Title: Dallas Measurements of Ozone Production
Institution(s) Represented: University of Houston- Barry Lefer, Pennsylvania State University- William Brune
Lead PI: Barry Lefer
AQRP Project Manager: David Sullivan
TCEQ Project Liaison: Doug Boyer
Awarded Amount: $195,054.00
Executive Summary- Project 10-034
Dallas Measurements of Ozone Production
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metroplex (DFW) includes approximately 6.5 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 4th largest in the United States. Given that the DFW area does not include large petrochemical facilities, the primary source of the anthropogenic ozone precursor NOx and VOCs emissions are the significant mobile source emissions and a number of large point sources, specifically electric power plants and cement kilns. While the ozone design value for DFW is very close to being in compliance with NAAQS 8-hr ozone standard of 84 ppbv it is interesting to note that ozone levels have not decreased significantly in recent years (Allen and Olaguer, 2004). In addition, improvements in the production of natural gas from a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of the Fort Worth Basin of the Barnett Shale formation have resulted in a dramatic increase in both number natural gas wells and production of natural gas in the DFW region. The network of 18 TCEQ ozone monitoring sites in the DFW area is designed to capture both upwind and downwind ozone mixing ratios; the peak ozone values are frequently observed along the northwestern border of the network. This may be due to the prevailing southeast winds transporting polluted air from the urban areas, the recent increase in energy industry activities in the area, or some combination of the two.
The understanding of photochemical ozone production in the Dallas - Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex is still incomplete (AQRP, 2010). Central to gaining a better understanding of the DFW ozone issue is providing chemical measurements that can directly be compared to the SIP chemical transport models. Measurements of the ozone production rates would quickly and significantly help constrain the degree to which the TCEQ chemical transport models are performing in a realistic way and improve the understanding of how these models can be employed for policy recommendations. Direct measurements of the ozone production rate can be used to determine not only if the measured ozone is similar to the forecasted but if the measured at a site was produced locally or transported from somewhere else. As the NAAQS for ozone decreases the distinction between transported (or background) ozone and locally produced ozone is critical. To help provide the measurements to reduce the uncertainty in our understanding of the conditions contributing to photochemical ozone in the Dallas area, two of the new Pennsylvania State University Measurements of Ozone Production Sensors (MOPS) are being deployed to continuously measure ozone production rates in the DFW region, beginning with the TCEQ Eagle Mountain Lake site (CAMS 75), and additional locations to be determined with the guidance of the AQRP and TCEQ.
The data will show the temporal and spatial variability of in situ net ozone production rates in the DFW area, as well as potential NOx sensitivity. This data will enable determination of the fraction of the ozone is produced locally compared to the transported or background ozone. Coupling this data with speciated auto-GC data and other measurements (i.e. meteorological, ozone, NO, NOx, etc.) from the TCEQ CAMS sites where the instruments will be located will help determine how ozone production changes with varying air composition. This information will be useful in developing ozone control strategies and determining whether local or regional controls may be best suited for this area in the State Implementation Plan.
Work Plan: projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Work Plan.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Mar 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Apr 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report May 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Jun 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Jul 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Aug 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Sep 2011.pdf
Technical Report(s): projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Tech Report Oct 2011.pdf
QAPP: projectinfo\10-034\10-034 QAPP.pdf
Final Report: projectinfo\10-034\10-034 Final Report.pdf
