title: Assessing the Suitability of Multiple Dispersion and Land Use Regression Models for Urban Traffic-Related Ultrafine Particles.
abstract: Comparative evaluations are needed to assess the suitability of near-road air pollution models for traffic-related ultrafine particle number concentration (PNC). Our goal was to evaluate the ability of dispersion (CALINE4, AERMOD, R-LINE, and QUIC) and regression models to predict PNC in a residential neighborhood (Somerville) and an urban center (Chinatown) near highways in and near Boston, Massachusetts. PNC was measured in each area, and models were compared to each other and measurements for hot (>18 °C) and cold (<10 °C) hours with wind directions parallel to and perpendicular downwind from highways. In Somerville, correlation and error statistics were typically acceptable, and all models predicted concentration gradients extending ∼100 m from the highway. In contrast, in Chinatown, PNC trends differed among models, and predictions were poorly correlated with measurements likely due to effects of street canyons and nonhighway particle sources. Our results demonstrate the importance of selecting PNC models that align with study area characteristics (e.g., dominant sources and building geometry). We applied widely available models to typical urban study areas; therefore, our results should be generalizable to models of hourly averaged PNC in similar urban areas.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University , Piscataway, New Jersey 08901, United States.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University , Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States.
authors.forename: Allison P
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8334-3580
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University , Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States.|Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Milando
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University , Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS), University of Surrey , Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey United Kingdom.|Environmental Flow (EnFlo) Research Centre, FEPS, University of Surrey , Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Prashant
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2462-4411
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000397:Air Pollution; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions