Robert E. Keislar

Evolution of the Magnitude and Spatial Extent of the Weekend Ozone Effect in California’s South Coast Air Basin, 1981–2000

Abstract Since the mid-1970s, ozone (O3) levels in portions of California’s South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) on weekends have been as high as or higher than levels on weekdays, even though emissions of O3 precursors are lower on weekends. Analysis of the ambient data indicates that the intensity and spatial extent of the weekend O3 effect are correlated with day-of-week variations in the extent of O3 inhibition caused by titration with nitric oxide (NO), reaction of hydroxyl radical (OH) with nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and rates of O3 accumulation. Lower NO mixing ratios and higher NO2/oxides of nitrogen (NOx) ratios on weekend mornings allow O3 to begin accumulating approximately an hour earlier on weekends. The weekday/weekend differences in the duration of O3 accumulation remained relatively constant from 1981 to 2000. In contrast, the rate of O3 accumulation decreased by one-third to one-half over the same period; the largest reductions occurred in the central basin on weekdays. Trends in mixing ratios of O3 precursors show a transition to lower volatile organic compound (VOC)/NOx ratios caused by greater reductions in VOC emissions. Reductions in VOC/NOx ratios were greater on weekdays, resulting in higher VOC/NOx ratios on weekends relative to weekdays. Trends in VOC/NOx ratios parallel the downward trend in peak O3 levels, a shift in the location of peak O3 from the central to the eastern portion of the basin, and an increase in the magnitude and spatial extent of the weekend O3 effect.

On-road measurement of automotive particle emissions by ultraviolet Lidar and transmissometer: theory

An on-road vehicle emissions remote sensing system (VERSS) utilizing an ultraviolet laser (operating at a wavelength of 266 nm) has been developed to quantify the particulate mass in vehicle exhaust. The system simultaneously measures the backscatter and the transmission of the laser light. Obtaining the particulate matter mass concentration from the measurements depends upon a prior laboratory calibration as well as knowledge of the physical, chemical and optical characteristics of the exhaust particles.

Semicontinuous method for monitoring SO2 at low parts-per-trillion concentrations

A technique is described for low parts-per-trillion (ppt) detection of SO 2 with high temporal resolution compared to current filter sampling methods. A sulfur chemiluminescence detector, equipped with a quartz burner chamber and a sample probe with a critical orifice, was used as a single detector to analyze SO 2 in ambient air by alternately cycling the sample airstream through a SO 2 denuder. The method provides one SO 2 concentration reading every 10 min. The limits of detection and quantitation were found to be 20 and 70 pptv, respectively. Results from field measurements at a remote site on the south rim of the Grand Canyon during November 1991 are presented, and they indicate a highly variable distribution of SO 2 from the limit of detection to near 2 ppbv

Radiative destabilization of the nocturnal stable atmospheric boundary layer over the desert

Radiative destabilization of the nocturnal stable atmospheric boundary layer (NSABL) over homogeneous desert terrain is predicted by an analytical model based on a modified diffusion equation. The model applies late at night under calm, dry conditions when long-wave radiative transfer dominates the NSABL evolution. A three-layer structure for the NSABL is proposed: a shear sub-layer closest to the surface, a radiative sub-layer which contains the inversion top, and a coupling sub-layer which matches the NSABL with the residual layer aloft. A sub-sub-layer called the nocturnal internal boundary layer (NIBL) is nested within the radiative sub-layer and comprises the temperature maximum. The model can explain: (1) maximum cooling in the NIBL, (2) deepening of the NIBL, (3) radiative destabilization of the NSABL, and (4) possible surface warming before sunrise. An example from the Mohave Desert, USA is presented, and the observed temperature profile compares favorably with the model solution.