Abstract

Two radiometers were simultaneously operated during the past dry season in Tucumán province, NW Argentina. The main objective was to determine particulate matter content of the atmosphere. Ampimpa, an astronomic observatory up in the mountains, was adopted as the reference, non polluted monitoring site. The INTA meteorological facility at Famaillá, in the plains, was chosen as an air pollution test site, its sets of data to be compared to those from Ampimpa. Simultaneous radiometry curves between Ampimpa and Famaillá were almost coincidental in clear days. In cloudy, misty, smoked or rainy days, this feature no longer holds, a fact that is reflected by loss of statistical significance in ANOVA tests performed on corresponding data sets. Using the special geographic characteristics of the region, particulate matter content was calculated by taking air samples and relating them to radiometry data. The experiment also provided the basis for a transparency monitoring network.

Key words: Radiometer, ANOVA, transmittance, particulate matter.

Abbreviation

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency; INTA, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria.