Ambient Size-Segregated Particulate Matter Characterization from a Port in Upstate New York

Air pollution impacts human health and the environment, especially in urban cities with substantial industrial activities and vehicular traffic emissions. Despite increasingly strict regulations put in place by regulatory agencies, air pollution is still a significant environmental problem in cities across the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental pollution from stationary and mobile sources using real-time monitoring and sampling techniques to characterize size-segregated particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), and ozone (O-3) at the Port of Albany, NY. Air pollution monitoring was carried out for 3 consecutive weeks under a 24-hour cycle in 2018 at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) site within the Port. Sampling was done with an AEROCET 531, optical particle sizer (OPS), ozone monitor, and MicroAeth AE51. Higher mass and number concentrations of size-segregated particles were observed during the daytime. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations ranged from 1 to 271 micrograms per cubic meter (mu g/m(3)) and 1 to 344 mu g/m(3), respectively. While these values do not exceed the level of the USEPA 24-hour standards, frequent sharp peaks were observed at higher concentrations. Size-segregated PM at sizes 0.3 mu m and 0.374 mu m recorded maximum concentrations of 101,631 particle number per cubic centimeter (#/cm(3)) and 43,432 #/cm(3), respectively. Wide variations were observed in the particle number concentrations for 0.3 mu m, 0.374 mu m, and 0.465 mu m sizes, which ranged from 1521 to 101,631 #/cm(3); 656 to 43,432 #/cm(3); and 311 to 29,271 #/cm(3), respectively. BC concentration increased during morning and evening rush hours with the maximum concentration of 11,971 ng/m(3) recorded at 8:00 AM. This suggests that mobile sources are the primary contributor to anthropogenic sources of BC within the Port. Episodic elevations in the concentrations of size-segregated PM and BC confirmed the contribution of industrial and vehicular activities around the Port of Albany. This study underscores the importance of measuring particles on a size-segregated basis in order to more fully understand the contributions of the multiple sources present within and surrounding a port environment.