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- Glenn Meyers This study's title may trip the casual reader: "Characterization of VOCs and NOx in the World's Most Populated and Rapidly Growing Areas." Then there is the instrument that will be used for most measurement: a fast gas chromatographic mass spectrometer. That is where the list of acronyms and tongue-twisting names stops being a laughable matter. VOCs, short for volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides can mean mind-boggling bad news in how they cause air pollution. This international air study is being undertaken by the Boulder, Colo.-based National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Miami. Principle investigators are Eric Apel, a chemical scientist from NCAR and Daniel Riemer, from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences. The target
of this far-reaching study is 11 of the world's fastest growing urban
areas. A smaller city - Rosario, Argentina - with a population of 1 million people, will be used for a pilot study in March, 2003 before testing takes place in neighboring Buenos Aires. Researchers will stay in each city for approximately one week during two separate periods to collect samples in different sections of the cities. Current estimates have most of these cities doubling their population by the year 2025, said Apel. It is also estimated that the century's first quarter will have two-thirds of this planet's population living in urban environments. As this program
proposal states in its hypothesis, "virtually all population growth
during the next 30 years will occur in urban areas. More than 90 percent
of this increase will occur in less developed regions of the world. Increased
population, industrialization, and vehicle use will exacerbate the impact
developing regions will have on the global With early stages of industrialization taking place in these urban environments the impact of VOCs and nitrogen oxide emissions on the rest of the world will be significant. According to Apel, a study like this one has not been undertaken on a global scale. Riemer and Apel expect that rapidly urbanizing regions will adversely affect the atmospheric chemistry system over broad regions of the world. "We believe that as urbanization increases in developing regions the amount of pollutants will increase," said Riemer. The instrument being used for measurement, called a fast gas chromatographic mass spectrometer, was developed by Apel and Riemer in conjunction with NASA. In his work with NASA, Apel and Riemer recently studied the effects of something called the Chinese plume. The Chinese plume exists for the most part, because of massive coal combustion on the ground. Coal is still China's primary source for heat. But the effects of the plume don't simply hang over China. The plume affects surrounding countries, including Japan, as Apel's mass spectrometer showed. A significant and component of this study will involve its outreach and education programs. The developers of the project hope to establish close interactions with local scientists and officials in the urban areas being studied. At a minimum, a local university faculty member and a student will assist in the collection of samples and offer insights into the respective urban areas. They have already heard from interested student in Brazil and Argentina who wish to participate in the measurements. "It will be a good first step to the success of this program," Apel said. Joint participation like this is a key to the long-range success of this study. "We're coming at the angle of trying to involve people from these countries, inviting them to our own laboratories and exchanging students. That way, we have a win-win situation for everybody." VOCs were not even thought of before the late 1940s as a source of pollution. That is, until a study took place in Los Angeles to find out why residents were being irritate by the air. The study found that when VOCs are mixed with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight, ozone is formed. Ozone may be essential to this planet's survival in the upper reaches of the stratosphere, where it filters out UV radiation from the sun. But in the troposphere, or nearer to the ground, ozone creates an unhealthy amount of air pollution. Initial use of the fast gas chromatographic mass spectrometer took place aboard a NASA jet that was equipped with numerous instruments the organization was testing. This instrument, weighing just under 400 pounds, can selectively measure as many as 100 compounds at the same time. Because the jet flies so fast through so many different elements, the instrument's fast-time response rate is critical. "NASA was a great springboard for us, especially in developing the instruments we're using," said Apel. Apel remains focused on the way that the atmosphere of this planet has evolved in a way that allows life to flourish and continue. "A lot of our research is aimed at looking at the chemical composition of the atmosphere as it is today," he said, citing reasons for the study. "The study that we're embarking on now has not been done before." Apel hopes
this study will help trigger an era of international accountability regarding
the environment of planet Earth. "We are trying to establish a nice
network of communications with the various governments around the world,"
he said.  back to news |
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