Determination of PM2.5 sources using time-resolved integrated source and receptor models

Multivariate statistical techniques are applied to particulate matter (PM) and meteorological data to identify the sources responsible for evening PM spikes at Sunland Park, NM (USA). The statistical techniques applied are principal components analysis (PCA), redundancy analysis (RDA), and absolute principal components scores analysis (APCSA), and the data evaluated are 3-h average (6–9 p.m.) PM2.5 mass and chemical composition and 1-h average PM2.5 and PM10 mass and environmental data collected in the winter of 2002. Although the interpretation of the data was complicated by the presence of sources which are likely changing in time (e.g. brick kilns), the multivariate analyses indicate that the evening high PM2.5 is associated with burning-activities occurring to the south of Sunland Park, and these emissions are characterized by elevated Sb, Cl−, and elemental carbon; ∼68% of the PM2.5 mass can be attributed to this source. The PM10 evening peaks, on the other hand, are mainly caused by resuspended dust generated by vehicular movements south of the site and transported by the local terrain-induced drainage flow.