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Air quality implications of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
- Source :
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2012 Dec 11; Vol. 109 (50), pp. 20280-5. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Dec 28. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- During the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, a wide range of gas and aerosol species were measured from an aircraft around, downwind, and away from the DWH site. Additional hydrocarbon measurements were made from ships in the vicinity. Aerosol particles of respirable sizes were on occasions a significant air quality issue for populated areas along the Gulf Coast. Yields of organic aerosol particles and emission factors for other atmospheric pollutants were derived for the sources from the spill, recovery, and cleanup efforts. Evaporation and subsequent secondary chemistry produced organic particulate matter with a mass yield of 8 ± 4% of the oil mixture reaching the water surface. Approximately 4% by mass of oil burned on the surface was emitted as soot particles. These yields can be used to estimate the effects on air quality for similar events as well as for this spill at other times without these data. Whereas emission of soot from burning surface oil was large during the episodic burns, the mass flux of secondary organic aerosol to the atmosphere was substantially larger overall. We use a regional air quality model to show that some observed enhancements in organic aerosol concentration along the Gulf Coast were likely due to the DWH spill. In the presence of evaporating hydrocarbons from the oil, NO(x) emissions from the recovery and cleanup operations produced ozone.
- Subjects :
- Aerosols analysis
Aerosols toxicity
Environmental Monitoring
Gases analysis
Gases toxicity
Gulf of Mexico
Humans
Models, Theoretical
Organic Chemicals analysis
Organic Chemicals toxicity
Particulate Matter analysis
Particulate Matter toxicity
United States
Air Pollutants analysis
Air Pollutants toxicity
Petroleum Pollution
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1091-6490
- Volume :
- 109
- Issue :
- 50
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 22205764
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1110052108