Urban Air Quality

Executive Summary

Vertical measurement of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone will be made collaboratively by the North Carolina Division of Air Quality and North Carolina State University on a 610 m tall tower located 15 km southeast of Raleigh, NC, as part of an effort by the State of North Carolina to develop a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for PM2.5 and ozone control in the Raleigh Metropolitan Statistical Area and other metropolitan areas in the state. PM2.5 and ozone will be monitored at 10, 250, and 433 m height levels during the ozone season (May to October), together with hydrocarbon canister sampling and meteorology. A regional atmospheric chemistry/transport model, called Multiscale Air Quality SImulation Platform (MAQSIP) was employed to simulate three-dimensional PM2.5 and O3 distribution over the eastern United States during the summer months. This facilitated in the examination of the transport of PM2.5, ozone, and their precursors in an effort to understand and develop ozone and PM2.5 control strategies for North Carolina