A novel method to quantify fugitive dust emissions using optical remote sensing

Abstract

This paper describes a new method for retrieving path-averaged mass concentrations from multi-spectral light extinction measured by optical remote sensing (ORS) instruments. The light extinction measurements as a function of wavelength were used in conjunction with an iterative inverse-Mie algorithm to retrieve path-averaged particulate matter (PM) mass distribution. Conventional mass concentration measurements in a controlled release experiment were used to calibrate the ORS method. A backscattering micro pulse lidar (MPL) was used to obtain the horizontal extent of the plume along MPL's line of sight. This method was used to measure concentrations and mass emission rates of PM with diameters ≤10 μm (PM10) and PM with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5) that were caused by dust from an artillery back blast event at a location in a desert region of the southwestern United States of America. Keywords: Fugitive dust, emission estimation, optical remote sensing, particulate matter, PM10, PM2.5, Mie theory, FTIR, transmissometer, micro pulse lidar © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.