AMBIENT AIR QUALITY AND EFFECTS MONITORING

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AMBIENT AIR QUALITY AND EFFECTS MONITORING

• Tonnie Maniero
• National Park Service
• Northeast Region
• August 13, 2002

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POLLUTANTS OF CONCERN

• Fine particles
• Ozone
• Nitrogen and sulfur deposition
• Other
• Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• Heavy metals

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EFFECTS OF FINE PARTICLES

• Reduce visibility
• Decrease the distance one can see
• Decrease the colors and clarity of a scene
• A major reason people visit parks is for the
  views visibility impairment affects the visitor
  experience

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VISIBILITY DEGRADATION AT GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP
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EFFECTS OF OZONE

• Respiratory problems in humans
• Vegetation effects
• Foliar injury
• Reduced growth
• Early leaf color change and leaf drop
• Increased susceptibility to other stressors
  (e.g., insects, drought, disease, other
  pollutants)

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OZONE-INDUCED FOLIAR INJURY
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EFFECTS OF NITROGEN AND SULFUR DEPOSITION

• Acidify soils and surface waters
• Increase availability of aluminum (which can be
  toxic)
• Change soil processes
• Shift in plant community composition (nitrogen
  only)
• Eutrophication (nitrogen only)

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CONCERNS ABOUT POPS AND HEAVY METALS

• Long lasting
• Toxic at low concentrations
• Can alter key ecosystem processes
• Increase in concentration with age
• Can accumulate in body tissues
• Bioaccumulate in food chain

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AMBIENT MONITORING

• Are all parks adequately covered by existing
  ambient monitoring?
• Visibility
• Ozone
• Wet deposition
• Dry deposition
• Does ambient monitoring indicate pollution levels
  are high enough to be of concern?

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AMBIENT MONITORING INFORMATION

• ARD can prepare ambient and effects monitoring
  summaries for Vital Signs Networks
• State and national ambient air monitoring program
  data are available on websites
• Air Inventory products

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AIR INVENTORY

• Air Inventory used interpolation methods to
  estimate various ambient air quality parameters
  at IM parks
• Products include
• Geo-referenced maps and tables (Air Atlas)
• http//www2.nature.nps.gov/ard/gas/airatlas-du/vie
  wer_index.htm
• Decision support tools for where to place
  additional monitors

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EXAMPLE OF LOOK UP TABLE
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EXAMPLES OF DECISION SUPPORT MAPS
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RESOURCE MONITORING

• Do any of the parks have air pollution sensitive
  resources?
• Visibility
• Vegetation
• Surface waters
• Soils
• Fauna

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RESOURCE MONITORING INFORMATION

• Review NPSpecies vascular plant lists
• Review WRD Horizon reports
• Review air pollution effects studies conducted in
  or near the park
• Review any other relevant air pollution effects
  information

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PROCESS

• Identify ambient air monitoring needs
• Identify park resources at risk from air
  pollutants
• Identify effects monitoring needs
• Think about opportunities to coordinate air
  quality effects monitoring with other monitoring
  efforts
• ozone injury and forest health
• include ANC as a core parameter in water quality
  monitoring program