Observations of the Valley of Mexico Basin Ventilation Through the Tenango del Aire- Amecameca Geographical Gap
Abstract
Past air quality modeling exercises have suggested the existence of basin drainage flows which may transport Mexico City Metropolitan Area's air pollution plume outside the Valley of Mexico Basin. The MCMA-2006 field campaign offered the opportunity to study the basin ventilation through a geographical gap in the southeast mountains of the basin. A mobile monitoring lab was placed at the Tenango del Aire town, a unique site located in this gap for measuring the pass of air masses from (and towards) the MCMA to (and from) the Cuautla Valley. O3, CO, NOx, NOy, CH2O global and UV radiation and MLH were measured continuously during MILAGRO from March 2 until April 6, together with other chemical species. Complementary backward and forward trajectories were constructed for the site using MCCM in prognostic mode during MILAGRO. An exploratory analysis of the air pollution roses measured at Tenango showed a sharp dominance of two flow patterns: one from the north well associated with relatively higher levels of primary pollutants and ozone levels; and another one from the south typically associated with lower levels primary pollutants but not so low of secondary ones as ozone. On the other hand, measured CO data at Tenango were compared with CO data measured at one local monitoring station in the town of Ocuituco in the State of Morelos. Ocuituco is located to the south of Tenango towards the Cuautla Valley. The preliminary results suggest that the back and forth pass of air masses through the Tenango del Aire - Amecameca area can be an important process in the regional transport of air pollution between two valleys and their metropolitan areas within the Central Mexico region.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AGUSM.A33A..20R
- Keywords:
-
- 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305;
- 0478;
- 4251);
- 0478 Pollution: urban;
- regional and global (0345;
- 4251);
- 0490 Trace gases;
- 6349 General or miscellaneous