Meteorological QA/QC Howard Schmidt, MS, MBA US EPA Region 3 Air Protection Division Air Monitoring Quality Assurance Workshop June 26, 2014
Overview Current state of R3 agency met monitoring Why? Where? How? Met data QA/QC guidelines Looking ahead
Where?
R3 NCore Meteorological Stations
40 CFR Part 58 Appendix D (3)(b) Wind speed Wind direction Relative humidity Ambient temperature **No guidance as to instrument type
62101 (Outdoor Temperature) Method Code Sample Collection Sample Analysis Monitor Type Agency 40 Instrumental Electronic or Machine Avg. SLAMS AMS 40 Instrumental Electronic or Machine Avg. NCore AMS 40 Instrumental Electronic or Machine Avg. NCore DNREC 40 Instrumental Electronic or Machine Avg. SLAMS MDE 40 Instrumental Electronic or Machine Avg. NCore MDE 60 Instrumental Vaisala 435C RH/AT Sensor NCore DDOE 61 Instrumental Met One 083D NCore ACHD 61 Instrumental Met One 083D NCore VADEQ 61 Instrumental Met One 083D SLAMS VADEQ
68105 (Ambient Temperature) NO!!!! This is not hourly weather data from meteorological instrumentation Weather data comes from PM 2.5 FRM/FEM or Pb sampler-generated daily average temperatures (REQUIRED) Generated data does conform with 40 CFR Part 58.16 (a) Not subject to traditional meteorological QA/QC
R3 Outdoor Temp AQS Code 62101
61101 & 61103 (Scalar & Vector wind) Method Code Sample Collection Sample Analysis Monitor Type Agency 20 Instrumental Vector Summation SLAMS DNREC 20 Instrumental Vector Summation NCore DNREC 24 Model 425 AH Ultrasonic Wind Sensor SLAMS MDE 24 Model 425 AH Ultrasonic Wind Sensor NCore MDE 50 Instrumental Electronic SLAMS DNREC 60 Instrumental Vaisala 425 AH Sonic Sensor NCore DNREC 61 Instrumental Met One Sonic Anemometer Method 50.5 SLAMS ACHD 61 Instrumental Met One Sonic Anemometer Method 50.5 NCore ACHD 129 Ultrasonic Wind Sensor MD 1425A Vector Average Data Logger NCore DDOE
R3 Outdoor Temp & Scalar Wind - AQS Codes 62101 & 61101
R3 Outdoor Temp & All Wind - AQS Codes 62101, 61101, 61103
Why? How? Why is met data being recorded in portions of the SLAMS network, but not others? What is being done with the met data? Modeling? Exceptional Events? NOTHING?!?!? If you are using the data IS IT QUALITY ASSURED?!?!?! ARE THE INSTRUMENTS.. MAINTAINED?!?!?! CALIBRATED?!?!?!
Meteorological QA/QC Nothing in the CFR.so, what do we use??? EPA/454/B-08-002 Quality Assurance Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement Systems Volume IV: Meteorological Measurements V. 2.0 (Final) http://www.epa.gov/ttnamti1/files/ambient/m et/volume%20iv_meteorological_measurement s.pdf
The Big Picture Part 1 Sensors for wind speed & wind direction should be located over level, open terrain at a height 10 m above the ground level and at a distance at least ten times the height of the nearest obstruction
Wind sensor breakdown QTY AGL (m) 4? 3 4.0 2 5.0 1 7.0 1 8.0 2 9.0 1 9.9 7 10.0 1 11.0 1 18.0 1 30.0 1 40.0
The Big Picture Part 2 Temperature sensors should be located at 2 meters. They should be shielded to protect them from thermal radiation and any significant heat sources or sinks
Temp sensor breakdown QTY AGL (m) 9? 1 2.0 1 5.0 1 6.0 1 8.0 1 9.0 6 10.0 1 18.0 2 30.0
System Performance Variable Accuracy Resolution Sensor Spec W s ± (0.2 m/s + 5% observed) 0.1 m/s starting speed < 0.5 m/s W d ± 5 degrees 1.0 degree starting speed < 0.5 m/s Temp ± 0.5 o C 0.1 o C reaction time < 1 minute **If this data is being used for regulatory modeling purposes the dataset must be 90 % complete over a period of one to five years.
Data Screening Criteria Flag data if the value Wind Speed: - is less than zero or greater than 25 m/s - doesn t vary by more than 0.1 m/s for 3 consecutive hrs - doesn t vary by more than 0.5 m/s for 12 consecutive hrs Wind Direction: - is less than zero or greater than 360 o - doesn t vary by more than 1 o > 3 consecutive hours - doesn t vary by more than 10 o for 18 consecutive hours Temperature: - is greater than the local record high or less than record low (The above limits could be applied on a monthly basis.) - is greater than a 5 o C change from the previous hour
Instrumentation
Generic Requirements QA/QC procedures for meteorological instrumentation should be detailed in a Quality Assurance Project Plan and approved by Region 3 Instrumentation maintenance and audits will be reviewed as part of an agency TSA Should be audit trail of certifications (either inhouse or vendor) and any maintenance Typically annual calibrations for met equipment by vendor
Maintenance How often? 6 12 months (visual inspections, lubrications, tightening, etc.) 1 2 years (overhaul, part replacement, etc.) 3 years (everything) Annual and greater interval maintenance can be completed by vendor (perform calibrations at same time) **Specifics in chapter 8 of MMGRMA
Discussion/Questions