Baltimore Single-Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometry Data

Individual aerosol particles were sized and chemically analyzed in real-time over a 7-month period in Baltimore during 2002. The dataset contains aerodynamic particle size, positive and negative mass spectra, and measurement timestamps for each particle analyzed by a Rapid Single-Particle Mass Spectrometer. This data was collected under the EPA PM Supersites Program to study particle composition and sources.

Use Cases

• Identifying key aerosol particle sources by analyzing mass spectral signatures that retain source characteristics.
• Assessing particle-to-particle composition variations (external mixing) using the individual positive and negative mass spectra.
• Studying the size-resolved chemical composition of aerosols across nine discrete size classes from 40 to 1300 nm.
• Analyzing temporal trends in aerosol properties with high-resolution data collected over a 7-month period.

Strengths

• Provides high temporal resolution data as particles were collected and analyzed in real-time.
• Covers a wide aerodynamic particle size range from about 40 to 1300 nm, partitioned into nine discrete size classes.
• Contains detailed chemical information for each particle, including both positive and negative ion mass spectra.

Limitations

• Specific column names and the total number of particle records (rows) are unknown from the provided sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2002-12-10 and another listing 2026-03-12, suggesting potential metadata inconsistencies.
• Data collection was limited to a single 7-month campaign in 2002 at the Baltimore Supersite.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Supersites Program

Collection Method

Individual aerosol particles were aerodynamically focused and analyzed using a Rapid Single-Particle Mass Spectrometer (RSMS) with a 193 nm excimer laser.

Time Range

7 months, starting May 2002

Freshness

2002-12-10 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Baltimore Supersite