| Summary: | Emissions from transportation sources can impact local air quality and contribute to adverse health effects. The Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS), conducted over a 1-year period, researched emissions source characterization in the Argentine, Turner, and Armourdale, Kansas (KS) neighborhoods and the broader southeast Kansas City, KS area. This area is characterized as a near-source environment with impacts from large railyard operations, major roadways, and commercial and industrial facilities. The spatial and meteorological effects of particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>), and black carbon (BC) pollutants on potential population exposures were evaluated at multiple sites using a combination of regulatory grade methods and instrumentation, low-cost sensors, citizen science, and mobile monitoring. The initial analysis of a subset of these data showed that mean reference grade PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentrations (gravimetric) across all sites ranged from 7.92 to 9.34 µg/m<sup>3</sup>. Mean PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentrations from low-cost sensors ranged from 3.30 to 5.94 µg/m<sup>3</sup> (raw, uncorrected data). Pollution wind rose plots suggest that the sites are impacted by higher PM<sub>2.5</sub> and BC concentrations when the winds originate near known source locations. Initial data analysis indicated that the observed PM<sub>2.5</sub> and BC concentrations are driven by multiple air pollutant sources and meteorological effects. The KC-TRAQS overview and preliminary data analysis presented will provide a framework for forthcoming papers that will further characterize emission source attributions and estimate near-source exposures. This information will ultimately inform and clarify the extent and impact of air pollutants in the Kansas City area.
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