A21A-0051
Source Apportionment of Volatile Organic Compounds and PM2.5 Using Positive Matrix Factorization in Two National Parks Impacted by Oil and Natural Gas Drilling Operations
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Ashley Evanoski-Cole1, Anthony J Prenni2, Barkley C Sive3, Yong Zhou1, Katherine Beem Benedict4, Derek Day5, Misha I Schurman6, Amy Sullivan5, Yi Li7, Sara Lynn Callahan8, Jennifer Lynn Hand9, Kristi A Gebhart9, Bret A Schichtel9, Emily V Fischer1 and Jeffrey Lee Collett Jr5, (1)Colorado State University, Atmospheric Science, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (2)National Park Service, Air Resources Division, Lakewood, CO, United States, (3)National Park Service Denver Service Center, Denver, CO, United States, (4)University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States, (5)Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (6)Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, (7)Colorado State University, FORT COLLINS, CO, United States, (8)Harold Washington College, Chicago, IL, United States, (9)National Park Service Fort Collins, Air Resources Division, Fort Collins, CO, United States
Abstract:
As the oil and natural gas industry expands into rural areas of the United States, it is becoming increasingly important to investigate its impact on air quality in nearby national parks and other protected federal lands. Data from two different field studies centered in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado and the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota will be used to perform a comprehensive source apportionment study. Measurements at both locations include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PM2.5 and their precursor gases, and meteorological variables. Both sites are located near concentrated oil and natural gas operations but other local and regional emission sources differ. Other potential sources near Theodore Roosevelt National Park include increased diesel truck traffic, coal fired power plants and road dust. Rocky Mountain National Park is impacted by the transport of emissions from urban centers and agriculture in eastern Colorado. Additionally, the study at Theodore Roosevelt National Park occurred over two consecutive winters and the measurements at Rocky Mountain National Park were collected during the summer. Using these field study data and the EPA positive matrix factorization (PMF) tool, the different source factors for each field site will be investigated. In particular, the differences in the oil and gas factor from each study location will be discussed.
