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Western Washington University
SARP 2010
www.paranormalknowledge.com
Outline
Introduction
Ozone
Background
Methyl Bromide
Objectives
Data Collection
Airborne sampling
Ground sampling
Results
Sources
Conclusions
Future Work
Introduc.on
Ozone
Ozone layer critical to
life on earth
Hole in the ozone layer
Ozone molecules
broken down by
chlorine and bromine
radicals in the
stratosphere
mbao.org
Background
Methyl Bromide
Colorless, odorless gas
Ozone depleting
Br is 40x more effective than Cl
Half‐life in atmosphere about 1.7 years
Montreal Protocol
Added in 1992 under the Copenhagen Amendment
EPA Toxicity Category 1 due to possible adverse health effects
Freeze at 1991 levels, progressive limits to complete phase‐out by 2005 in developed
countries, 2015 in developing countries
Adverse health effects
Neurotoxic in high concentrations
Neurological symptoms: headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, malaise, visual
disturbances
Respiratory symptoms: throat irritation, chest pain, shortness of breath
Concern for children
In 1998, 70,000 children attended public schools 1.5 miles or less from strawberry
fields
www.grist.org
Background
Methyl Bromide
Natural and Anthropogenic sources
Pre‐industrial levels from Antarctic ice cores: 5.4 ppt
2009 average level in Northern Hemisphere: 8 ppt
Northern Hemisphere average level peak in 1999: 10.5 ppt
Used as a pesticide
Effective against weeds, insects, nematodes,
fungi, bacteria, and some parasitic plants
Injected into soil to sterilize
8,500,000 kg used annually in California
1,500,000 kg in Monterey County alone
mbao.org
Background
Sources of Methyl Bromide
Naturally occurring and anthropogenic: marine
phytoplankton, agricultural pesticide, burning biomass,
leaded gasoline
bioinformatics.psb.urgent.be
www.crop‐bc.ca
Objec.ves
To investigate locations of higher and lower
concentrations of methyl bromide in Southern
California, relative to background levels.
To investigate possible sources of methyl bromide
pollution in Southern California.
Data
Collec.on
Air samples collected on DC‐8 aircraft
Flights on June 29 and July 1
Ground sampling at the dairy
Evacuated stainless steel 2 liter canisters
Samples analyzed using gas chromatography and
mass spectrometry, electron capture, or flame
ionization
www.nasa.gov
Data
ECD
Chromatogram
Results
SARP 2009 Flight Data SARP 2010 Flight Data
Results
SARP 2009 Flight Data SARP 2010 Flight Data
80 80
70 70
CH3Br MR (ppt)
CH3Br MR (ppt)
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
34 35 36 37 38 39 34 35 36 37 38 39
Latitude Latitude
Results
High
and
Low
Al.tudes
Methyl bromide concentration Methyl bromide concentration
data for both flights at altitudes data for both flights at altitudes
below 6000 feet above 6000 feet
Results
High
and
Low
Al.tudes
Altitude Mean CH3Br
These data are
mixing ratio
consistent with a ground
Below 3,000 ft 9.8 ppt
source in central or
Below 6,000 ft 9.5 ppt
southern California
Above 6,000 ft 8.2 ppt
Relatively short
Above 10,000 ft 8.2 ppt
atmospheric lifetime
Above 12,000 ft 8.2 ppt
Results
City
Emissions
Hotspots downwind from cities
Produced by combustion of leaded
gasoline
Carbon monoxide ratio as an indicator‐
ratio varies greatly
Results
Sources‐Biomass
Burning
(Wildfires)
Wind direction
Not reflected in data
Point nearest the
wildfires, low CH3Br
http://ready.arl.noaa.gov/HYSPLIT_traj.php
Results
Sources‐Marine
Phytoplankton
Methyl chloride also produced
by algae, neither is especially
elevated along the coast
High altitude flight along coast
Results
Sources‐Fumiga.on
Hotspot near
strawberry farms
Seasonality
Results
Sources‐Dairy
All dairy samples had
elevated CH3Br levels
Average MR: 13.9 ppt
Silage as a source
MR ½ way down stall 2:
13.1 ppt
MR ½ way down stall 2
at silage: 15.5 ppt
Results
Sources‐
Dairy
Background level in the 1500 dairies in the valley
valley: 9.8 ppt Valley is flushed once a
Average on the dairy: 13.9 week
ppt Farms are flushed 1,000
Dairy enhancement: 4.1 ppt times a week (wind speeds
Dairy dimensions: 0.5km x average 3 kmph (2mph))
0.5km x 0.02km CH3Br enhancement from
Valley volume: 2.15x1013 m3 the dairies: 1.4 ppt
Conclusions
Uneven distribution of methyl bromide in Southern
California indicates sources of some sort
Strawberries as a source
Dairies as a source
www.reallynatural.com
www.greenberg‐art.com
Future
Work
Ground sampling along the coast to investigate
phytoplankton as a natural source of methyl halides.
Ground sampling around burning biomass (wildfires)
to investigate the importance as a natural source.
Ground sampling at strawberry farms, cherry
orchards, and other agricultural locations to
determine anthropogenic contributions and possible
illegal usage, as well as to investigate seasonality.
Further ground sampling at dairies to determine
sources and causes.
References
Butler, J. H., Methyl bromide: an introduction to its use, its impacts and its future.
www.igac.noaa.gov.newsletter/19/butler.php accessed 21 July 2010.
Butler, J. H., Montzka, S. A. Methyl bromide in the atmosphere‐ a scientific overview and update. Presented: Twelfth
Annual International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide, San Diego, CA. 31 October 2005.
Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. Medical management
guidelines for methyl bromide. Last updated 14 August 2008. www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mhmi/mmg27.html accessed 23 July 2010.
Federal Register: Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: the 2010 Critical Use Exemption Report from the Phaseout of
Methyl Bromide. 3 May 2010. 75(84).
Honaganallalli, P. S., Seiber, J. N. (2000). Measured and predicted airshed concentrations of methyl bromide in an
agricultural valley and applications to exposure assessment. Atmospheric Environment, 34(21), 3511‐3523.
Montzka, S. A., Butler, J. H., Hall, B. D., Mondel, D. J., Elkins, J. W. (2003). A decline in tropospheric organic bromine.
Geophysical Research Letters, 30(15), 1826.
Pesticide Action Network North America. Fact sheet: methyl bromide use in California.
www.panna.org/fies/mbUseInCA.dv.html accessed 20 July 2010.
Ristaino, J. B., Thomas, W. (1997). Agriculture, methyl bromide, and the ozone hole: can we fill in the gaps?. Plant
Disease, 81(9), 964‐977.
Rowland, F. S. (2006). Stratospheric ozone depletion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 361, 769‐790.
Scarratt, M. G., Moore, R. M. (1996). Production of methyl chloride and methyl bromide in laboratory cultures of
marine phytoplankton. Marine Chemistry, 54(3‐4), 263‐272.
Singh, H. B., Kanakidou, M. (1993). An investigation of the atmospheric sources and sinks of methyl bromide.
Geophysical Research Letters, 20(2), 133‐136.
Thomas, B. (webmaster). United States Environmental Protection Agency Methyl Bromide Phase Out website. Last
updated Nov. 29, 2000. http://mbao.org/mbrqa.html accessed 19 July 2010.
Yang, Mei Ying Melissa. (2009). Dissertation: Characterization of VOC emissions from various components of dairy
farming and their effect on San Joaquin Valley air quality. University of California, Irvine.
Contact via email with Dave at Manzanita Berry Farms and Mike Ferro (California strawberry growers)
Acknowledgements
Rowland‐Blake research group
Dr. Donald Blake
SARP WAS group
NSERC
NASA
DC‐8 crew
Ques.ons?
Wind
Back
Trajectory
HYSPLIT
http://ready.arl.noaa.gov/HYSPLIT_traj.php
Strawberry
Growing
Schedule
Winter planting: early October
Traditional harvest season: January through June,
varies by county
Various chemicals applied before, during, and after
growing
Plastic applied before planting, removed after harvest
in July
Other soil fumigants used include Telone II (1,3‐
dichloropropene), Chloropicrin (Cl3CNO2), and
Vapam (C2H4NNaS2).