 2006 through December, 2007 (January, 2008 for two sites). Results show significantly higher regional background ammonia concentrations in eastern Oklahoma (1.8 parts per billion (ppb) arithmetic mean) compared to the Four Corners area (0.2 ppb arithmetic mean). Annual mean ammonia concentrations for all Four Corners area sites for the 2007 study ranged from 0.2 ppb to 1.5 ppb. Peak ambient ammonia concentrations occurred in the spring and summer in both areas. The passive samplers deployed at the Stilwell, Oklahoma site compared favorably with other passive samplers and a continuous ammonia monitoring instrument.
Sather
Mark E
ME
Air Quality Analysis Section, US Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202, USA.
Mathew
Johnson
J
Nguyen
Nghia
N
Lay
John
J
Golod
George
G
Vet
Robert
R
Cotie
Joseph
J
Hertel
Terry
T
Aaboe
Erik
E
Callison
Ryan
R
Adam
Jacque
J
Keese
Danielle
D
Freise
Jeremy
J
Hathcoat
April
A
Sakizzie
Brenda
B
King
Michael
M
Lee
Chris
C
Oliva
Sylvia
S
San Miguel
George
G
Crow
Leon
L
Geasland
Frank
F
D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis*; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis*; D009825:Oklahoma; D015206:Southwestern United States
D005740:Gases; D000641:Ammonia