Aircraft Emission Impacts in a Neighborhood Adjacent to a General Aviation Airport in Southern California

Abstract

Real time air pollutant concentrations were measured downwind of Santa Monica Airport (SMA), using an electric vehicle mobile platform equipped with fast response instruments in spring and summer of 2008. SMA is a general aviation airport operated for private aircraft and corporate jets in Los Angeles County, California. An impact area of elevated ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations was observed extending beyond 660 m downwind and 250 m perpendicular to the wind on the downwind side of SMA. Aircraft operations resulted in average UFP concentrations elevated by factors of 10 and 2.5 at 100 and 660 m downwind, respectively, over background levels. The long downwind impact distance (i.e., compared to nearby freeways at the same time of day) is likely primarily due to the large volumes of aircraft emissions containing higher initial concentrations of UFP than on-road vehicles. Aircraft did not appreciably elevate average levels of black carbon (BC), particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PB-PAH), although spikes in concentration of these pollutants were observed associated with jet takeoffs. Jet departures resulted in peak 60-s average concentrations of up to 2.2 x 10(6) cm(-3), 440 ng m(-3), and 30 microg m(-3) for UFP, PB-PAH, and BC, respectively, 100 m downwind of the takeoff area. These peak levels were elevated by factors of 440, 90, and 100 compared to background concentrations. Peak UFP concentrations were reasonably correlated (r(2) = 0.62) with fuel consumption rates associated with aircraft departures, estimated from aircraft weights and acceleration rates. UFP concentrations remained elevated for extended periods associated particularly with jet departures, but also with jet taxi and idle, and operations of propeller aircraft. UFP measured downwind of SMA had a median mode of about 11 nm (electric mobility diameter), which was about half of the 22 nm median mode associated with UFP from heavy duty diesel trucks. The observation of highly elevated ultrafine particle concentrations in a large residential area downwind of this local airport has potential health implications for persons living near general aviation airports.

The airport atmospheric environment: respiratory health at work

“…Experimental studies have demonstrated that the elementary particle size in airports or close to aircrafts was between 23 and 36 nm [12,13]. Recently, around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX; Los Angeles, CA, USA), aircraft UFP emissions with a median size of ,11 nm were observed [14]. This is consistent with the observation at LAX that there was a bimodal distribution of particle size showing peaks at ,12 and 80-90 nm diameter [15].…”

Particulate matter, air quality and climate: lessons learned and future needs

“…Recent studies indicate that aircraft emissions contribute significantly to particle mass and particle number (PN) concentration in the vicinity of airports (Arunachalam et al, 2011;Dodson et al, 2009;Hsu et al, 2012;Hu et al, 2009;Levy et al, 2012;Stettler et al, 2011;Unal et al, 2005;Yu et al, 2004). POA dominates the total aerosol at low engine loads, corresponding to idle and taxiing operation Presto et al, 2011;Timko et al, 2010).…”

Concentrations, sources and geochemistry of airborne particulate matter at a major European airport

“…12 In a recent study at the small Santa Monica Airport in California, Hu et al, 13 found that aircraft operations resulted in average ultrafine particle concentrations elevated over background levels by factors of 10 and 2.5 at 100 and 660 m, respectively, at large residential areas downwind of the airport, revealing the potential health implications for persons living near general aviation airports.…”