The Fall line Air Quality Study (FAQS)

Investigators
  Michael E. Chang (PI)
  Karsten Baumann
  Ted Russell
  Rodney Weber
  Michael Bergin

Sponsor
  Georgia EPD

Partners
  GA Air Protection Branch
  GRTA
  SREO
  Augusta/Richmond County
  Augusta Chamber
  City of Macon
  Bibb County
  Macon Chamber
  Columbus/Muscogee County
  Columbus Chamber


Project Website
  FAQS

Period of Performance
  Start: 5/1/00
  End: 12/31/04

Related Websites
  GA Ambient Monitoring
  Georgia Tech Air Monitoring
Last Updated: 11/30/07
    Project Description
The Fall line Air Quality Study is a four-year project to assess urban and regional air pollution, identify the sources of pollutants and pollutant precursors, and recommend solutions to realized and potential poor air quality in the Augusta, Macon, and Columbus, Georgia metropolitan areas. The study will primarily address ground-level ozone but ancillary results will also provide better understanding of the mechanisms contributing to other pollutants such as fine particulate matter.

The study consists of four primary components:

  1. enhanced monitoring;
  2. emission inventory development;
  3. scenario modeling; and
  4. analysis, assessment, and recommendation.
These four activities are to be performed concurrently, but staged over four phases. Phase I consists of a preliminary assessment using existing available information and information gathered through a pilot field study. Phase II requires that baseline emission inventories are developed, and a second, more extensive monitoring campaign is designed. Phase III encompasses the most critical elements of the study. In this Phase, the second field study will be completed and information from this investigation will be used to validate the emission inventories and subsequent air quality models that are developed. In turn, the air quality models will be used to isolate and examine the factors contributing to poor air quality in the urban and regional study areas, and to explore multiple scenarios for effecting change. In Phase IV, the final phase, the research team will transfer the technologies implemented in the three urban areas to local or state authorities and develop comprehensive recommendations for improving air quality in the short and long term.

Go to Project Website