Systematic Studies of the Total Suspended Particulate in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

The main priority in this research was to provide daily information of the total suspended particles (TSP) that comprise all airborne particles in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico during the months of January to July. TSP depend on the source, meteorology conditions, and sampler locations. It was also our task to correlate the data obtained with the atmospheric activities of the Sahara dust and the Soufrière Hills volcano. The instrument used, a High Volume Sampler (HVS) model GS2310 Series of Andersen Instruments Incorporation, was located in the ceiling of the Chemistry building of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. The high volume sampler was employed for twenty four hour periods. The mean air temperature, mean pressure, wind speed, precipitation, wind direction and the mean relative humidity data was obtained from the Caribbean Atmospheric Research Center at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Webpage. The weather conditions (i.e. sunny, cloudy or rainy) were recorded by the field staff on the monitoring day. After sampling, the filter was removed and sent to the laboratory for gravimetric weighing analysis. The results were reported in mass concentration of micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) also in the air quality index scale (AQI).