Near-port air quality assessment utilizing a mobile measurement approach

Mobile monitoring is a strategy to characterize spatially and temporally variable air pollution in areas near sources. EPA's Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution (GMAP) vehicle - an all-electric vehicle is outfitted with a number of measurement devices to record real-time concentrations of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants - was used to map air pollution levels near the Port of Charleston in South Carolina. High-resolution monitoring was performed along driving routes near several port terminals and rail yard facilities, recording geospatial coordinates and concentrations of pollutants including black carbon, size-resolved particle count ranging from ultrafine to coarse (6 nm-20 microm), carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Additionally, a portable meteorological station was used to characterize local conditions. The primary objective of this work was to characterize the impact of port facilities on local scale air quality. The study determined that elevated concentration measurements of black carbon and PM correlated to periods of increased port activity and a significant elevation in concentration was observed downwind of ports. However, limitations in study design prevented a more complete analysis of the port effect.