Estimation of on-road NO 2 concentrations, NO 2 /NO X ratios, and related roadway gradients from near-road monitoring data

Abstract

This paper describes a new regression modeling approach to estimate on-road nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and oxides of nitrogen (NO_X) concentrations and near-road spatial gradients using data from a near-road monitoring network. Field data were collected in Las Vegas, NV, at three monitors sited 20, 100, and 300 m from Interstate-15 between December 2008 and January 2010. Measurements of NO₂ and NO_X were integrated over 1-h intervals and matched with meteorological data. Several mathematical transformations were tested for regressing pollutant concentrations against distance from the roadway. A logit-ln model was found to have the best fit (R ² = 94.7 %) and also provided a physically realistic profile. The mathematical model used data from the near-road monitors to estimate on-road concentrations and the near-road gradient over which mobile source pollutants have concentrations elevated above background levels. Average and maximum on-road NO₂ concentration estimates were 33 and 105 ppb, respectively. Concentration gradients were steeper in the morning and late afternoon compared with overnight when stable conditions preclude mixing. Estimated on-road concentrations were also highest in the late afternoon. Median estimated on-road and gradient NO₂ concentrations were lower during summer compared with winter, with a steeper gradient during the summer, when convective mixing occurs during a longer portion of the day. On-road concentration estimates were higher for winds perpendicular to the road compared with parallel winds and for atmospheric stability with neutral-to-unstable atmospheric conditions. The concentration gradient with increasing distance from the road was estimated to be sharper for neutral-to-unstable conditions when compared with stable conditions and for parallel wind conditions compared with perpendicular winds. A regression of the NO₂/NO_X ratios yielded on-road ratios ranging from 0.25 to 0.35, substantially higher than the anticipated tailpipe emissions ratios. The results from the ratios also showed that the diurnal cycle of the background NO₂/NO_X ratios were a driving factor in the on-road and downwind NO₂/NO_X ratios.

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