Fire Smoke Sets New Monthly Average Records for Fine Particulate

Wednesday, September 15, 2010 03:59 AM

Prince George, B.C. The impact of the forest fires last month on the monthly average fine particulate levels meant new records have been set.

The monthly average for fine particulate levels in August was 26.6 ug/m3 recorded at the Downtown (Plaza) station. This is now the highest monthly average PM2.5 ever recorded at this site since monitoring began in 1998, beating the old record which was 15.5 ug/m3 (recorded on February 2000).

The PM2.5 recorded at College Heights for August was 27.5 ug/m3, doubling the previous record high of 13.2 ug/m3, recorded on December 2005 (PM2.5 monitoring started in 2005 at College Heights).

The forest fires resulted in the rolling annual average recorded at downtown (Plaza) to increase from 6.6 ug/m3 to 8.1 ug/m3 (similar to levels recorded in November 2006).

PM2.5 levels are typically 7.7 ug/m3 in August at the Downtown site and 7.0 ug/m3 in College Heights.

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Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 03:59 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: rvr on September 15 2010 12:32 PM

But not as high as Nov or Feb records. What is the air those months?

Posted by: gus on September 16 2010 10:22 AM

The monthly average since 1998, according to the graph, is higher in the months of October, November, December, January, and February.

Reason?
1. Winter climate causes more inversions?
2. Winter heating (residential, commercial; gas/wood) adds load to the airshed?
--------------------------
The record for this year from January to May is consistently lower than the average. Reason?
1. winter climate provided fewer inversions?
2. timber production down resulting in less particulates into airshed?
3. warmer than average temperatures resulting in less heating emissions?