| Abstrakt: |
This objective of this study was to identify external sources of high particulate concentrations at a monitoring station in northcentral Texas, U.S. Concentrations of particulate matter finer than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), averaged over 24 hours, were plotted over a five-year period, from 2018 through 2022. PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 0.2 μg/m³ to 52.0 μg/m³, with a mean of 7.4 μg/m³ and standard deviation of 4.1 μg/m³. For 23 PM2.5 samples (of 1,667 total samples) with concentrations above 20 μg/m³, backward atmospheric transport trajectories and satellite data were used to identify likely external sources. Saharan dust affected all but two of the 23 samples with the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Smoke from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains (Oklahoma and Kansas) affected the other two of 23 elevated samples. Results illustrate a substantial influence of Saharan dust on PM2.5 concentrations, especially in summer months, near the western edge of its westward transport trajectory. Monitoring and forecasting Saharan dust incursions should help inform regional air quality advisories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
