Trajectory Analysis of Summertime Sulfate Concentrations in the Northeastern United States

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Abstract
This paper presents a technique for quantifying the relationships between observed concentrations of atmospheric sulfate aerosol and their corresponding upstream history of sulfur dioxide emissions, wind speed and mixing height. Using reported sulfate concentrations from several sampling sites in the northeastern United States, 72 h upstream trajectories have been computed for winds in the mixed layer of the atmosphere over the duration of their respective sampling periods. Trajectories from one site were computed for four sublayers, each 400 m thick, extending from the surface to 1600 m. The deviations in along-trajectory and cross-trajectory directions of each of the sublayers from the position of the whole mixed layer were computed. From this the functions σy(t) and σx(t) for travel times of 6 to 72 h were derived for each layer individually and collectively for the whole layer. The values of σy(t) and σx(t) for the whole mixed-layer were found to be roughly equivalent over this time period an... Abstract This paper presents a technique for quantifying the relationships between observed concentrations of atmospheric sulfate aerosol and their corresponding upstream history of sulfur dioxide emissions, wind speed and mixing height. Using reported sulfate concentrations from several sampling sites in the northeastern United States, 72 h upstream trajectories have been computed for winds in the mixed layer of the atmosphere over the duration of their respective sampling periods. Trajectories from one site were computed for four sublayers, each 400 m thick, extending from the surface to 1600 m. The deviations in along-trajectory and cross-trajectory directions of each of the sublayers from the position of the whole mixed layer were computed. From this the functions σy(t) and σx(t) for travel times of 6 to 72 h were derived for each layer individually and collectively for the whole layer. The values of σy(t) and σx(t) for the whole mixed-layer were found to be roughly equivalent over this time period an...

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