Do We Understand Trends in Atmospheric Sulfur Species?

Reid, N.; Misra, P. K.; Bloxam, R.; Yap, D.; Rao, S. Trivikrama; Civerolo, Kevin; Brankov, Elvira; Vet, Robert

doi:10.1080/10473289.2001.10464384

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…4, are numerically substantially less than the corresponding values for atmospheric SO 2 concentration, consistent with the findings of Reid et al (2001), Holland et al (2004), and SS07b for earlier time periods. For regional groupings of sites and in the east, the year-round ratios of P1-to-P4 relative reductions in atmospheric aerosol SO 4 concentration to atmospheric SO 2 concentration are similar (≈ 0.7 % decrease in aerosol SO 4 for each 1 % decrease in SO 2 ).…”

Section: Changes In Atmospheric Aerosol So 4 and So 2 Concentrationsupporting

confidence: 78%

Air quality and atmospheric deposition in the eastern US: 20 years of change

Sickles

Shadwick²

2015

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

101

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Abstract. Data collected in the eastern US between 1990 and 2009 at 34 paired dry and wet monitoring sites are examined. A goal is to evaluate the air quality impacts occurring between 1990 and 2009 that are associated with concurrent legislatively mandated changes in emissions. Four 5-year periods, 1990-1994 (P1), 1995-1999 (P2), 2000-2004 (P3), and 2005-2009 (P4) are considered, with a primary focus on P1-to-P4 changes. Results suggest that legislatively mandated air pollution mitigation strategies have been successful in improving air quality and reducing atmospheric deposition in the eastern US.Respective P1-to-P4 reductions of estimated sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions in the eastern US are 50 and 42 %. Corresponding behavior of the following metrics associated with these emissions reductions is examined: monitored atmospheric concentrations of SO 2 , aerosol sulfate (SO 4 ), and oxidized sulfur (S); dry, wet, and total deposition of S; monitored atmospheric concentrations of nitric acid (HNO 3 ), aerosol nitrate (NO 3 ), and their sum, oxidized nitrogen (OxN); dry, wet, and total deposition of OxN; monitored atmospheric concentration of aerosol ammonium (NH 4 ); dry, wet, and total deposition of NH 4 ; summed monitored atmospheric concentration of oxidized and reduced nitrogen (N); dry, wet, and total deposition of N; wet deposition of hydrogen ion (H + ); monitored atmospheric concentration of ozone (O 3 ); dry deposition of O 3 ; and the summed monitored atmospheric concentration of aerosol NO 3 , SO 4 , and NH 4 (Clean Air Status and Trends Network particulate matter -CASTNET PM). Other metrics (e.g., ratios of dry to total deposition) are also considered.Selected period-to-period changes of air quality and deposition metrics at site, regional, and seasonal scales are discussed. As an example, despite P1-to-P3 reductions in estimated emissions of both SO 2 and NO x , aerosol NO 3 concentration increased in the east, with widespread wintertime numerical increases in both aerosol NO 3 concentration and CASTNET PM. However, a reversal of this behavior is associated with continuing P3-to-P4 reductions of SO 2 and NO x emissions. Thus, additional P3-to-P4 reductions of these emissions, especially NO x , appear to have made progress in altering the chemical regime of the wintertime eastern US atmosphere so that future emissions reductions and their resulting reductions in aerosol concentrations may no longer be accompanied by sub-linear changes (or actual increases) in CASTNET PM.

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Section: Changes In Atmospheric Aerosol So 4 and So 2 Concentrationsupporting

confidence: 78%

Air quality and atmospheric deposition in the eastern US: 20 years of change

Sickles

Shadwick²

2015

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

101

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“…The overall pattern for PS showed a maximum over the Ohio River Valley with negative gradients toward the northeast, east, southeast, and west. The Reid et al 4 paper previously described presented results consistent with the preceding analyses. However, it went further by pointing out the increasing ratio of PS to SO 2 as measured in the air.…”

Section: Sulfate Observationssupporting

confidence: 81%

“…These latter species play important roles in the heterogeneous formation of PS within clouds. Thus, summer conditions favor increased SO 4 2Ϫ aerosol formation by way of two mechanisms. As PS is more rapidly produced, the atmospheric lifetime of SO 2 is shortened and less is deposited by dry deposition.…”

Section: Regional Trends and Tendenciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, trends in SO 4 2Ϫ are watched closely for what they might portend for visibility. Reid et al 4 recently reported an inconsistency between trends in annual ambient SO 2 trends compared with those for SO 2 because SO 4 2Ϫ , unlike its precursor, is a secondary pollutant. Other theories were that the current understanding of atmospheric processes affecting sulfur species is incomplete, or that other atmospheric constituents could be changing in ways that are changing SO 2 to SO 4 2Ϫ transformation rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal Aerosol Sulfate Trends for Selected Regions of the United States

Mueller

2003

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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“…EPA, 2004). It is supported by an increasing ozone concentration trend in the Boston area for 2000–2008 (3.2% year −1 , p<0.0001) because the trend of ozone concentrations can indicate that of other atmospheric oxidants (Reid et al 2001). The ozone concentration trend was estimated by constructing the same autoregressive model (i.e., equation 1) with daily averages of hourly ozone concentrations measured at the Chemical Speciation Network site in the Boston area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Assessment of primary and secondary ambient particle trends using satellite aerosol optical depth and ground speciation data in the New England region, United States

Lee¹,

Kang²,

Coull

et al. 2014

Environmental Research

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The effectiveness of air pollution emission control policies can be evaluated by examining ambient pollutant concentration trends that are observed at a large number of ground monitoring sites over time. In this paper, we used ground monitoring measurements in conjunction with satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) data to investigate fine particulate matter (PM2.5; particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) trends and their spatial patterns over a large U.S. region, New England, during 2000–2008. We examined the trends in rural and urban areas to get a better insight about the trends of regional and local source emissions. Decreases in PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m3) were more pronounced in urban areas than in rural ones. In addition, the highest and lowest PM2.5 decreases (μg/m3) were observed for winter and summer, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that primary particle concentrations decreased more relative to secondary ones. This is also supported by the analysis of the speciation data which showed that downward trends of primary pollutants including black carbon were stronger than those of secondary pollutants including sulfate. Furthermore, this study found that ambient primary pollutants decreased at the same rate as their respective source emissions. This was not the case for secondary pollutants which decreased at a slower rate than that of their precursor emissions. This indicates that concentrations of secondary pollutants depend not only on the primary emissions but also on the availability of atmospheric oxidants which might not change during the study period. This novel approach of investigating spatially varying concentration trends, in combination with ground PM2.5 species trends, can be of substantial regulatory importance.

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Do We Understand Trends in Atmospheric Sulfur Species?

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Air quality and atmospheric deposition in the eastern US: 20 years of change

Air quality and atmospheric deposition in the eastern US: 20 years of change

Seasonal Aerosol Sulfate Trends for Selected Regions of the United States

Assessment of primary and secondary ambient particle trends using satellite aerosol optical depth and ground speciation data in the New England region, United States

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