| Title: | Impact of U.S. Oil and Natural Gas Emission Increases on Surface Ozone Is Most Pronounced in the Central United States |
| Author(s): | Pozzer A; Schultz MG; Helmig D; |
| Address: | "Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Hahn-Meitner-Weg 1, 55128 Mainz, Germany. Julich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Street, 52425 Julich, Germany. Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80305, United States" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1520-5851 (Electronic) 0013-936X (Print) 0013-936X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Observations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a surface sampling network and simulation results from the EMAC (ECHAM5/MESSy for Atmospheric Chemistry) model were analyzed to assess the impact of increased emissions of VOCs and nitrogen oxides from U.S. oil and natural gas (O&NG) sources on air quality. In the first step, the VOC observations were used to optimize the magnitude and distribution of atmospheric ethane and higher-alkane VOC emissions in the model inventory for the base year 2009. Observation-based increases of the emissions of VOCs and NO(x) stemming from U.S. oil and natural gas (O&NG) sources during 2009-2014 were then added to the model, and a set of sensitivity runs was conducted for assessing the influence of the increased emissions on summer surface ozone levels. For the year 2014, the added O&NG emissions are predicted to affect surface ozone across a large geographical scale in the United States. These emissions are responsible for an increased number of days when the averaged 8-h ozone values exceed 70 ppb, with the highest sensitivity being in the central and midwestern United States, where most of the O&NG growth has occurred. These findings demonstrate that O&NG emissions significantly affect the air quality across most of the United States, can regionally offset reductions of ozone precursor emissions made in other sectors, and can have a determining influence on a region's ability to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) obligations for ozone" |
| Keywords: | *Air Pollutants/analysis *Air Pollution/analysis Environmental Monitoring Midwestern United States Natural Gas *Ozone/analysis United States *Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis; |
| Notes: | "MedlinePozzer, Andrea Schultz, Martin G Helmig, Detlev eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2020/09/10 Environ Sci Technol. 2020 Oct 6; 54(19):12423-12433. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b06983. Epub 2020 Sep 9" |
