Understanding the Influence of Global Air Pollution on U.S. Air Quality Through Observations at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory

首席调查员(PI)和他的同事将对Mt.山的一氧化碳(CO)、臭氧(O3)、氮氧化物(NOx)、总反应氮(NOY)、过氧乙酰硝酸盐(PAN)和气溶胶物理性质进行多年的观测。单人天文台，太平洋西北部的一个高海拔地点。这一地点已被证明经常接收自由对流层中从亚洲输送的污染物。这个项目建立在以前关于亚洲和全球排放量增加对背景空气质量的影响的工作的基础上。这些观测将被用来解决有关亚洲污染物对美国空气质量的影响的新的科学问题。最重要的问题是：不断变化的亚洲排放和全球生物质燃烧排放如何影响美国的空气质量？一个重要的假设是，PAN是改变亚洲NOx排放(来自所有来源)的关键指标，PAN的年际变化将与对流层臭氧的年际变化相关，这是通过现场和卫星仪器观察到的。更广泛的影响源于这样一个事实，即亚洲的排放会影响美国的空气质量。该项目将为空气质量监管机构提供有关非本地来源影响的科学信息。此外，该项目还将允许Mt.通过向其他研究人员提供学士天文台，继续将其发展为国家资源。几名研究生还将在实验过程中接受研究经验和培训。

The Principal Investigator (PI) and colleagues will carry out a multi-year sequence of observations of carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), total reactive nitrogen (NOy), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and aerosol physical properties at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory, a high elevation site in the Pacific Northwest. This site has been shown to frequently receive pollutants transported from Asia in the free troposphere. This project builds on previous work on the implications of increasing Asian and global emissions for background air quality. The observations will be used to address new scientific questions concerning the implications of Asian pollutants on U.S. air quality. The over-arching question is: How do changing Asian emissions and global biomass burning emissions influence air quality in the U.S? A major hypothesis is that PAN is a key indicator of changing Asian NOx emissions (from all sources) and that interannual variations in PAN will correlate with interannual variations in tropospheric ozone, as observed by both in-situ and satellite instruments. Broader impacts stem from the fact that Asian emissions affect air quality in the United States. This project will provide scientific information to air quality regulators on influences from non-local sources. In addition, the project will allow the Mt. Bachelor Observatory to continue to develop as a national resource by making it available to other researchers. Several graduate students will also receive research experience and training over the course of the experiments.