Evaluation of Anthropogenic Air Emissions from Marine Engines in a Coastal Urban Airshed of Texas

Zuber M.  Farooqui; Kuruvilla  John; Neelesh  Sule

doi:10.4236/jep.2013.47083

Zuber M. Farooqui, Kuruvilla John^*, Neelesh Sule

Abstract: Corpus Christi, Texas, is a growing urban area with a busy port and a petrochemical industrial base that is currently in compliance with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. However, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has classified this urban airshed as a near non-attainment area. A comprehensive annual air emission inventory based on marine engines activity was developed for the years of 2006-2009 for the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas using recent EPA approved methodology. A regional-scale photochemical model Comprehensive Air Modeling system with extensions (CAMx) was used to evaluate the impact of these emissions on the ground level ozone concentrations by zeroing out the emissions and employing Direct Decoupled Method (DDM) for sensitivity analysis to estimate the 8-hour ozone sensitivity coefficients due to NOx and VOC emissions from marine engines. The analysis has shown a localized increase of up to 7.8 ppb in the 8-hour ozone concentration very close to the port premises and a decrease of about 1.73 ppb further downwind. Ozone sensitivity analysis using DDM on the 8-hour ozone concentrations showed a higher sensitivity to NOx emissions. Thus, any NOx related controls of marine engines will benefit local urban and regional ozone levels.

Keywords: Marine Engine Emissions; Ozone; Photochemical Modeling; Port Air Quality Management

Cite this paper: Z. Farooqui, K. John and N. Sule, "Evaluation of Anthropogenic Air Emissions from Marine Engines in a Coastal Urban Airshed of Texas," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 4 No. 7, 2013, pp. 722-731. doi: 10.4236/jep.2013.47083.

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