NARSTO EPA SS: Single-Particle Aerosol Mass Spectra from Pittsburgh

Between September 20 and December 27, 2001, a Rapid Single-Particle Mass Spectrometer (RSMS) captured real-time composition data for individual aerosol particles in Pittsburgh. Each record includes aerodynamic particle size, positive and negative mass spectra, and precise measurement time, enabling analysis of particle-to-particle variation. The data covers nine logarithmically spaced size classes from about 40 to 1300 nanometers.

Use Cases

• Identifying key particle sources based on retained source characteristics in mass spectra.
• Assessing external mixing properties by analyzing particle-to-particle composition variations.
• Studying aerosol size distributions across nine discrete size classes from 40-1300 nm.
• Correlating real-time particle composition with other air quality parameters from the Pittsburgh Air Quality Study (PAQS).

Strengths

• Provides excellent temporal resolution due to real-time collection and analysis.
• Captures detailed single-particle data, including dual mass spectra for each particle.
• Covers a specific, intensive sampling period during a major air quality study (PAQS).

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; column names and exact row counts are unknown.
• Conflicting last-update dates exist (2001-12-27 vs. 2026-04-10), suggesting potential metadata issues.
• Data collection was limited to a three-month period in late 2001.

Provenance

Source

North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone (NARSTO) and U.S. EPA Particulate Matter Supersites Program.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

September 20, 2001 to December 27, 2001

Freshness

2026-04-10 00:30:02.518104

Geography

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA