title: Episodic Impacts from California Wildfires Identified in Las Vegas Near-Road Air Quality Monitoring.
abstract: Air pollutant concentrations near major highways are usually attributed to a combination of nearby traffic emissions and regional background, and generally presumed to be additive in nature. During a near-road measurement study conducted in Las Vegas, NV, the effects of distant wildfires on regional air quality were indicated over a several day period in the summer of 2009. Area-wide elevated particulate levoglucosan (maximum of 0.83 μg/m(3)) and roadside measurements of ultraviolet light-absorbing particulate matter (UVPM) in comparison to black carbon (Delta-C) were apparent over the three-day period. Back-trajectory modeling and satellite images supported the measurement results and indicated the transport of air pollutants from wildfires burning in southern California. Separating roadside measurements under apparent biomass burning event (Delta-C > 1000 ng m(-3)) and nonevent (Delta-C < 1000 ng m(-3)) periods, and constraining to specific days of week, wind speed range, wind direction from the road and traffic volume range, roadside carbon monoxide, black carbon, total particle number count (20-200 nm), and accumulation mode particle number count (100-200 nm) increased by 65%, 146%, 58%, and 366%, respectively, when biomass smoke was indicated. Meanwhile, ultrafine particles (20-100 nm) decreased by 35%. This episode indicates that the presence of aged wildfire smoke may interact with freshly emitted ultrafine particles, resulting in a decrease of particles in the ultrafine mode.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory , Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimbrough
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory , Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hays
authors.affiliation: ARCADIS-US, Inc. , 4915 Prospectus Drive, Suite F, Durham, North Carolina 27713, United States.
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Preston
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory , Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Vallero
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory , Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States.
authors.forename: Gayle S W
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hagler
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D018533:Biomass; D002140:California; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009505:Nevada; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis; D053260:Soot / Q000032:analysis; D014186:Transportation; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis; D014919:Wind
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D012906:Smoke; D053260:Soot; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D002248:Carbon Monoxide