Determination and Evaluation of Sampling Velocity in a Simple Passive Sampling Method to Monitor HNO_3(g) in Ambient Air

摘要

We evaluated the applicability of a simple passive sampling method to quantify HNO_3(g) in ambient air. The method has the advantages of not only ease of operation but also low cost. A sampling velocity of 214 m day~(-1) was determined based on the concentration of HNO_3(g) measured by the four-stage filter-pack method at nine sites located within a 250×250-km area in Japan. This sampling velocity was applied at sites located outside of area to verify the applicability and accuracy of the simple passivernsampling method. The variation in the results for the application of the sampling velocity ranged from 0.39 to 0.95. The simple passive sampling method should be applied to sites with different meteorological conditions, and the obtained data should be used to obtain more significant information and/or to indicate the need for further developments in the methodology.