Fine particulate chemical composition and light extinction at Canyonlands National Park using organic particulate material concentrations obtained with a multisystem, multichannel diffusion denuder sampler

The concentration of fine particulate carbonaceous material has been measured over a 1-year period at the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) Canyonlands National Park, Utah sampling site using a Brigham Young University organic sampling system (BOSS) multisystem, multichannel diffusion denuder sampler. Samples were collected on the IMPROVE schedule of a 24-hour sample every Wednesday and Saturday. The concentrations of particulate C, determined using only a quartz filter pack sampling system, were low by an average of 39%, as a result of the loss of semi-volatile organic compounds from the particles collected on quartz filters during sampling. The loss was higher during the summer than during the winter sampling periods. The BOSS and IMPROVE quartz filter carbon measurements were in agreement except for a few samples collected during the summer. The fine particulate carbonaceous material concentrations determined using the BOSS have been combined with concentrations of particulate elemental C (soot), sulfate, nitrate, crustal material, and fine and coarse particulate mass from the IMPROVE sampling system, as well as relative humidity, light absorption, and transmissometer measurements of light extinction from IMPROVE. Extinction budgets have been calculated using multilinear regression analyses of the data set. Literature data were used to estimate the change in the mass extinction coefficients for the measured species as a function of relative humidity. The results show carbonaceous material to be the principal contributor to light extinction due to particles during the study period, with the major contributor to light extinction being light-absorbing carbonaceous material. However, the periods of maximum light extinction are associated with high humidity and the associated increased scattering of light due to particulate sulfate during the winter. The effect of particulate organic compounds on light extinction is greatest in the summer and smallest in the winter.