Air Quality Measurements

Abstract

Air quality measurements are essential supporting elements of current and future air quality management practice. Current measurement programs range from monitoring networks designed to determine regulatory compliance to specialized field observations for supporting process research. Under a risk- and results-based air quality management system, current monitoring protocols will require serious rethinking, especially if the measure of regulatory compliance shifts from achieving broad-scale ambient concentration goals to determining the risk of exposure to ambient pollutants. If risk reduction becomes the compliance metric, information on ambient concentration fields will be required at the spatial and temporal scales needed for determining exposure. These scales are much finer than is currently required for monitoring broad-scale ambient concentrations. This kind of information cannot be obtained using brute force measurement methods. This chapter reviews current capabilities of ambient measurement networks and methods, and it discusses the kinds of changes that will be required to achieve various levels of risk-based, results-oriented air quality management.