Category: Applied Research Overview

The Utah Winter Fine Particulate Study (UWFPS) is a collaborative project between scientists from the Division of Air Quality (DAQ), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), University of Utah, University of Washington, University of Toronto,

Valleys along the Wasatch Mountains (Cache, Salt Lake and Utah) experience high levels of particulate matter (PM) in winter months and are currently designated as non-attainment area for particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5). The chemical aspects of these pollution episodes are not well characterized. In order to fill in this gap in our knowledge, researchers from

The Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ) monitoring found high levels of ozone near the Great Salt Lake from 2010-2013. The Division also found a wide variance in the concentration of ozone in the stable air pocket over the lake during the summertime. Though the mechanisms behind air flow in lake and coastal regions have been studied extensively in the past, how that flow

Atmospheric chlorine is a strong oxidant and known to potentially initiate photochemistry via reactions with various common hydrocarbons. Kerry et al (2013) found that chlorine atoms significantly contribute to local Salt Lake City PM2.5 during elevated wintertime episodes with ammonium chloride accounting for 10-15% of the PM2.5 mass. In order quantify the concentrations of local atmospheric chlorides, a network of 14 passive hydrochloric acid

Wintertime meteorological conditions in Utah are difficult to portray using conventional atmospheric-modeling approaches. To improve the accuracy of simulations of pollution along the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley, models need to better simulate the complex meteorological features associated with the cold-air pools that form during winter in the valleys of northern Utah. Specifically, models need to replicate the boundary layer

Following the completion of the Winter Modeling Improvements study funded by DAQ with the original legislative research funding, DAQ contracted with the same research group for a targeted meteorological modeling project. The purpose of this was to model three past inversion episodes using the model improvements that resulted from the original study. The study was completed over a brief six

Wintertime ozone in the Uinta Basin is unique and requires improvements to the photochemical models used for winter conditions. Current chemical mechanisms within the modeling system assume a summertime temperature of 300 K (80° F) when performing important chemical reactions, far different from the wintertime temperatures in the Basin. In order to properly model the wintertime ozone problem in the

Wintertime ozone is a serious air quality issue in Utah’s Uinta Basin. The situation is unique and requires improvements to photochemical models, such as the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) used by Utah’s Division of Air Quality, to simulate wintertime ozone. High concentrations of wintertime ozone occur over snow-covered surfaces. Snow cover influences wintertime ozone by increasing surface albedo

Reducing automobile emissions has been a central component of the state’s plans to improve air quality. Unfortunately, there is little literature or data that identify the benefits or consequences from changes to the way individuals and fleets start their vehicles, particularly under Utah-specific conditions. A small, earlier study measured the pollutant and pollutant precursor emissions of three vehicles to compare

Utah Division of Air Quality Air Toxics Study details (I-IV).Note: The following content is archived, and is being kept for reference, research, or recordkeeping.Air Toxics Study I The Utah Division of Air Quality has been monitoring ambient concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) in the Salt Lake Valley for over a decade. Since trace amounts of toxic compounds have been linked

Two air sampling campaigns that will be carried out in West Valley City, UT during the winter and summer months using a suite of state-of-the-art instruments. Data from this study will allow for an estimate of population exposure to HAPs. West Valley City is a municipality with a rapidly expanding population (2nd largest in Utah) to the west of Salt