Los Angeles Basin's air quality transformation: a long-term investigation on the impacts of PM regulations on the trends of ultrafine particles and co-pollutants

Mohammad Mahdi Badami; Ramin Tohidi; Constantinos Sioutas

doi:10.1016/j.jaerosci.2023.106316

Los Angeles Basin's air quality transformation: a long-term investigation on the impacts of PM regulations on the trends of ultrafine particles and co-pollutants

J Aerosol Sci. 2024 Feb:176:106316. doi: 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2023.106316. Epub 2023 Dec 12.

Authors

Mohammad Mahdi Badami¹, Ramin Tohidi¹, Constantinos Sioutas¹

Affiliation

¹ University of Southern California, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Los Angeles, California, USA.

PMID: 38223364
PMCID: PMC10783618 (available on 2025-02-01)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2023.106316

Abstract

This study investigates the long-term trends of ambient ultrafine particles (UFPs) and associated airborne pollutants in the Los Angeles Basin from 2007 to 2022, focusing on the indirect effects of regulations on UFP levels. The particle number concentration (PNC) of UFPs was compiled from previous studies in the area, and associated co-pollutant data, including nitrogen oxides (NO_x), carbon monoxide (CO), elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and ozone (O₃), were obtained from the chemical speciation network (CSN) database. Over the study period, a general decrease was noted in the PNC of UFPs, NO_x, EC, and OC, except for CO, the concentration trends of which did not exhibit a consistent pattern. UFPs, NO_x, EC, and OC were positively correlated, while O₃ had a negative correlation, especially with NO_x. Our analysis discerned two distinct subperiods in pollutant trends: 2007-2015 and 2016-2022. For example, there was an overall decrease in the PNC of UFPs at an annual rate of -850.09 particles/cm³/year. This rate was more pronounced during the first sub-period (2007-2015) at -1814.9 particles/cm³/year and then slowed to -227.21 particles/cm³/year in the second sub-period (2016-2023). The first sub-period (2007-2015) significantly influenced pollutant level changes, exhibiting more pronounced and statistically significant changes than the second sub-period (2016-2022). Since 2016, almost all primary pollutants have stabilized, indicating a reduced impact of current regulations, and emphasizing the need for stricter standards. In addition, the study included an analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) trends from 2007 to 2022 within the Los Angeles Basin. Despite the general increase in VMT, current regulations and cleaner technologies seem to have successfully mitigated the potential increase in increase in PNC. Overall, while a decline in UFPs and co-pollutant levels was observed, the apparent stabilization of these levels underscores the need for more stringent regulatory measures and advanced emission standards.

Keywords: Emission regulations; NOx emissions; Particle number concentration; Policy impacts; Ultrafine particles; Vehicle Miles Traveled.

Abstract

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