Finding Ammonia “Hot Spots” on the Wasatch Front

Randy Martin is part of a consortium of researchers trying to the role ammonia plays in the formation of the wintertime smog that clogs the air along the Wasatch Front

This month, researchers from Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the University of Utah, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University joined forces for the Wasatch Front Ammonia and Chloride Observations (WaFACO) study. The study is looking for sources of ammonia.

On a bad winter day, up to 70 percent of the airborne particulates measuring 2.5 microns or smaller are ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate starts as two gases: oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and ammonia (notice no ‘M’ at the end). Researchers know where the NOx is coming from—cars, fireplaces, and factories. It’s less clear where the ammonia is coming from.

The WaFACO study hopes to locate some of these sources of ammonia so we can better regulate their emissions.
Funded through a one-time appropriations from the Utah State Legislature, the researchers in the WaFACO study set up air monitoring sites from Brigham City to Mona. These monitors housed specialized instruments that measured levels of ammonia and hydrochloride acid (HCl)—another precursors of PM2.5.

WaFACO comes on the heels of the 2017 multi-agency Utah Winter Fine Particulate Study (UWFPS). One of the key findings of UWFPS study was the important role of ammonia in bad wintertime PM2.5 in the Salt Lake Valley.

Related Links

Wasatch Front Ammonia and Chloride Observations (WaFACO)

Utah Winter Fine Particulate Study

Contact

Randy Martin
Associate Research Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Randy.martin@usu.edu

(435) 797-1585