Obtaining a Better Understanding of Ozone Air Pollution inthe Four Corners Area via Comprehensive Analyses ofAmbient Air Monitoring Data

摘要

During the summer of 1997 the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) deployed anambient ozone sensor near Farmington, New Mexico, in the northwest corner of the State. The8-hour ozone design value at this site rose to become the highest ozone concentration monitoredin the Four Corners area encompassing northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado,southeastern Utah, and northeastern Arizona. The rise in northwestern New Mexico ozoneconcentrations prompted attention from citizens and State, Local, Federal, and Tribalgovernments, and additional ambient monitoring of ozone and ozone precursors has occurredover the past few years in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. This paper provides acomprehensive analysis of ambient air monitoring data collected in the Four Corners area andadjacent region since the early 1990’s. Trends, high ozone episode, and Four Cornersarea/regional ozone background analyses are conducted using the ozone, nitrogen oxides (NOx),and meteorological data recorded by all of the ambient monitors in the Four Corners area andadjacent region. In addition, results from a passive ozone monitoring saturation study completedin 2003 in San Juan County, New Mexico, are discussed, and the initial results from first timelong-term volatile organic compound (VOC) canister sampling at two sites in San Juan County,New Mexico, in 2004 are presented. All of these data assessments provide a betterunderstanding of the current ozone air quality in the Four Corners area.