Air quality in national parks: trends (2000–2009) and conditions (2005–2009)
National Park Service. 2013. Air quality in national parks: trends (2000–2009) and conditions (2005–2009). Natural Resouce Report NPS/NRSS/ARD/NRR—2013/683. Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, Air resources Division, Denver, Colorado
From Official Executive Summary: "The National Park Service (NPS) Air Resources Division (ARD) measures progress toward clearer skies, cleaner air, and healthier ecosystems by examining key air quality indicators, including: • visibility – how well and how far visitors can see; • ozone – which affects human health and vegetation; • sulfur and nitrogen deposition – which affects ecosystem health through acidification and nutrient enrichment of soils, surface waters, and vegetation; and • mercury deposition – which affects human and wildlife health through bioaccumulation to toxic levels in food webs. The NPS monitors one or more of these indicators in 58 parks. In addition, many state and local air quality monitoring stations are located in or near parks and collect data that provide valuable information about air quality in parks. Air quality trends and conditions for one or more indicators have been calculated for 347 parks using these data..." Report summaries for Acadia data 2000-2009: Mercury (ng/L/yr): -0.23, Visibility: Clear Days (dv/yr) -0.16, Hazy Days (dv/yr) -0.30, Wet Deposition: Ammonium (μeq/L/yr) -0.18, Nitrate (μeq/L/yr) -0.99, Nitrogen (μeq/L/yr) -0.33, Sulfate (μeq/L/yr) -0.98, Ozone: 4th Highest 8-hour (ppb/yr) -1.80, Maximum 3-Month W126 (ppm-hrs) -0.54. General trend analyses for 2005-2009 is visibility is up, wet nitrogen deposition is up, wet sulfur deposition is down, and ozone is up.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- National Park Service
- Date of Issue
- 2013-07
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Acid Deposition, Air Quality, Deposition, Mercury (Hg), Nitrogen (N), Ozone (O3), Particulates (Air), Sulfur (S), Visibility