NEWSLETTER Molina Center for Energy and the Environment Fall 2006 From the Editor: Welcome to the first issue of the Newsletter of the Molina Center, which we hope to use as a means of communication with our col- leagues and friends about the activities of the Center and interesting news and stories of our participants and collaborators. This first issue is devoted to the MCMA-2006 Campaign, one of the components of MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations), which was successfully com- pleted in March 2006. The Campaign brought together an in- ternational research team of hundreds of scientists and students to the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, where they have col- Inauguration of the MILAGRO Poster Exhibit (March 2, 2006 laborated with a large group of Mexican investigators and gov- at Universum). From left to right: Julia Tagüeña (UNAM), ernment agencies in both scientific and educational activities. Sasha Madronich (NCAR), Luisa T. Molina (MCE2), Carlos Gay (UNAM), Jeffrey Gaffney (UALR). We are grateful to the many Mexican institutions and agencies for their support in the planning and operation of MILAGRO which In This Issue was instrumental in the success of the Campaign. Overview .............................. 2 Single Particles ................... 17 Toxic Pollutants ................... 5 Balloon Measurements ........ 18 We would like to thank the contributors of the articles and photos T0 Measurement ............ 5 PM Speciation ..................... 18 in this issue. We plan to have a follow-up issue in spring 2007. If Forecasting ........................... 6 Mercury ....................................... 19 MILAGRO participants did not have a chance to send in your con- Open Path DOAS ................. 7 Industrial Stacks ......................... 20 tribution or if contributors have updated results, please send to us SIMAT Measurements ......... 8 Tula Emissions ........................... 20 by March 1, 2007. Please also let us know if you have suggestions Paso de Cortes .................. 9 Tenango del Aire ......................... 21 for interesting stories, news, photos, and research activities related Microscopy Studies ............... 10 Microplane ................................... 21 MILAGRO Documentary .......... 10 Boundary Sites ............................ 21 to the MILAGRO/MCMA-2006 Campaign. AOD Measurements ............. 11 T1 Measurements ....................... 22 Aerosol Sampling ................. 12 Education and Outreach .............. 23 With best wishes, ARI Moble Lab .................... 13 Participating Institutions ............. 25 Health Studies .....................15 Publications ................................ 26 MAX-Mex ............................ 16 Upcoming Events ........... 28 Luisa T. Molina MILAGRO Press Conference on Feb. 23, 2006 officiated by Adrian Fernandez (INE Early morning view of Mexico City from the SEMARNAT Sec. Jose Luis Luege (center), shown here with Sec. President) served as summit of Pico Tres Padres Claudia Sheinbaum (SMA-GDF) and Luisa T. Molina (MCE2). M.C. Copyright © 2006 Molina Center for Energy and the Environment Fall 2006 Overview of the MCMA-2006/MILAGRO Measurement Campaign MILAGRO (Megacity Initiative: Local and atmosphere, pollutant gases and aerosols nisms for their eventual removal from the Global Research Observations) is the first are mixed into and transported throughout atmosphere are very complex and obvious- international effort to study the impact of a the atmosphere without regard to geopo- ly important, yet only partly understood at megacity on air quality, where a megacity litical frontiers, until they are removed by the present time. is defined as urban areas with more than 10 physical and chemical processes. In many million residents. The Mexico City Metro- cases, the pollutants can undergo chemi- Building on an Earlier Study: the politan Area (MCMA) – the second largest cal and physical transformations that are megacity in the world – was selected as the driven by sunlight leading to the formation MCMA-2003 Campaign initial case study for MILAGRO. of oxidants and secondary aerosol species. The length of time that the pollutants re- The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) was selected as the initial case Air Pollution in Megacities main in the atmosphere and the meteorolo- gy determine the range of their impacts. In study for MILAGRO Campaign. Previ- ous research on air pollution associated About half of the world’s population now some cases, the air pollutants are removed rapidly as they are water soluble and can with the MCMA provided a framework for lives in urban area; many of these urban planning of future field studies, particularly centers are expanding rapidly, leading to be washed out by wet deposition processes. Some types of compounds remain for long the MCMA-2003 Campaign, which was a the growth of cities and megacities. Popu- major activity of the Integrated Program lation growth and increasing industrializa- periods of time, even decades, until they reach the upper layers of the atmosphere. on Urban, Regional and Global Air Pollu- tion have inevitably resulted in a higher tion -- a collaborative research and educa- demand for energy, greater use of fossil These exported primary pollutants and tion program initiated by Luisa T. Molina fuels, and more emission of pollutants into and Mario J. Molina at the Massachusetts the atmosphere. As a result, air pollution their reaction products have the potential to affect human health and ecosystems on Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1999 to has become not only one of the central en- address the air pollution problems derived vironmental problems of the century, but large geographic scales, and additionally can affect atmospheric visibility, weather from human activity in large cities and its also presents serious health consequences impact on the health of the population, cli- to people and economic costs to society. systems and precipitation, and global cli- mate. Tropospheric ozone, a product of mate, and ecosystems. The Mexico City VOC-NOx chemistry, is Metropolitan Area has served as the initial also a highly effective case study for the Program’s research and greenhouse gas. Sus- educational activities, the basis for the de- pended particles (some- velopment of an integrated assessment of times seen as regional urban, regional, and global air pollution haze episodes) reflect that takes into account the broader dimen- or absorb sunlight, de- sions of the problem in order to devise teriorating visibility and more effective pollution control strategies. altering the atmospheric Information about the Integrated Program energy budgets that af- can be found at the following webpage: fect climate. Some types http://mce2.org/airpollution.html. of compounds (such as methane, carbon dioxide, The MCMA-2003 measurement campaign and many halogenated is a joint effort of MIT Mexico City Pro- organics) remain in the gram and the Mexican Metropolitan En- atmosphere for many vironmental Commission (CAM). It was Aerial View of Mexico City metropolitan area years, and are therefore planned and executed under the direction of Luisa T. Molina and included scientists The main pollutants emitted into the atmo- spread around the entire globe. Many of these very long-lived compounds play an and researchers from Mexico, US and Eu- sphere in megacities are carbon dioxide rope. The campaign was carried out during (CO ) sulfur oxides (SO ), nitrogen oxides important role in greenhouse warming. 2 X April 2003 and was designed to cover the (NO ), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile or- They eventually also reach the upper lay- X height of the annual photochemical season ganic compounds (VOCs), metal oxides, ers of the atmosphere where, in the case of the chlorine and bromine containing just prior to the onset of the rainy season. and atmospheric particles (aerosols) mostly It involved a highly instrumented supersite consisting of soot or black carbon, sulfates, compounds, they can adversely affect the stratospheric ozone layer. located at the Centro Nacional de Investig- nitrates, and organic matter. Currently, ación y Capacitación Ambiental (CENI- the use of fossil fuels in transportation, CA), a component of the Instituto Nacional the generation of electricity, and industrial The geographic re-distribution of pollut- ants, the evolution of their chemical, physi- de Ecología (INE), located on the campus processes represent the primary sources of of the Metropolitan Autonomous Universi- pollutant emissions. Once released into the cal, and optical properties, and the mecha- Copyright © 2006 Molina Center for Energy and the Environment Page 2 Fall 2006 ty (UAM) - Iztapalapa. The fixed supersite capability at CENICA was enhanced with state-of-the-art instrumentation contributed by many US and European teams. A mo- bile laboratory (from Aerodyne Research Inc.) was deployed for measurements at various locations in Mexico City. In ad- dition, extensive meteorological data and a wide range of chemical data were collected by collaborating Mexican research groups. A special session on the MCMA-2003 Campaign was convened at the 2004 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco and a Special Issue of the MCMA-2003 Campaign was set up in Atmospheric Chemistry and Phys- ics (ACP). To date, the field campaign has resulted in the publication of about thirty peer-reviewed articles. An Overview pa- per is being prepared for submission to the ACP and a bound volume will