TY - JOUR
T1 - Intra-urban correlation and spatial variability of air toxics across an international airshed in Detroit, Michigan (USA) and Windsor, Ontario (Canada)
AU - Miller, Lindsay
AU - Lemke, Lawrence D.
AU - Xu, Xiaohong
AU - Molaroni, Shannon M.
AU - You, Hongyu
AU - Wheeler, Amanda J.
AU - Booza, Jason
AU - Grgicak-Mannion, Alice
AU - Krajenta, Richard
AU - Graniero, Phillip
AU - Krouse, Helene
AU - Lamerato, Lois
AU - Raymond, Delbert
AU - Reiners, John
AU - Weglicki, Linda
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this project was provided by the Wayne State University Research Enhancement Program (REP) for Clinical Translational Science in Urban Health, the University of Windsor , and Health Canada . The authors sincerely thank Wayne State and University of Windsor students for data collection; the Detroit Fire Department and participating organizations in Windsor for active sampler site access; Detroit Public Lighting and James Brown at EnWin Utilities in Windsor for permission to place passive samplers on light poles; Ryan Kulka and Keith Van Ryswyk from Health Canada, Jeffery Brook and Sandy Benetti from Environment Canada, Crystal Gilbert and Ray Scott from the Detroit Department of Environmental Affairs, and David Lowrie from Wayne State University for essential technical and logistical support. We gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport model used in this publication.
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - As part of a larger research project initiated by the Geospatial Determinants of Health Outcomes Consortium (GeoDHOC), an air quality study was conducted in an international airshed encompassing Detroit, Michigan, USA, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Active and passive samplers were used to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), 26 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides, and three size fractions of particulate matter (PM) over a two-week period in September, 2008. Measurements of NO2 and 14 VOCs were found to be acceptable at 98 out of 100 passive monitoring sites. PAH and PM measurements were acceptable at 38 out of 50 active sites. Mean concentrations for all analytes except for PM2.5-10 were higher in Detroit than Windsor by a factor of up to 1.8. Strong statistical correlations were found among benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), as well as between NO2 and PM in Detroit. In Windsor, the strongest correlations were between NO2 and total VOCs, as well as total PAHs and total VOCs. Differences in the degree of correlation observed in Detroit and Windsor are attributable to differences in the volume and composition of emissions within the two cities. Spatial variability was evaluated using a combination of statistical (coefficient of variation) and geostatistical (standardized variogram slope) metrics together with concentration maps. Greater spatial variability was observed for total VOCs and total BTEX in Detroit, while greater variability of NO2, total PAHs, and PM was found in Windsor. Results of this study suggest that statistical correlations between NO2 and other contaminants may not provide sufficient justification for the indiscriminant use of NO2 as a proxy for those contaminants if smaller scale features are to be reproduced.
AB - As part of a larger research project initiated by the Geospatial Determinants of Health Outcomes Consortium (GeoDHOC), an air quality study was conducted in an international airshed encompassing Detroit, Michigan, USA, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Active and passive samplers were used to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), 26 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides, and three size fractions of particulate matter (PM) over a two-week period in September, 2008. Measurements of NO2 and 14 VOCs were found to be acceptable at 98 out of 100 passive monitoring sites. PAH and PM measurements were acceptable at 38 out of 50 active sites. Mean concentrations for all analytes except for PM2.5-10 were higher in Detroit than Windsor by a factor of up to 1.8. Strong statistical correlations were found among benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), as well as between NO2 and PM in Detroit. In Windsor, the strongest correlations were between NO2 and total VOCs, as well as total PAHs and total VOCs. Differences in the degree of correlation observed in Detroit and Windsor are attributable to differences in the volume and composition of emissions within the two cities. Spatial variability was evaluated using a combination of statistical (coefficient of variation) and geostatistical (standardized variogram slope) metrics together with concentration maps. Greater spatial variability was observed for total VOCs and total BTEX in Detroit, while greater variability of NO2, total PAHs, and PM was found in Windsor. Results of this study suggest that statistical correlations between NO2 and other contaminants may not provide sufficient justification for the indiscriminant use of NO2 as a proxy for those contaminants if smaller scale features are to be reproduced.
KW - Air quality
KW - Correlation
KW - International airshed
KW - Multi-pollutant
KW - Spatial variability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=76449083491&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.12.030
DO - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.12.030
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:76449083491
SN - 1352-2310
VL - 44
SP - 1162
EP - 1174
JO - Atmospheric Environment
JF - Atmospheric Environment
IS - 9
ER -
