SOA. In situ burns were also generally scheduled during offshore
winds whereas SOA will form whether or not the wind is blowing
towards populated areas.
Our results indicate that air quality is affected not only by
direct emissions from the spill and related operations but also
by the reaction products in the atmosphere such as ozone and
SOA. In warm, sunny conditions, most of the HCs observed from
the DWH spill have photochemical lifetimes of less than a few
days before they react in the atmosphere. Thus, the potential
for long-range transport of the HCs is limited. In contrast, aerosol
particles typically survive for days in the lower atmosphere and it
is likely that SOA from the DWH site impacted aerosol levels in
populated areas near the Gulf Coast. Results from a regional
transport model support this conclusion. Fortunately, the impact
on air quality from the DWH spill was limited in scope. A spill of
similar size closer to populated areas, closer to the surface, or in a
region with larger NOx sources could have a larger impact.