Characterizing Sources, Transport, and Deposition of Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in National Parks
Collett J and Kreidenweis S. Characterizing Sources, Transport, and Deposition of Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in National Parks. H2370094000/P12AC11130. Atmospheric Science Department, Colorado State University
The National Parks are immensely popular public resources. Protection of these national treasures requires understanding of various threats to park resources. Included are threats to visibility and to sensitive ecosystems. The research in this project relates directly to diagnosing and remedying air quality problems in our national parks. It provides the basis for informed decision-making about steps to protect park resources by improving and managing air quality. The long-term goals of this project are to improve understanding of deposition of pollutant species to sensitive park ecosystems, to diagnose contributors to air quality problems in specific parks, and to generate fundamental new knowledge about specific pollutant species contributing to air quality and visibility problems in national parks. Attainment of these goals involves the planning, execution, and analysis of field measurements of air quality at select national parks and in surrounding regions. The major goals of this task included continued efforts to characterize transport and deposition of reactive nitrogen species in Rocky Mountain and Grand Teton NP, analysis and publication of findings from a pilot-scale IMPROVE sub-network for routine monitoring of atmospheric concentrations of ammonia plus PM2.5 ammonium (NHx) in the Rocky Mountain region, analysis of organic nitrogen in USGS Rocky Mountain snowpack samples, and the conduct of new measurements of air pollution impacts at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and other federal sites in the Bakken region of North Dakota where substantial recent increases in oil production have occurred.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Collett, Jeffrey; Kreidenweis, Sonia
- Units
- ARD , BAND , CHIR , GRTE , ROMO , THRO , YELL
- Keywords
- Air, Air Quality, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, Colorado State University, Improve, National Park Service, National Parks, NHx, reactive nitrogen, sources of nitrogen
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Air Quality | Wet and Dry Deposition