Vertical Profiles of Atmospheric Species Concentrations and Nighttime Boundary Layer Structure in the Dry Season over an Urban Environment in Central Amazon Collected by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Patrícia Guimarães,
Jianhuai Ye,
Carla Batista,
Rafael Barbosa,
Igor Ribeiro,
Adan Medeiros,
Tianning Zhao,
Wei-Chun Hwang,
Hui-Ming Hung,
Rodrigo Souza,
Scot T. Martin
Affiliations
Patrícia Guimarães
Post-Graduate Program in Climate and Environment, National Institute of Amazonian Research and Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69060-001, Brazil
Jianhuai Ye
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Carla Batista
Post-Graduate Program in Climate and Environment, National Institute of Amazonian Research and Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69060-001, Brazil
Rafael Barbosa
Post-Graduate Program in Climate and Environment, National Institute of Amazonian Research and Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69060-001, Brazil
Igor Ribeiro
Post-Graduate Program in Climate and Environment, National Institute of Amazonian Research and Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69060-001, Brazil
Adan Medeiros
School of Technology, Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69065-020, Brazil
Tianning Zhao
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Wei-Chun Hwang
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Hui-Ming Hung
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Rodrigo Souza
School of Technology, Amazonas State University, Manaus, Amazonas 69065-020, Brazil
Scot T. Martin
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Nighttime vertical profiles of ozone, PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter, carbon monoxide, temperature, and humidity were collected by a copter-type unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the city of Manaus, Brazil, in central Amazon during the dry season of 2018. The vertical profiles were analyzed to understand the structure of the urban nighttime boundary layer (NBL) and pollution within it. The ozone concentration, temperature, and humidity had an inflection between 225 and 350 m on most nights, representing the top of the urban NBL. The profile of carbon monoxide concentration correlated well with the local evening vehicular congestion of a modern transportation fleet, providing insight into the surface-atmosphere dynamics. In contrast, events of elevated PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were not explained well by local urban emissions, but rather by back trajectories that intersected regional biomass burning. These results highlight the potential of the emerging technologies of sensor payloads on UAVs to provide new constraints and insights for understanding the pollution dynamics in nighttime boundary layers in urban regions.
