Measurement of Dust Emissions Generated by Military Vehicles Using Optical Remote Sensing Method at Fort Carson, Colorado

摘要

Dusts generated by mobile military vehicles may cause adverse health effects to humans and degrade visibility during military trainings and operations. Therefore, it is important to quantify particulate matter (PM) emissions caused by select military vehicles. In this study, an optical remote sensing (ORS) method was used to determine the PM emissions by three tracked vehicles (M88A2, M270, and M113) and one wheeled vehicle (HEMTT) while moving at constant speeds ranged from 5 MPH to their maximum. Field measurements took place in Fort Carson, CO during September 16-19, 2008. In this ORS method, a vertical scanning Micropulse Lidar (MPL) was used to construct 2-D light extinction profiles across the dust plumes generated by the mobile vehicles at four different angles. To determine PM particle size distributions, pathaveraged extinction values using select wavelengths of light were measured by Open Path - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (OP-FTIR) and Open Path - Laser Transmissometry (OP-LT). Future analysis will convert the time-dependent 2-D extinction profiles into 2-D PM mass concentration profiles, using measurement data from MPL, OP-FTIR, and OP-LT and assuming dust density and refractive index values. The PM mass emissions will then be calculated by integrating the time-dependent 2-D mass concentration profiles with concurrent wind vector data. This paper presents the results and interpretations of the time-dependent 2-D light extinction profiles for each vehicle type and speed.