Measurement of Agriculture-Related Air Pollutant Emissions Using Point and Remote Sensors

Measuring air pollution emissions from agricultural activities is usually difficult because of their large area and variability. Traditional air quality sensors, called point samplers, measure conditions in one location, which may not adequately measure a plume. Remote sensors, instruments that measure pollution along a line rather than at a single point, are better able to measure conditions around large areas. This dissertation reports on four agricultural air emissions studies that used both point and remote sensors for comparison. The methods used to calculate the emissions are based on previous work and are further developed in these studies. In particular, an atmospheric dispersion model was developed and tested that can account for a particle behaving different than the surrounding gas due to gravity and inertia and depositing out of the flow. Particulate matter (PM) emissions values are reported for two agricultural tillage conservation management practices (CMPs)and the corresponding traditional tillage methods in order to determine how well the CMP reduces emissions. In addition, gas-phase ammonia (NH3) emissions for a dairy operation and PM emissions from a feedlot operation are reported. These studies can help us better measure emissions from agricultural operations and understand how much air pollution is being emitted