Journal
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
Volume 70, Issue -, Pages 521-531Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.11.030
Keywords
VOCs; Trace gases; PTR-MS; Positive matrix factorization; Conditional probability function; Tijuana
Funding
- National Science Foundation [AGS-1009727, AGS-1009393]
- Robert A. Welch Foundation [A-1417]
- Mexican Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources
- California Air Resources Board
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [40905057, 41275142]
- Jiangsu University Natural Science Research Foundation [09KJB170004]
- Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation [BK2012861]
- Div Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [1009393] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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As part of the Cal-Mex 2010 air quality study, a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) was deployed at the San Diego-Tijuana border area to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from 15 May to 30 June 2010. The major VOCs identified during the study included oxygenated VOCs (e.g., methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, and methyl ethyl ketone) and aromatics (e.g., benzene, toluene, C-8- and C-9-aromatics). Biogenic VOCs (e.g., isoprene) were scarce in this region because of the lack of vegetation in this arid area. Using an U.S. EPA positive matrix factorization model, VOCs together with other trace gases (NOx, NOz and SO2) observed in this border region were attributed to four types of sources, i.e., local industrial solvent usage (58% in ppbC), gasoline vehicle exhaust (19% in ppbC), diesel vehicle exhaust (14% in ppbC), and aged plume (9% in ppbC) due to regional background and/or long-range transport. Diesel vehicle emission contributed to 87% of SO2 and 75% of NOx and aged plume contributed to 92% of NOz. An independent conditional probability function analysis of VOCs, wind direction, and wind speed indicated that the industrial source did not show a significant tendency with wind direction. Both gasoline and diesel engine emissions were associated with air masses passing through two busy cross-border ports. Aged plumes were strongly associated with NW wind, which likely brought in aged air masses from the populated San Diego area. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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