Using Mobile Monitoring to Evaluate PM_2.5 from Wood Smoke

According to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, “wood smoke [is] responsible for an average of one-third of the PM in the [Bay Area’s] air basin during the winter months and almost 70% of the PM in Santa Rosa.” Given the importance of wood smoke contributions to PM, Sonoma Technology conducted a 12-week wintertime study in Santa Rosa to
<ol>
<li>Evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of PM_2.5 during the winter in Santa Rosa</li>
<li>Investigate the representativeness of a single monitor of PM_2.5 in Santa Rosa, a city with complex terrain and meteorology</li>
<li>Demonstrate the usefulness of modest-cost mobile monitoring to address scientific questions about the spatial distribution of PM_2.5</li>
</ol>
We installed four federal equivalent method Beta Attenuation Monitors (BAMs) in selected neighborhoods and collected air quality data in and around these neighborhoods using a mobile monitor. The results of this work demonstrated
<ul>
<li>The usefulness of mobile monitoring to evaluate the spatial scale of wintertime PM_2.5</li>
<li>The large spatial and temporal variability of PM_2.5 concentrations within neighborhoods (these variations were not detected by the hourly BAM measurements)</li>
<li>High concentrations coincident with the smell of smoke indicate a likely association with local wood burning</li>