Acquisition of acid vapor and aerosol concentration data for use in dry deposition studies in the South Coast Air Basin

An atmospheric monitoring network was operated throughout the South Coast Air Basin in the greater Los Angeles area during the year 1986. The primary objective of this study was to measure the spatial and temporal concentration distributions of atmospheric gas phase and particulate phase acids and bases in support of the California Air Resources Board's dry deposition research program. Gaseous pollutants measured include HNO_3, HCl, HF, HBr, formic acid, acetic acid and ammonia. The chemical composition of the airborne particulate matter complex was examined in three size ranges: fine particles (less than 2.2 μm aerodynamic diameter, AD), PM_(10) (less than 10 μm AD) and total particles (no size discrimination). Upwind of the air basin at San Nicolas Island, gas phase acids concentrations are very low: averaging 0.3 μg m^(-3) (0.1 ppb) for HNO_3, 0.8 μg m^(-3) for HCl, 0.13 μg m^(-3) for HF, and 2.6 μg m^(-3) for formic acid. Annual average HN03 concentrations ranged from 3.1 μg m^(-3) (1.2 ppb) near the Southern California coast to 6.9 μg m^(-3) (2.7 ppb) at an inland site in the San Gabriel Mountains. HCl concentrations within the South Coast Air Basin averaged from 0.8 μg m^(-3) to 1.8 μg m^(-3) during the year 1986. Long-term average HF concentrations within the air basin are very low, in the range from 0.14 to 0.22 μg m^(-3) between monitoring sites. Long-term average formic acid concentrations are lowest near the coastline (5.0 μg m^(-3) at Hawthorne), with the highest average concentrations (10.7 μg m^(-3)) observed inland at Upland. Ammonia concentrations at low elevation within the South Coast Air Basin average from 2.1 μg m^(-3) to 4.4 μg m^(-3) at all sites except Rubidoux. Rubidoux is located directly downwind of a large ammonia source created by dairy farming and other agricultural activities in the Chino area. Ammonia concentrations at Rubidoux average 30 μg m^(-3) during 1986, a factor of approximately 10 higher than elsewhere in the air basin. Annual average PM_(10) mass concentrations within the South Coast Air Basin ranged from 47.0 μg m^(-3) along the coast to 87.4 μg m^(-3) at Rubidoux, the farthest inland monitoring site. Five major aerosol components (carbonaceous material, NO_3^-, SO_4^-, NH_4^+ and soil-related material) accounted for greater than 80% of the annual average PM_(10) mass concentration at all on-land monitoring stations. A peak 24-h average PM_(10) mass concentration of 299 μg m^(-3) was observed at Rubidoux during 1986. That value is a factor of 2 higher than the federal 24-h average PM_(10) concentration standard, and a factor of 6 higher than the State of California PM_(10) standard. More than 40% of the PM_(10) aerosol mass measured at Rubidoux during that peak day event consisted of aerosol nitrates plus ammonium ion. Reaction of gaseous nitric acid to form aerosol nitrates was a major contributor to the high PM_(10) concentrations observed in the Rubidoux area near Riverside, California

Organic compounds in biomass smoke from residential wood combustion: Emissions characterization at a continental scale

Wood smoke in the atmosphere often accounts for 20–30% of the ambient fine-particle concentrations. In communities where wood is burned for home heating, wood smoke can at times contribute the majority of the atmospheric fine-particle burden. Chemical mass balance receptor models that use organic compounds as tracers can be used to determine the contributions of different emission sources, including wood smoke, to atmospheric fine-particle samples. In order for organic chemical tracer techniques to be applied to communities across the United States, differences in wood smoke composition that arise from differences in the type of wood burned in various regions must be understood. A continental-scale accounting of particulate organic compound emissions from residential wood combustion has been constructed which helps to quantify the regional differences in wood smoke composition that exist between different parts of the United States. Data from a series of source tests conducted on 22 North American wood species have been used to assemble a national inventory of emissions for more than 250 individual organic compounds that are released from wood combustion in fireplaces and wood stoves in the United States. The emission rates of important wood smoke markers, such as levoglucosan, certain substituted syringols and guaiacols, and phytosterols vary greatly with wood type and combustor type. These differences at the level of individual wood type and combustion conditions translate into regional differences in the aggregate composition of ambient wood smoke. By weighting the source test results in proportion to the availability of firewood from specific tree species and the quantities of wood burned in each locale, it is possible to investigate systematic differences that exist between wood smokes from different regions of North America. The relative abundance of 10 major wood smoke components averaged over the emissions inventory in different regions of the United States is computed and then used to illustrate the extent to which wood smoke composition differs from region to region in North America

A dozen danish cartoons and the wrath of the muslim world

© 2006, PACIFIC JOURNALISM REVIEW. All rights reserved. How do we understand the outrage in the Muslim world against the 12 cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten? And can we move on from anger and misunderstanding? Is there room for dialogue

Some aspects of climate change communication and effectiveness in PNG

This article examines some aspects of climate change communication in Papua New Guinea (PNG), particularly the use of Tok Pisin language. To place the issue in a broader, global context, the article compares the situation in PNG with that of the use of Pidgin English in Nigeria. The article argues that a major project needs to be undertaken to determine the effectiveness of this communication. It suggests drawing on the experience of both the Bougainville Audience Study and the BBC Trusts’ examination of climate change in Nigeria

REVIEW: Multiple voices shed new light on New Zealand Wars: Voices from the New Zealand Wars. He Reo nō ngā pakanga o Aotearoa, by Vincent O’Malley

Voices from the New Zealand Wars. He Reo nō ngā pakanga o Aotearoa, by Vincent O’Malley. Wellington, NZ: Bridget Williams Books. 2021, 420 pages. ISBN 9781988587790. HISTORY and journalism are two very closely linked art forms. Journalism has often been described as the first draft of history, especially war, although veteran BBC journalist John Simpson is credited with saying that it is more like some rough notes scribbled on the back of a napkin that is then thrown out of the window while the restaurant is under fire

EDITORIAL: Fighting self-delusion and lies

WELCOME to this double edition of Pacific Journalism Review, the second to appear as an independent publication. Since we last appeared, a world already groaning under the weight of COVID and climate change has had to endure the added burden of Russia’s murderous and totally unjustified attack on Ukraine. Ukraine has found allies all over the world, not least from those concerned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who now apparently thinks of himself as a Tsar, has used the war as an excuse to try to crush even further the few remaining free journalists and artists surviving in his mafia fiefdom

A common conception of justice underlies Pacific churches’ message on climate change

This article presents an overview of the role mainstream  churches can play in mitigating the climate change crisis in the Pacific and their role in facilitating climate induced migration. It builds on earlier work by the author (Cass, 2018; 2020) with a focus on Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. Both Catholic and Protestant churches share a concern for the future of the planet based on the principles of economic, social and climate justice, which complement moral and ecumenical imperatives. The article examines what message the churches convey through the media and the theology that underlines them

Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories: Pacific Islands communities and the media

This article is intended to provide an overview of the role of anti-vaccination conspiracy theories in Pacific Islands communities in New Zealand, setting it within the broader context of the Pacific and among Pasifika communities in Australia during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of their key roles in Island communities and communicating information about COVID-19, it focuses on the role of churches, drawing a contrast between  evangelical/Pentecostal and mainstream religious bodies. Research findings suggest that much of the language used to oppose vaccination derived ultimately from the United States and that an inclination towards End Times eschatology was likely to have been key to the spread of conspiracy theories. However, the article also suggests that in spite of the presence of conspiracy theories and the media’s concentration on the controversial behaviour of Bishop Brian Tamaki, most mainstream Pacific churches were highly alert to the reality of the virus and supportive of their communities

Baptism of fire: How journalism students from the University of the South Pacific covered the speight putsch and its aftermath

During the violent coup staged by businessman George Speight in Fiji in May 2000, accurate information about what was happening was often restricted to a handful of Fijian websites. On some occasions the only site still operating-and the only source of information for readers outside Fiji-was the one run by the journalism programme at the University of the South Pacific. Journalism students began to cover the unfolding events as an academic exercise but, before long, their newspaper and its associated website became vital links to the outside world. Despite attempts to suppress it, the student website was often the sole source of news for people outside Fiji as commercial websites went off line. Their work was rewarded with international acclaim, including awards for journalism education. Ten months later, the journalism students were again on assignment, reporting the complexities of the elections that followed the coup

Democracy and media: A message for the Pacific

Nobody in a democracy has the right to be ignorant. Citizens of a demoracy have a duty to keep themselves informed about political developments and issues so they can vote with an informed mind. The media has a big role to play in ensuring that people are properly informed and encouraged to think for themselves.&nbsp