Continuos measurement of gaseous pollutants in Buenos Aires City

HORACIO ALEJANDRO BOGO; R M, NEGRI; ROMÁN E, SAN

ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 1999 vol. 33 p. 2587 - 2598

1352-2310

Data on CO, NO, NO2and O3concentrations measured in Buenos Aires city using a continuous monitoring stationare reported. This is the "rst systematic study of this kind carried out in the city, which is, together with its surroundings,the third more populated in Latin America. Measurements were performed during 12 months in one of the principalavenues near downtown. Results indicate that vehicular tra$c is the principal source of CO and NOx. The concentrationofO3is generally quite low and results from the mixing of clean air masses with exhaust gases containing high amounts ofNO. The monthly averages of CO and NO decrease from Winter to Summer in correlation with the increase of the meanwind speed and average temperature. These results are compared with previous measurements on the spatial distributionof NO2in the whole city using passive di!usion tubes and with the concentration of CO, which is being continuouslyregistered since several years in the downtown area. Measurements performed at a green, windy, low tra$c area beneaththe La Plata river are also shown. ( 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.