Determinación de partículas suspendidas totales durante cinco cruceros de investigación en la plataforma continental del Golfo de México

Abstract

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO CONDUCTED FIVE RE SERCH CRUISES TO IN VESTIGATE THE AIR QUALITY OVER THE CONTINENTAL PLATFORM OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE FIRST WAS CON DUCTED IN THE SUMMER OF 1986 WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE NATIONAL OCEANICAND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) OF THE UNITED STATES, THE CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO AND THE MEXICAN NAVY, WHICH FO CUSED ON AIR QUALITY MEASUREMENTS. THE OTHER FOUR WERE CONDUCTED FROM SEPTEMBER TO OCTOBER AND FROM NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER 2002, FROM SEPTEMBER TO OCTOBER 2003 AND FROM MAY TO JUNE 2004 , RESPECTIVELY, FOCUSED ON AIR QUALITY AND OCEAN O GRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS. TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICLES (TSP) WEREDETER MINED BY FOLLOWING THE MEXICAN OFFICIAL STANDARDS AND THE UNITED STATES ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REFERENCE METHOD FOR TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICLES (HIGH VOLUME METHOD). IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE DAILY VARIATION IN PARTICULATE, SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM 0800-2000 H AND FROM 2000-0800 H LO CAL TIME. NIGHT TIME TSP CONCENTRATIONS FOR THE FIVE CRUISES WERE APPARENTLY HIGHER THAN DAYTIME VALUES: 32.1, 13.6, 19.9, 25.7 AND 38.9 MICROGRAMS PERCUBICMETER, COMPARED TO DAY TIME VALUES OF 18.4, 15.6, 16.4, 23.6 AND 34.6 MICROGRAMS PERCUBIC METER HOWEVER, NOT SIGNIFICANT DIFFER ENCE WAS OBSERVED BE TWEEN DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME. ANALYZING 12 HOURS TSP SAMPLES, TWO FOR EACH DAY, THE MEXICAN AIR QUALITY STANDARD FOR TSP OF 260 MICROGRAMS PERCUBICMETER, DURING 24 H ( UNTIL JUNE 2005), AND ACTUALLY OF 210 G/M3 DURING 24 H, WAS NEVER EXCEEDED.