2009 improve calendar...the standard improve particulate sampler has four sampling mod-ules. modules...

The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected VisualEnvironments) program consists of 110 aerosol visibility monitor-ing sites selected to provide regionally representative coverageand data for 155 Class I federally protected areas. Additional instru-mentation that operates according to IMPROVE protocols in sup-port of the program includes

59 aerosol samplers, 4 digital camera systems,34 nephelometers, 58 webcam systems,4 transmissometers, 5 interpretive displays.

Data and visualization tools can be found on the IMPROVE web-site at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/Data/data.htm and onthe VIEWS site at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/views.

Photographic slide spectrums are available on the VIEWS Web siteunder Imagery. Real-time Webcamera displays are available on thefollowing agency-supported websites ...

Visibility Information Exchange Web System: http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/views/Web/WebcamsClass1/webcam.htm

National Park Service: http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/WebCams/index.cfm

USDA-Forest Service: http://www.fsvisimages.comCAMNET (Northeast Camera Network): http://www.hazecam.netMidwest Haze Camera Network: http://www.mwhazecam.netWyoming Visibility Network: http://www.wyvisnet.comPhoenix, Arizona Visibility Network: http://www.phoenixvis.net

NNeettwwoorrkk NNootteessThe Breton Island, Lousiana aerosol site resumed operations in lateJanuary 2008. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site is now activefollowing a lengthy suspension due to Hurricane Katrina, its newsite designation is BRIS1.

Two NGN-2a nephelometers were installed in the IMPROVE opticalnetwork in January 2008. Great Basin National Park, NV and Rocky

Mountain Nat ional Park,Colorado both received neph-elometer systems.

The CAMNET-sponsoredBrigantine Wilderness Area,NJ dual digital camera systembecame operational in March2008.

The CAMNET Web site nowhas a link, "More Hazecams",that enables access to other,non-sponsored air quality Websites with digital cameras.

The Cucamonga Wilder-nesscamera site, sponsored by theUSDA Forest Service, wasupgraded in March/April 2008.The remote digital camera sys-tem, which collects and storesimages on a thumb drive, wasreplaced by a webcam system.

The IMPROVE sampler con-troller received an enhancedprogramming update. AirResource Specialists, Inc.,continues to work with UCDavis staff to improve andenhance the IMPROVE aerosolsampler firmware. Initial

improvements addressed reliability and memory card issues, andcurrent enhancements add additional functionality including customschedules for special studies, controller configuration via the mem-ory card, detailed memory card data and log files, and a cleaneruser interface.

DDaattaa AAddvviissoorriieess RReelleeaasseeddNote: Complete discussions on all data advisories can be foundon the IMPROVE Web site at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/Data/QA_QC/Advisory.htm. Two of the latest are:

Re: TitaniumPositive interference in PIXE titanium determinationsAffects: Module A, Titanium. Period: Before December 1, 2001.

In samples collected before December 1, 2001, the elements Na to Mnwere determined by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) on theCrocker Nuclear Laboratory cyclotron. These elements have sincebeen determined by conventional X-ray fluorescence (XRF), whichhas an order-of-magnitude lower detection limit for titanium. Most tita-nium in ambient particles is attributed to soil dust, but concentrationsdetermined by PIXE were high and variable relative to other crustalelements. The PIXE readings appear to have included stray contri-butions from the Ti-containing slide frames in which filters aremounted. Scientists recommend data users estimate Ti from Fe andother crustal elements in pre-December 1, 2001, samples.

Re: Bias between masked and unmasked elemental measurementsAffects: Module A, Sulfur. Period: Evident since 2002.

Until recently, masks were used at many sites in the IMPROVE andIMPROVE Protocol networks to reduce the nominal collection areaof A-module filters from 3.53 cm2 to 2.20 cm2. Masking improvedXRF sensitivities at low concentrations but caused occasionalclogs at high concentrations. As of 2008, all filters have beenunmasked.

A relative bias between masked and unmasked elemental mea-surements can be seen by comparing the sulfur/sulfate ratios mea-sured under both conditions. Sulfate ion concentrations havegenerally reported about 5% more sulfur than masked sites at agiven measured sulfate concentration, and the sulfur reported frommasked sites has typically risen by about 5% when they have con-verted to unmasked operation. It is not known whether these dif-ferences reflect under-reporting from masked samples or overreporting from unmasked samples, or contributions from both.This advisory includes all sites in the IMPROVE and IMPROVE pro-tocol networks. It is recommended that data users should considerthe masking status of the filters when evaluating small differencesin time and space.

2008 IMPROVE and IMPROVE ProtocolNetwork

Mango KKucera (right)and Niki vvonHedemann(below) are two StudentConservation Association(SCA) interns who cur-rently manage theIMPROVE modularaerosol sampler at

Bandelier NationalMonument in northernNew Mexico. TheEcology Group atBandelier, a combina-tion of NPS and USGSemployees, always hastwo interns who aid theprimary operator, KayBeeley, in sampling and

maintaining the IMPROVE station. The interns also readdendrometer bands and service other weather stations.

The nearby cities of Los Alamos, Santa Fe, andAlbuquerque, all of which can be seen from the mesawhere the IMPROVE sampler is located, affect the airquality of the area, as do the many wildfires and pre-scribed burns. Despite this, air quality and visibility atBandelier are usually quite good, benefiting the many vis-itors who take advantage of outdoor recreation in thearea, such as visiting archaeological sites, hiking, rockclimbing, skiing, and biking.

Niki and Mango also work on a variety of other projectsconducted by Bandelier's Ecology Group. Last summerthey collected fire scars in the Valles Caldera NationalPreserve, read a variety of vegetation transects for long-term ecological monitoring, measured sediment for a long-term erosion project, and collected data for many otherprojects focusing on climate change and forest dynamics.

Mango is an undergraduate at Evergreen State College,working at this internship to gain on-the-job experience inecological and hydrological field methods and quantitativeanalysis. She enjoys scouting for rocks and minerals, andcollecting edible mushrooms. Niki is a recent graduate ofRice University, hoping to use her internship as a step-ping stone to get a job with the government's public landagencies. She has taken up rock climbing since movingto the area and loves to explore Bandelier’s backcountryarchaeological sites.

Check temperature atsetup to assure it iswithin 10o C ofoutdoor temperature.

Call UC Davis at 530-752-1123 to figure outhow holidays affectsample changeschedules.

Monitoring of particulateconcentrations began atsome national park servicesites in 1979. Today, al lIMPROVE program sites con-duct particle sampling to pin-point the types of particlescausing visibility degrada-tion. Through sample analy-sis, the part ic le s izes,chemical compositions, andconcentrations can be char-acterized. Particle measure-ments in conjunction withoptical measurements allowestimation of the sources ofvisibility impairment.

The standard IMPROVE particulate sampler has four sampling mod-ules. Modules A, B, and C collect fine particles (2.5 microns andsmaller [PM2.5]), while module D collects larger particles (10 micronsand smaller [PM10]). Fine particles have the greatest impact on vis-ibility, can adversely affect human health, and are often the resultof human activities. The coarse mass (particles larger than 2.5microns) is primarily composed of soil and carbonaceous materialand is often of natural origins. IMPROVE aerosol data are used forassessing the contribution of various sources to haze. In addition,these data are the basis for tracking progress related to the regionalhaze regulations.

Prior to 2000, two 24-hour samples were collected twice a week.After 2000, samples have been collected every three days.

IIMMPPRROOVVEE SSaammpplleerrss iinn DDeettaaiill

The IMPROVE fine particle modules employ a cyclone at the airinlet that spins the air within a chamber. Fine particles are liftedinto the air stream where they are siphoned off and collected on afilter substrate for later analysis. The large particles impact on thesides of the chamber and fall into a collection cup at the bottom.

Filter analysis provides concentrations and composition of atmos-pheric particles. Common fine particles include sulfates, nitrates,organic material, elemental carbon (soot), and soil. An indicationof source contribution to visibility impairment can be obtained fromthe analysis of trace elements.

vanadium / nickel petroleum-based facilities, autosarsenic copper smeltersselenium power plantscrustal elements soil dust (local, Saharan, Asian) potassium (nonsoil) forest fires

IMPORTANT! VVALID MMEASUREMENTS

A visibility impairment value is calculated for each sample day. Toget a valid measurement, all four modules must collect valid sam-ples. The regional haze regulations use the average visibility val-ues for the clearest days and the worst days. The worst days aredefined as those with the upper 20% of impairment values for theyear, and the clearest days as the lowest 20%. The goal is to reducethe impairment of the worst days and to maintain or reduce it on theclear days. For a site’s data to be considered under the regional hazeregulations, criteria have been set to determine the minimum num-ber of daily samples needed to have a valid year. There are bothannual and seasonal criteria. The criteria are

75% of the possible samples for the year must be complete,50% of possible samples for each quarter must be complete,no more than 10 consecutive sampling periods may be missing.

Module APM 2.5(Teflon)

PM 2.5 mass,over 30 ele-ments, andabsorption

Module BPM 2.5(nylon)sulfate,

nitrate, nitrite,and chloride

ions

Module CPM 2.5(tandemquartz)

organics and elemental

carbon

Module DPM 10 mass

(Teflon)

CarbonateDenuder

Controller

airin

airout

air flow

small particles

large particles

filter

pump

UC Davis: Sampler :General Lab

(530) 752-1123

ARS: Optical:Carter Blandford or

Karen Rosener Photography:Karen Fischer

(970) 484-7941

JJaassoonn LLeewwiiss is a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge. Hereceived an M.S. in biology from Ball State University. Hiscurrent research interests involve improving our scientificknowledge of forest, grassland bird, and invasive plantecology and management. He is a passionate bird watcherand outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing,and camping. Jason lives in southeastern Missouri withhis wife Gwen, newborn daughter Willow Ann, and twodogs. Jason's most memorable wildlife observation wasthe identification and documenta-tion of an Audubon's Oriole inIndiana.

The IMPROVE site provides valu-able data used to assess environ-mental impacts on the refuge'spristine wilderness area. MingoNWR has nearly 8,000 acres ofcypress swamps and bottom landhardwood forest designated as a wilderness area --“...where the earth and its community of life are untram-meled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does notremain." Visitors are welcome to walk, canoe, photograph,fish, and study nature here.

Electrical connections(e.g., extensioncords) exposed towet conditions shouldbe GFCI protected.

Watch for frost on theinlets.

The "blue box" has three dates listed on the box.These are the dates on which the filters must beinstalled (all Tuesday dates).

If for any reason you or your backup cannot makea change on a particular Tuesday or the "blue box"is late, or for any problem or question, immediatelycall UCD’s General Lab at (530) 752-1123.Discussing a problem first will avoid confusion,and a proper diagnosis is more likely to be made.NO problem is too small; it could be a sign of big-ger problems, such as unusual readings. E-mailto UCD field operations should only be used ifphone contact cannot be made. E-mail addressesare in the format of [email protected].

The IMPROVE network operates on the one-day-in-three protocol. Sample change is always onTuesday. (Arrangement of ambient filters varieseach week; pattern repeats every third week.)

FFoorr ttwwoo ooff tthhee tthhrreeee wweeeekkss, the sampler willnot be operating on the sample-changing day theoperator records final readings, replaces old car-tridges, and records the initial readings. Therewill be initial or final readings for the filter in posi-tion 3 on two of the three weeks. The log sheetand display indicate when values for position 3are recorded.

EEvveerryy 33rrdd wweeeekk,, the sampler will be operatingwhen the operator arrives. When sample changeis initiated the controller will

suspend sampling.read flow rates on all filters and displayand record information.transfer the cassette in position 3 fromthe old cartridge to the new one. (Newcartridges have no cassette in position 3.The cassette in position 3 has a black O-ring attaching it -- the only one that canbe removed without a special tool.) transfer the cassette and install a newcartridge. After the initial readings aretaken, the sampler will resume collectionon the filters in position 3.

The field blanks in position 4 are transparent tothe operator and to the sampler controller. Flowrate measurements are not taken for field blanks.

For any problem or question, you can call UCD’sGeneral Lab’s main number at 530-752-1123.However, if you’ve already dealt with a techni-cian and would like to continue dealing with thesame person, feel free to call that persondirectly.

For questions regarding blue boxes, callAnthony Kawamoto at 530-754-8770, or EricHarvey at 530-752-4905. For technical problems,call Joe Xie at 530-752-4186, or Kevin Goding at530-752-1123. For further detail, call Jose Mojicaat 530-752-9044.

The “blue box” hasthree dates listed on it.These are the dates(al l Tuesdays) onwhich the filters mustbe installed. Eachblue box contains

1 flash memory card,3 labeled Ziploc8bags,1 bag/week labeled

with install date and4 color-coded car-tridges, one for eachmodule.

Four filter cartridges:Red for Module AYellow for Module BGreen for Module CBlue for Module D

Stack of f i l ter car-tridges with log sheet.

Filters cycle through several processes before they reach the monitoringsite and after they return to the University of California-Davis.Pre-SShipping ....

Receiving ....

1. Clean A and D mod-ule f i l ters are pre-weighed on a balancebefore shipping theblue box. Clean B andC module filters aresimply placed in a cas-sette without beingweighed. This processis called uploading.22.. The uploader weighsthe A and D filters. Eachfilter has an ID accord-ing to the site to whichit will be sent, and thedate that the filter will beused. Each A and D fil-ter’s weight is automat-ical ly recorded in adatabase. 3. After the box hasbeen uploaded, the workis double-checked. Thisis the f inal processbefore the box isshipped out.

4. After the log sheetsand f lashcards areremoved from the box,the data in the flashcard is read and auto-matically placed into adatabase.

5. After the flash cardis read into the data-base, its data is com-pared to the datawri t ten on the logsheets. Any problemsa box might have aredealt with at this point.

6. The B and C filtersare placed in a petri dishwith the correspondingidentification sticker.

7. The B and C petridishes are placed intrays in a particularorder generated by thedatabase.

8. After the B and C fil-ters are downloaded,the box moves on to thepost-weighing stationwhere the sampled Aand D f i l ters areweighed.

9. After post-weighing,the filter is stored in apre-labeled slide mountfor later analysis.

10. After downloadingthe B and C filters andpost-weighing the A andD f i l ters, the box isplaced back at theuploading station to startthe process again.

Chris WWayne isthe GIS analyst atCrater LakeNational Park. Hemanages to fit hisIMPROVE dutiesin between mak-ing maps, skiing,and hiking.Fortunately, themonitoring site isabove his office atpark headquar-ters, on the thirdfloor of theNatural ResourcesBldg. During thebrief summer, thesite towers abovethe parking lot.During much ofthe winter, how-ever, you can stepout the windowand land on snow.CLNP receivesabout 40 feet ofsnow during the year, of which 12-20 feet are on the groundat any given time. Chris and his wife Wendy, also an NPSemployee (in the orange parka above), enjoy skiing andsnowshoeing during the long but beautiful winters here.

The aerial photo belowwas taken on the summersolstice of 2007, whenChris was flying acrossOregon to his home stateof Indiana for a wedding -a reminder of why oneshould always carry acamera when flying in awindow seat.


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

The IMPROVE field operations benefit from anunderstanding of the audit findings process. Thisoutline of issues was identified during audits con-ducted in 2005 and 2006. It includes only thoseissues that are under the control of the site oper-ator. By being aware of these potential prob-lems, we have an opportunity to improve theoverall quality of the data and field operations.

Site CConditions

Siting issues - generally a tree that has grown beyond theacceptance criteriaMelting ice that is directly impinging on the tops of samplermodule boxes

The site must nothave large obstruc-tions such as treesor buildings thatwould hinder thesampling of regionalr e p r e s e n t a t i v eaerosols. If neces-sary, the sampler can be placed on a platform to clear obstructionsor to stay above snow pack.

Safety IIssues

Inadequate railings (for exam-ple, where icy boards areused to get to modules)Inadequate space to servicesamplers and modulesElectrical connections (tem-porary extension cords)exposed to wet conditions orin standing water (should bepermanent service with GFCIprotection)Vermin such as venomousspiders and snakes

Operator EErrors -- MMake ssure ffilters aare hhandledwith pproper pprocedures.

The first step in correctly diagnosing andsolving any problem is to call the GeneralLab at the University of California, Davis(UCD) at 530-752-1123. No problem is toosmall, and a correct diagnosis is more likelyto be made.

Keep filter side down when loadingand unloading, and cap the cassettesimmediately upon removal. If cartridge is dropped, report on the Field Data Sheet. Thecartridges are well protected, and unless the operator is phys-ically forcing air through the media, there should be no imme-diate problem. Pay careful attention to any fluctuation in thenormal readings on that particular set of filters.If the filter gets wet, it can significantly affect the sample. UCDmay or may not be able to send a replacement. Call the labso the problem can be dealt with properly and note it on thelogsheet.Module and controller boxes should be kept clean.Wait and verify that the controller recognizes the memory cardand states that everything is OK before walking away. Whenthe card is good it’s not a problem, but when the controllerdoes not read it, it may lock the system and not sample forthe entire week.

MMiisssseedd cchhaannggiinngg ffiilltteerrss oonn tthhee rreegguullaarr TTuueessddaayy??

Call the lab and ask about alternate “safe” change dates if you can-not be there on a Tuesday.

Call immediately to get instructions before proceeding with the sam-ple change. Experienced operators should still call UCD to adviseof any deviation in the sample changing schedule.

If there are remaining sampling days in the week, removethe exposed filters as would normally be done and put in theclean filters that were to have been installed on the last changeday. Make a note on the logsheet. If the week is completely missed, remove the exposed filtersas would normally be done, but do not put in the filters for themissed change day. Keep these in the shipping box and sendthem back to UCD when both weeks in that box have passed.Install the appropriate filters for the current week. Make anote on the logsheet of the filters that were not installed.

Operator OObservations

Insect infestations in spring and summer, e.g., mud daubersin the sampler inlet, flies in the module or released from cas-sette upon removal, and spider webs. Inspect sampler inletsevery 3 months.Rodent infestation in fall and winter, with wires and tubingchecked for damage.Calibration plug seated (at bottom of T-fitting where the inlettube enters) in every module, checked at each filter exchange.Temperature checked at each setup to assure it is within 10oCof outdoor temperatureClocks should be reset when they vary by ±5 minutes or morefrom a cell phone.In November, December, and January, operators should callUC Davis (530-752-1123) to properly determine how the holi-days will affect their sample change schedules in order to notlose samples.

Regional HHaze RRule RRequirements

A "complete" site has, for channels A, B, C, and D,

75% annual recovery,50% recovery in each quarter, andno more than 10 consecutive sampling periods missing.

In 2007, seven sites failed the completeness test. Sample recovery(for all channels) was about 92%. Reasons for the 8% sample lossesincluded

32% equipment problems,26% operator no show,18% power outages,12% incorrect filter cassette installation,12% torn or damaged filter.

Marsh grass, poisonoussnakes, and downed powerlines fill the scene at theBreton Island site in the after-math of hurricanes Gustavand Ike in 2008.

Old inlets becameclogged withinsect debris.

A new inlet design waseasier to clean but stillclogged occasionally.

A retrofit screenwas installed in2007/2008.

Three possiblesampler mountingconfigurations.

John SSpicer has beenoperating the Pinnaclesite in Addison, NewYork on a full-time basissince the spring of 1999.The site is one of tworural ongoing researchsites in upstate NewYork that are part of theAtmospheric SciencesResearch Center at theState University of NewYork, Albany. It alsocontributes data to theNew York State Dept. ofEnvironmental Conservation air quality monitoring network.

At an elevation around 1750 ft. above sea level, PinnacleState Park overlooks the Canisteo River valley, which pro-vides a magnificent backdrop for the 9-hole golf course atthe park. On a clear day, visibility is about 15 miles lookingwest over the valley or east toward Corning, New York. Thelocation is often downwind of the Ohio River valley and theindustrial Midwest, and offers an opportunity to contrast therelatively clean ‘local’ air vs. the polluted air that has agedabout a half day during transport from industrial sources.Measuring pollutants at the site helps quantify the trans-ported contribution of air pollution in eastern cities, and

also provides real-time air moni-toring data for federal and statenetworks. IMPROVE provides datafor comparison studies and evalu-ations of different methods andmeasurements, and has helpedestablish an ongoing record ofparticulate mass concentrations.

John served in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years in Lubbock,Texas. He has an A.A.S. degree in chemical technologyfrom Alfred State College, New York and a B.S. degree inchemistry from Texas Tech, and is a certified medical tech-nologist. He spent about 16 years working in medicalresearch and hospital labs throughout the U.S. before tak-ing the position at Pinnacle. John enjoys hiking the trails inthe park and snowshoeing in the winter. His favorite pas-time is playing guitar in a band with his wife and five closefriends in his hometown of Wellsville, New York, where heresides with his wife, step-daughter, three Labrador retriev-ers, and two cats. He has three grown sons and a babygranddaughter, and is a very active and proud member ofthe Wellsville Lions Club.


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

Check for insectinfestations in springand summer (e.g.,mud daubers insampler inlet andspider webs).

Check for melting iceon tops of samplermodules.

Air Resource Specialists, Inc. (ARS), supports visibility-monitoring networks for federal land management agencies,state agencies, municipalities, Indian nations, and privateindustry. ARS currently supports over 75 visibility monitor-ing sites nationwide and has been the prime contractor to theIMPROVE program, and the National Park Service and ForestService visibility monitoring and data analysis programs.

ARS strongly encourages operators to call if there are anyquestions about parts, supplies, or instrument operations. Itmay be wise to call for instructions and troubleshootingadvice before attempting to solve any problems. For ques-tions or problems with IMPROVE sites, call 800-344-5423.For issues concerning special studies or non-IMPROVE sites,call 970-484-7941.

Carter Blandford, senior data analyst,performs data collection and validation,and provides operator support for trans-missometers and nephelometers.

Karen Rosener, data analyst,performs data collection and validation,

and provides operator support fortransmissometers and nephelometers.

Karen Fischer, photographic specialist,performs image collection and systemtrouble-shooting, and provides operatorsupport for photographic systems.

Marty Mills, electronics technician, per-forms servicing of transmissometers

and nephelometers and troubleshootingof power-related instrument problems.

The University of California, Davis (UCD) supports the partic-ulate measurements network for the IMPROVE program. Thenetwork of samplers provides aerosol data for the federal,tribal, state, and local agencies. UCD supports over 180 mon-itoring sites nationwide, including processing over 6,000 filterseach month. Handling large volumes of filters and associateddata requires carefully designed operating procedures thatminimize errors between site operators and UCD. As with anywell-crafted plan, things can go wrong and that is where UCD'soperator support staff steps in to help.

For any problem or question, you can call UCD’s General Lab’smain number at 530-752-1123. However, if you’ve already dealt

with a technician and would like to continue dealing with thesame person, feel free to call that person directly.

For questions regarding blue boxes, call Anthony Kawamotoat 530-754-8770 or Eric Harvey at 530-752-4905. For technicalproblems, call Joe Xie at 530-752-4186 or Kevin Goding at 530-752-1123. For further detail, call Jose Mojica at 530-752-9044.

Lowell AshbaughAnalytical and Support

Steve IxquiacData Support

Jose MojicaLab Supervisor,Operator/Data/Field Support

Brian PerleyAnalytical Support

Eric HarveyOperator and Field Support

Xiaosen (Joe) XieOperator and Field Support

Tetsuya (Anthony) KawamotoOperator and Field Support

Kevin GodingOperator and Field Support

Alex RothEquipment and Field Support

CChhaarrlleess CCoonnnneerroperates theIMPROVE station atOrgan Pipe CactusNational Monument insouthwestern Arizonaon the border with thestate of Sonora,Mexico. Primarily, heis a field technician inthe EcologicalMonitoring Program,where he observes,measures, andrecords everything

from bats to snakes, as well asmaintaining a dozen automatedweather stations at Organ Pipeand in the sister park of ElPinacate in Sonora. He speaksSpanish and loves being on theborder with Mexico, with endlessopportunities for exploration in thedesert and the Gulf of California.

Organ Pipe Cactus Natl. Mon. is awonderland in the northernSonoran Desert, with big cacti,rugged mountains, and endlessvalleys ribbed with verdant tree-lined washes. Temperatures range

from 20° to116° F. Thesummer monsoon storms and theirlightning are exciting and refreshing,even with the flash floods. The areahas a high diversity of plants and inter-esting reptiles, and some of the mostinteresting insects to be found in NorthAmerica. The desert is a fascinatingstory of adaptation by plants, animals,and humans.

Organ Pipe generally enjoys clear skies, but activities on theMexican border such as field and garbage burning, pesticideuse, and truck traffic on dirt roads affect air quality. Newindustrial and urban developments are planned in the localborder town of Sonoyta, Sonora, and increasing tourist andtruck traffic through the monument also has the potential toincrease air pollutants.

The area is sometimesaffected by regional hazefrom Phoenix, urbansouthern California, theindustrialized Gulf coastsof Mexico and Texas, andthe smelter regions ofArizona and New Mexico.

Check for insectinfestations (e.g.,flies in the moduleor released fromcassette uponremoval, and spiderwebs).


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

In 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued regionalhaze regulations that require every state, the District of Columbia,and the U.S. Virgin Islands to incorporate 10-year plans to improvevisibility at mandatory federal Class I areas affected by human-caused air pollution from within their borders into their generalState Implementation Plans (SIPs) for air pollution control. To allowfor monitoring of a "baseline" period from 2000 to 2004 and coor-dination with emissions reduction strategies needed to meet healthstandards and other Clean Air Act programs, Congress establishedDecember 17, 2007, as the submittal deadline for regional hazeplans. In 1999, EPA established Regional Planning Organizations(RPOs) and supported them through grant money to facilitate inter-state consultation on technical and policy issues that would arisein individual SIP development.

The Clean Air Act requires that states consult with the federal landmanagers (FLMs) before completing their public review of theRegional Haze SIPs. Within the Department of the Interior (DOI), the

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks is the official fed-eral land manager for the 70 Class I areas managed by the NationalPark Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The review ofthe SIPs is performed by staff at the National Park Service AirResources Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Branch of AirQuality, collocated in Lakewood, Colorado. These offices havecoordinated efforts to review all the materials provided by the statesand avoid duplication of effort. Comments are either sent directlyfrom these offices or, when significant issues are found with astate's approach, comments are sent for signature by the assistantsecretary. By law the states must inform the public of FLM concernsas part of the public review of the SIP revisions. The EPA requires

the states to explain their decisions in response to FLM consulta-tion comments when the SIPs are submitted to the EPA for approval.

StatusAs of August 5, 2008, the DOI received draft SIPs from 23 states.The DOI has also received information related to Best AvailableRetrofit Technology (BART) permits from seven additional states.BART is a major component of the regional haze rules that requiresretrofitting of pollution control equipment on major industrialsources of a certain age and size if those sources are found to con-tribute to regional haze at any Class I area. More information onthe status of the DOI's review is contained in the graphics below.

SIP CContentsGenerally the states have done a good job of describing the statusof visibility at the Class I areas for the baseline period of 2000through 2004. The characterization of visibility and the aerosols thatdegrade visibility is now well documented through the IMPROVE net-work and studies using that data conducted by the RPOs.

The SIPs from all states with Class I areas reviewed so far showsome progress in improving the 20% worst days in the baselineperiod, which is the metric established by the Regional Haze Rule.The EPA requested that states compare the progress declared in theSIP with a "uniform" rate of progress that would return Class I areavisibility to estimated "natural" conditions by 2064. Many of thestates in the East were able to demonstrate that anticipated progresswould meet or exceed the "uniform" rate of progress, due toexpected reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-firedpower plants under the EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). Theoutcome of these SIPs is now in question since legal action in July2008 struck down CAIR. The EPA will need to address the ade-quacy of the SIP submitted so far and work with states that havenot yet submitted as to how to address utility emissions in theregional haze SIPs. In the West, the visibility conditions today aremuch closer to "natural" and there is no single aerosol type that isdominant for the worst 20% days. Wildfire also contributes signif-icant impairment at most western Class I areas. The western statesare focusing on reductions from electric utilities, the federal mobilesource programs, and some modest improvements from smokemanagement and area source rules. So far, the Class I areas in theWest are not expected to achieve the "uniform" rate of progress asestablished by EPA guidance. This may be due to many factors,including the current assumptions regarding wildland fire and dustestimates used to determine "natural" conditions. The RegionalHaze Rule allows for continued assessment of "natural" conditionsas the program matures and future SIP revisions are implemented.

The DOI is focusing a lot of resources on getting a complete reviewof BART sources in this first round of SIPs since retrofitting thoseolder sources are usually the most cost-effective means for mak-ing progress in improving visibility for all areas of the country.

ConclusionWhile the timing of SIP development and implementation has beendelayed, the DOI is pleased with the efforts of the states to addressvisibility at Class I areas in a comprehensive way for the first time.

Regional Planning Organizations

WesternRegional AirPartnership Central

Regional AirPlanning

Partnership

VisibilityImprovement

State and TribalAssociation ofthe Southeast

MidwestRegionalPlanning

Organization

Mid-Atlantic /NortheastVisibility

Union

Status of FWS/NPS Regional Haze Review

Regional Haze Rule Reviewand Submittal Status

SIP Submitted to EPADOI SIP Review CompleteDOI Actively Reviewing SIP

Local Signature - Minor Comments

FLM Signature - Significant Comments (cont. talk with EPA)

Some Materials AvailableReview in Progress (60-day clock)

FLM Signature - Significant Comments

Bruce Polkowsky, National Park Service, Air Resources Division, Lakewood, CO


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

Site operator CharleyChadwick works inmaintenance and equip-ment operation atCrescent Lake Natl.Wildlife Refuge. Charleyspends a lot of his freetime tinkering on his ownequipment at home, butwhen he really needs abreak, he and his wife,Barb, jump on his Harleyand hit the road!

Crescent Lake National WildlifeRefuge lies on the southwesternedge of the Nebraska sandhills,the largest sand dune area inthe Western Hemisphere. Thesandhills are characterized byrolling, vegetated hills and inter-dunal valleys. Many shallow lakes and marshes are inter-spersed in the lower valleys. Native grasses predominate.

The staff at Crescent LakeNWR work toward habitatmanagement thatincreases wildlife diversityand abundance. Wildlifediversity includes muleand white-tailed deer anddozens of species ofgrassland birds.

Check for insectinfestationsthroughout thesummer (e.g., muddaubers, flies, spiderwebs).

Watch for lightningdamage during thesummer.

CrescentLake NWR

Headquarters

Residentsand

Visitors

High ozone levels at the earth's surface are usually associated with pho-tochemical smog and are typically assumed to be an urban air quality prob-lem. In recent years there has been a rise of tropospheric ozone in remoteregions of the western United States. Ozone (O3) is a strong oxidant thatcan harm human health at relatively low concentrations. Recently, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened existing National AmbientAir Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone from 80 to 75 ppb. Many med-ical experts assert that an ozone standard between 60 and 70 ppb is requiredto protect human health.

Ozone is formed through a complex series of chemical reactions involv-ing nitrogen oxides (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in thepresence of sunlight. To combat rising ozone levels, these precursorsmust be reduced. As oil and gas development in the western U.S. contin-ues to accelerate, there is significant potential that emissions will add tothe existing ozone problem. Although emissions from oil and gas devel-opment may appear small when compared to other emission sources likecoal-fired power plants and automobiles, they typically occur in remoteregions of the country and can have disproportionate effects on air qual-ity in rural regions. NOX emissions from an internal combustion engine ata gas well may react with terpenes (a reactive VOC) emitted from pineforests forming ozone in an area where, previously, the right mix of pre-cursors was not available for this reaction to take place. Recent observa-tions indicate that many remote wilderness areas and national parks areconfronted with ozone concentrations trending toward the EPA's accept-able limits. Northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado are cur-rently seeing rapid growth in oil and gas extraction operations, and thereis little understanding of the potential negative impact on air quality inthese remote areas.

To investigate this issue, CIRA and National Park Service (NPS) scientistsare using sophisticated meteorological and air pollution models to simu-late air quality in the western U.S., and determining which emission sources(e.g., oil and gas development, power plants, automobiles) contribute sig-nificantly to the pollution burden in our protected remote areas. The con-cept of "one-atmosphere" is employed to investigate issues related toregional formation and transport of air pollutants such as ozone and par-ticulate matter, impacts on visibility protection, and mitigating health andecosystem effects due to excessive nitrogen deposition and toxic air pol-lutants such as mercury.

CCoommppoonneennttss ooff tthhee MMooddeelliinngg SSyysstteemm

MM5 ((Mesoscale MModel 55): A regional weather model thatprovides the wind fields that CAMx needs to determine thetransport of chemical species, as well as other meteorologicalvariables such as temperature and mixing height.CAMx ((Comprehensive AAir QQuality MModel wwith EExtensions):A chemical transport model that simulates the emissions, dis-persion, chemical reactions, and removal of pollutants in the tro-posphere. This type of simulation accounts for the complexphysical and chemical processes that govern the fate of pollutants.

Pollutant eemissions iinventory: A detailed emissions inven-tory focused on pollutants important for regional haze and vis-ibility that covers the model domain, which includes thecontiguous U.S., southern Canada, and northern Mexico, andspecifies the hourly flux of emissions from numerous area andpoint pollutant sources. The inventory consists of 22 emissioncategories (e.g., automobiles, power plants, forest fires, oil andgas development) and was developed for the Western RegionalAir Partnership (WRAP).

Figure 1 shows typicalNOX emissions associatedwith oil and gas develop-ment in the western U.S.from the 2002 WRAP emis-sions inventory. Note thesignificant emissions thatoccur throughout theIntermountain West, and inparticular the four cornersregion of northwesternNew Mexico.

The oil and gas emissioninventory used in this studywas initially compiled forthe WRAP's regional hazesimulations, with a focus on NOX and oxidized sulfur (SOX) emissions,which are precursors to fine particulate nitrate and sulfate. The generaltrends presented here give a gross indication of the impact of this sourcecategory on regional ozone formation. For this study, the largest impactsfrom oil and gas emissions on regional ozone were seen near MesaVerde National Park. This is not surprising, given its proximity to theextensive development that is occurring in northwestern New Mexico.

Figure 2a shows the predicted (black) and observed (red) ozone con-centrations for Mesa Verde National Park, and Figure 2b illustrates thechange in ozone concentration attributed to oil and gas emissions at thissite. As expected, the general trend of both predicted and observedozone is low concentrations during the colder winter months, when lim-ited photochemistry will occur, and higher concentrations during the

warmer late spring and summer months, when meteorological condi-tions are more favorable to ozone production. In addition, it is antici-pated that enhanced biogenic VOC emissions occurring during the springand summer will further influence ozone formation in this region.

A regional perspective of ozone formation is illustrated in Figure 3. Figure3a shows the peak estimated ozone concentration at each model grid cellthat occurred during the 2002 base case simulation. As expected, thereare high concentrations downwind of major urban areas such as LosAngeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Denver. There are also largeozone peaks in the more remote regions of Nevada, Wyoming, Utah,Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. These maxima occur during hotdays with light winds in the summer, when the meteorology is mostfavorable for ozone production. These periods also typically correspondto peak VOC emissions from biogenic and anthropogenic sources. Therole of NOX and VOC emissions from oil and gas development on ozonein the western U.S. is shown in Figure 3b. The peak simulated ozone foreach grid cell during 2002 is shown, but in this case the ozone concen-tration is due solely to emissions from oil and gas development. Althoughthe peak ozone maxima throughout the West are typically quite small,there is a strong signature of a 2-3 ppb of ozone throughout New Mexico,Colorado, and Wyoming, with a pattern that approximates the emissionsshown in Figure 1. In addition, significant ozone concentrations exceed-ing 10 ppb are evident in southwestern Colorado and northwestern NewMexico. Class I areas in this region that are likely to be impacted byincreased ozone include Mesa Verde National Park and WeminucheWilderness Area in Colorado, and San Pedro Parks Wilderness Area,Bandelier Wilderness Area, Pecos Wilderness Area, and Wheeler PeakWilderness Area in New Mexico.

This study indicates a clear potential for oil and gas development tonegatively impact regional ozone concentrations in the western U.S.,including several treasured national parks and wilderness areas in theFour Corners region. It is likely that accelerated energy developmentin this part of the country will worsen the existing problem. These sim-ulations will be refined with the updated emission inventories availablefrom the WRAP. Regional air quality modeling remains the only feasi-ble option for developing emission control strategies.

Figure 1

Figure 2a Figure 2b

Figure 3a Figure 3b

Marco Rodriguez, Michael Barna, Tom Moore, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO

David FFinnan (right) is the primary operator for theShining Rock IMPROVE site in North Carolina, and isassisted by Wade CCarpenter (left) and Barry WWilkinson(center). David’s duties in the Pisgah Ranger Districtinclude working as a wilderness ranger, working in dis-persed recreation, and being a Wildland Firefighter Type I.He has worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 7 years, start-ing as a primary firefighter in 2001 on the GrandfatherRanger District in Nebo, North Carolina. His current wilder-ness ranger position in Pisgah Natl. Forest began in March2006. He enjoys helping collect data that may possiblychange the way we look at things as a society. He has awife and a 13 year-old daughter. He likes being with hisfamily and watching his daughter play sports.

The IMPROVE site is on Frying PanMtn., just off the Blue Ridge Parkway,near milepost 408. Frying Pan offersspectacular views of Shining RockWilderness, especially the northern endwhich culminates in the 6,030-foot-highCold Mountain -- the same mountainmade famous by Charles Frazier’sPulitzer Prize-winning novel. ShiningRock is the largest wilderness area inthe state, encompassing 18,483 acres. It was designated aClass I area in 1964. It is comprised of a series of highridges and steep forested slopes, nurtured by abundantrainfall. As with many areas in the southern Appalachians,Shining Rock is well known for its rich and diverse biota.

Originally this area was a part of the Cherokee Nation, butwith the 1796 North Carolina land grant, settlers soonarrived. By the early 20th century the area was heavilylogged and burned. Today the slopes are once again cov-ered with mature forests of an amazing diversity. Shining

Rock itself, named for the whitequartzite rock that forms its summit,is an extremelypopular destina-tion for hikersand campers yearround. Currentweather data andweb cam views ofCold Mtn. can befound at http://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/.

Check temperatureat each setup toassure it is within 10degrees C of outdoortemperature.

Watch out for vermin(e.g., venomousspiders and snakes).

Aerosol particles in the atmosphere influence the earth's radiationbalance and climate, atmospheric chemistry, visibility, and humanhealth on scales ranging from local to global. On a global scale, directradiative effects from particles of anthropogenic origin (as opposed todust entrainment caused by desertification) are dominated by sulfateand carbonaceous particles. While sulfate particles have a very highalbedo and predominantly scatter light in the visible part of the spec-trum, carbonaceous particles contain components that both scatter andabsorb visible light, resulting in a wide range of albedos. Black carbon(BC) is the strongly light-absorbing component, while organic carbon(OC) is mostly light scattering. BC and OC can coexist in internally mixedparticles that may consist of a BC core coated with OC. In addition tothe direct radiative effects of carbonaceous particles, they can also serveas cloud condensation nuclei (contributing to the indirect climateeffect) and assist in the evaporation of clouds due to light absorptionand heating by BC (semi direct effect). Transport, deposition, chem-istry, radiative effects, and health effects of particles depend largely ontheir composition, size distribution, and morphology.

Wildland fires of both anthropogenic and natural origin are a major sourceof carbonaceous particles in the global atmosphere. The properties ofaerosol particles emitted by wildland fires vary strongly and are largely deter-mined by fuel properties and combustion conditions. Unfortunately, verylittle is known about the characteristics of particles emitted from the com-bustion of wildland fuels as a function of fuels and combustion conditions.

To improve our understanding of the influence of wildland fires on the envi-ronment, experiments are being conducted to study the characteristics ofaerosol particles freshly emitted from the combustion of individual wildlandfuels under controlled laboratory conditions. This study, called FLAME (theFire Lab at Missoula Experiment), is a cooperative effort between theNational Park Service, the Forest Service's Missoula Fire SciencesLaboratory (FSL), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and Colorado StateUniversity, with participation from a number of outside investigators.Experiments are taking place in the FSL Combustion Laboratory with twodifferent modes of operation: 1) stack burns vent all fire emissions througha 17-meter-high stack (see Figure 1) with sampling of the emissions occur-ring near the top of the stack, with instruments and filter/canister samplerslocated on the sampling platform at 15 meters height, and 2) chamber burnswith fire emissions that fill the whole chamber with smoke.

Stack burns allow for the characterization of the time evolution of fire emis-sions as the combustion process evolves from flaming to smolderingcombustion. Instruments with high time resolution (typically 1 to 5seconds) enable characterization of particle mass, optical properties (e.g.,absorption, scattering, and extinction), and gaseous emissions (e.g., CO2,CO, NO2, and NO) as a function of time.

Chamber burns store the emissions from the burn in a large room whereparticles slowly change. Therefore it is possible to use more time-con-suming measurements relying on near-constant smoke properties, such

as determining the particle size dis-tribution with a scanning mobilityparticle sizer.

Specific FLAME objectives includea) determination of fuel-basedaerosol particle emission factors,b) characterization of physical andoptical properties of aerosol parti-cles and their change as a functionof relative humidity conditioning,and c) development of improvedchemical smoke tracer profiles andmeasurement methods.

Initial results include the determi-nation of emission factors for par-ticles and gaseous species emittedduring the flaming and smolderingcombustion of several wildlandfuels, the characterization of parti-cle optical properties and mor-phology, the change of particlelight-scattering as a function of rel-

ative humidity, the characterization of organic emissions used as smokemarkers, the development and application of an improved detection tech-nique for levoglucosan -- a commonly used smoke tracer -- and an improvedunderstanding of partitioning of mercury emitted from biomass combus-tion between particulate-phase and gaseous elemental mercury.

One example of the results shows the evolution of particle opticalproperties (Figure 2), namely absorption, extinction, and single-scat-tering albedo (indicating the whiteness). During the initial flaming-com-bustion phase, nearly all extinction is due to absorption, indicating theemission of very black particles (albedo = 0.15), followed by a transi-tion to smoldering combustion, emitting very white particles (albedo >0.95). The black smoke emitted during flaming combustion consists

largely of fractal-like chainaggregates of strongly light-absorbing BC monomerscoated with OC (Figure 3a).Smoldering combustionemits rather white smokeconsisting of larger roundparticles (tar balls) contain-ing mostly OC (Figure 3b).Due to the extremely differ-ent physical, chemical, andoptical properties of parti-cles emitted from flamingand smoldering combustionand the large variabilitybetween fuel consumptionby flaming and smoldering,it is very important to sepa-rately characterize theiremissions and emissionfactors.

For more information, visithttp://chem.atmos.colostate.edu/FLAME/ or e-mail HansMoosmüller at the DesertResearch Institute, NevadaSystem of Higher Education,Reno, Nevada, at [email protected].

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of theForest Service’s Fire SciencesLaboratory (FSL) combustion facil-ity in Missoula, Montana.

Figure 2. Change in particle optical properties during combustion ofPonderosa Pine needles from flaming to smoldering phase.

Figure 3. (a) Fractal-like chain aggre-gates from the flaming combustion ofPonderosa Pine wood; (b) Tar ball fromthe smoldering combustion of “Montanagrass”.

Hans Moosmüller, Desert ResearchInstitute, Reno, NV; Sonia M. Kreidenweis,Jeffrey L. Collett Jr., and William C. Malm,

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO;Wei M. Hao, Fire Sciences Laboratory,

Rocky Mountain Research Station,USDAForest Service, Missoula, MT

Andrew VValdez is the primaryIMPROVE sampler operator atGreat Sand Dunes National Parkand Preserve. He loves being ageologist at Great Sand Dunes,describing the area as “adynamic resource that we havelearned much about. We havebeen able to apply this knowl-edge to management issuessuch as protection againstgroundwater development,obtaining a boundary expansion,obtaining protective groundwaterrights, and increasing the under-

standing of the physical system. I've had the opportunity towork with and learn from a wide variety of scientists. GreatSand Dunes is an area that I feel has greatly benefited fromthe application of science.”

This area, scenically located in a high valley around 8000feet in elevation at the western foot of the Sangre de CristoMountains in south-central Colorado, has only recently beennamed a national park, its status having been upgraded fromnational monument in 2004. It was then that it was alsoquadrupled in size. According to the park service, the maindune area, which is only about 30 square miles in area,"contains the tallest dunes in North America, ranging up to750 feet above the valley floor in one of the most fragile andcomplex dune systems in the world, and includes creeksthat demonstrate surge flow, a rare hydrologic phenomenon;hosts a great diversity of plants and animals, includinginsect species found nowhere else on earth; and containssome of the oldest known archeological sites in America,"dating back to 7000 BC.

Mr. Valdez says that the air quality isgenerally excellent, with mountains 50miles away seen with great clarity. Airquality does sometimes degrade inthe springtime when strong windscreate dust storms, but he adds thatthere are no notable industrialsources upwind (to the southwest). However, wildfiresupwind of the park can greatly impact air quality.

In addition to operating the sampler, Andrew keeps an eye onhydrologic resources. He also studies, monitors, and deter-mines the physical processes that lead to the development ofGreat Sand Dunes. A self-described TV watcher and "athleticcouch potato", he remains single with no kids but evidentlyhas had an interest in nature his entire life. As a child, hewas always breaking rocks to see what they looked likeinside. Is it any surprise he became a geologist?


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

Watch for lightningdamage.

Check site conditions(e.g., a tree growingbeyond acceptancecriteria).

The Upper Green River Basin is part of theGreater Yellowstone Ecosystem, located 100 milessoutheast of Grand Teton National Park. It is aland of spectacular vistas, and is currently in themidst of a nat-ural gas boom.Much of theregion is leasedfor oil and gasdevelopment,and more than

3000 natural gas wells have beendrilled. Another 10,000 wells are pro-posed over the next decade.

Rising energy prices make it lucrative totap resources here, and proposals areon the table to expand drilling opera-tions and allow significant year-rounddrilling. There is concern that visibilityis being degraded, that winter rangesand migratory pathways are being com-promised, and that acid deposition isaffecting alpine lakes in Yellowstoneand Grand Teton national parks and innearby wilderness areas. In addition,ambient levels of pollutants like ozoneand particulate matter approach thethreshold for affecting human health,while nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissionsare three times those anticipated.

Impacts: OOil && GGasEmissionsCurrent work addresses concernsabout NOX converting to particulatenitrates. The complex nonlinear sul-fate-nitrate-ammonia system is highlydependent on availability of ammoniagas. Impacts of oil and gas develop-ment include

particulates from roads and disturbed land;VOCs from drilling fluids, separation, dehydration, producedwater, gas venting, and gas compression; andNOX from diesel drilling rigs, gas compression, vehicles, and flaring.

MonitoringA long-term ammonia air monitoring study was initiated in December2006 at Boulder, Wyoming, by Shell Exploration & Production Company.The monitoring site is located in the Upper Green River Basin of west-ern Wyoming, southwest of the Bridger Wilderness, a Class I area withan IMPROVE monitoring site. This region is experiencing rapid devel-opment of natural gas resources with possible consequences of airquality and visibility impacts in the Bridger Wilderness. Only very lim-ited short-term ammonia measurements were previously available forthis region. The primary objectives of this study were to

measure background ammonia (NH3) concentration for one yearfor use in refined visibility analyses,measure concentrations of other related gases and particles toprovide information about the local nitrogen budget, andattempt to identify the source regions attributable to these gasesand particulates.

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IMPROVECASTNetSouth Daniel -full AQBoulder - fullAQJonah - full AQBP Met - mete-orological only

ResultsFigure 1 (at the top of the next column) shows measured gaseous and par-ticulate concentrations from December 2006 through January 2008.Ammonia is seasonally dependent but peaks in July and August. Thereare two extreme acid sulfate episodes, one in May 2007, and the second inOctober-November 2007. Particulate nitrate peaks in the winter.

Figure 2 charts gas/particle partitioning of the measured species (concen-trations in g/m3, top bar stack for particles, bottom bar stack for gases) forthe same time period. Particulate sulfate (red) dominates throughout mostof the year. Reduced nitrogen (green bars) shows an increased partition-

ing into the gas phase (ammonium to ammonia). Increased particulatenitrate in late winter is consistent with thermodynamic expectations: ammo-nium nitrate formation is favored at lower temperatures and higher relativehumidities.

Three events stand out: high particulate nitrate in January, 2007; high par-ticulate nitrate in December 2007 to January 2008; and high particulate sul-fate in May 2007. The winter nitrate events are interesting as all reducednitrogen is present as particle-phase ammonium while considerable nitricacid remains in the gas phase. Sufficient increases in ammonia emissionsduring this period could have substantially increased fine particle mass con-centrations by further ammonium nitrate formation.

SummaryA 15-month study in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming in whichammonia and nitric acid gasses and ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate parti-cles were measured has been completed. The results of the study showthat in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming, 2007 ammonia concen-trations are (1) quite variable throughout the year, (2) are below or neardetectable limits from December through late February, (3) peak in Augustat 1.55 ppbv, and (4) have a yearly mean value of 0.24 ppbv. Nitric acid ishighest in the winter; if more ammonia was present, it is possible therewould be more particulate nitrate formed during these periods.

Landsat Images showing oiland gas development. In 1986,there was no sign of oil andgas development. The firstpermits were let and drillingbegan in 1995-96. By 2007,there is an extensive networkof drilling pads, roads, etc.

1986

1999

2007

Figure 1

Figure 2

John V. Molenar, Cassie Archuleta, and Mark Tigges,Air Resource Specialists, Inc., Ft. Collins, CO;

H. James Sewell , Shell Exploration & Production Co.;Florian M. Schwandner and Suresh Raja,

Dept. of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO

The Bankhead National Forest,located in northwestern Alabamais managed and protected by theForest Service under the "multi-ple-use concept," which meansmanaging the forest to provide theoptimal blend of all its resources.This includes wood, wildlife, recre-ation, wilderness, and water.

The Bankhead offers somethingfor everyone. Its 179,000 publiclyowned acres include scenic

beauty, tall trees, flowing streams, picturesque rock bluffs,and abundant wildlife. The rock cliffs that rise from thewaters of Smith Lake and along the canyons of the SipseyRiver are outstanding examples of the Bankhead's ruggedbeauty. Streams on the Bankhead often cascade over rockfaces into deep canyons to form beautiful waterfalls.

The main IMPROVE operatorsare Nikka JJefferson (at top),fire dispatch / timber resourcesupport, and Jeanne MMariePleva (directly above), forestrytechnician / firefighter. Bothbegan their Forest Service careeron the Bankhead and are veryproud to work in such a beautiful forest.


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

Check for rodentinfestations in the falland winter.

IImmpprroovviinngg AAiirr QQuuaalliittyy DDeecciissiioonn SSuuppppoorrtt SSyyss-tteemmss tthhrroouugghh IInntteeggrraattiioonn ooff SSaatteelllliittee DDaattaa,,GGrroouunndd-BBaasseedd IIMMPPRROOVVEE DDaattaa,, aanndd MMooddeelleeddaanndd EEmmiissssiioonnss DDaattaaState and local agencies, regional planning organizations, and federal landmanagers currently use a variety of data sources in urban-to-regional-scale air quality planning to meet the National Ambient Air QualityStandards and address visibility impairment in federal Class I areas.

A new project is being funded thatincorporates IMPROVE data andNASA remote sensing data fromMODIS (Moderate Resolut ionImaging Spectroradiometers) andOMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument),and from GOES (GeostationaryOperational Environmental Satellite)and CALIPSO satellites to bettercharacterize pollutants and theirsources at ground level and aloft.The goal is to facilitate a more thor-ough and efficient evaluation ofcomprehensive three-dimensionalair quality models such as the EPACommunity Multiscale Air Quality(CMAQ) model used in air qualityplanning.

The project supports and engagesseveral end user groups, includingthe Western Regional Air Partner-ship (WRAP), the National ParkService, the U.S. EPA, and the NorthCarolina and Utah divisions of airquality. The University ofNorth Carolina leads theproject with co-investiga-tors at the CooperativeInstitute for Research in theAtmosphere (CIRA) and theUniversity of Maryland,Baltimore County (UMBC).

U.S. air quality is affected byboth local emissions andlong-range transport of pol-lutants from other regions.Trans-Pacific transport ofpollutants has affectedbackground ozone in the

western U.S., and dust and smoke plumes from China have been seen toreduce visibility in the rural Midwest. States must assess long-range trans-port vs. local source contributions to prepare effective State ImplementationPlans (SIPs) in order to demonstrate compliance with EPA air quality andhaze regulations. Integrating modeled and observational data for 3D char-acterization of air quality is critical to their success.

PPrroojjeecctt DDeettaaiillss

In conjunction with ground-based network data from the IMPROVE pro-gram and other monitoring networks, this project applies existing NASAaerosol optical depth products and imagery from the Terra/Aqua (MODIS,AIRS) and Aura (OMI) satellites and the CALIPSO LIDAR, as well as fire activ-ity data from the GOES satellite to provide a more complete picture of theaerosol concentrations and sources over the U.S. Data from multiple net-works are currently available in theVisibility Information ExchangeSystem (VIEWS) and the WRAPTechnical Support System(VIEWS/TSS). This projects seeksto enhance that data set with theimproved spatial and temporal cov-erage of satellite data.

The system will include metadatafor air quality planners to use thesatellite data in a complementarymanner with ground-based obser-vations to understand sourcecharacteristics and the composi-tion of particulate matter that mostsignificantly contributes to air

quality and visibility degradation in a particular region. In addition to satel-lite data, the enhanced system will include advanced analysis tools toapply and interpret these data in the urban-to-regional scale modelingrequired to develop state and tribal implementation plans for meeting airquality and visibility standards. Simulations with the CMAQ model willexercise the capabilities of the enhanced system, from input data improve-ments to analysis and interpretation of the results.

The ability to apply satellite observations to air quality issues stems fromdecades of investments by NASA and the atmospheric research com-munity in aerosol retrieval methods, sensor technology, validation efforts,and other scientific research. Complementary use of ground-based mea-surements with satellite data in the project will further enhance the rele-vance of these research efforts to air quality planning.

PPrroojjeecctt OOuuttccoommeess

Expected outcomes of this project include improvements to

VIEWS/TSSprovide multidimensional aerosol-related data and analyses,expand the analytical capabilities to provide visualization and inter-pretation of observations compared to air quality model results,assess the general state of air quality and visibility trends,

CMAQ Model Evaluationinterpret model results using the newly available vertical profilesfrom the satellite data, andidentify areas for improvement in process algorithms.

VVaalluuee aanndd BBeenneeffiittssIncreased reliability in air quality forecasts, to reduce healthimpacts and visibility degradation due to poor air quality, and topromote healthier ecosystemsIncreased understanding of source-receptor relationships, leadingto defensible and achievable control strategies for decision makersValuable case studies and precedents for improved rule making

KKeeyy WWeebbssiitteessThe Visibility Information Exchange Web System:

http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/viewsWestern Regional Air Partnership Technical Support System:

http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/viewsInfusing satellite Data into Environmental Applications:

http://idea.ssec.wisc.edu/EPA Air Quality System:

http://www.EPA.gov/ttn/airs/airsaqs/

To aid in assessing air quality above the ground, the LIDAR profilesfrom the CALIPSO satellite tell us where in the vertical the smokerises. For the Georgia fires in early May 2007, the fires rose quickly(inset) above the ground.

The CCAALLIIPPSSOO satellite providesvert ical prof i les of dust andaerosols in the atmosphere.

The TTeerrrraa//AAqquuaa satellites supplyfire detection products and imageryfrom MODIS.

The Aura satellite carries instru-ments to study atmospheric chem-istry, including measurements ofozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogenoxides, chloroflourocarbons, andmethane.

NASA Earth Sciences Division, Applied Sciences Program, Air Quality Applications;Uma Shankar, Institute for the Environment, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;

Tom Moore, Shawn McClure, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere,Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO

Wildfires in Georgia and Florida continue toburn on Friday, May 11, 2007. MODIS sen-sors on the Terra/Aqua satellites reveal sig-nificant aerosol sources affecting air quality.

DDaann HHaarrrreellll hasbeen the primaryoperator at the U.L.Bend site on theCharles M. Russell(CMR) NationalWildlife Refuge sinceit was first estab-lished. Primarily, heis a habitat biologist.This positionincludes researchand monitoring ofsentinel plants andhow these plants areaffected by grazingand fire. He is alsoresponsible for moni-

toring the livestock grazing on approximately 175,000acres of the refuge, and he works with the owners of thecattle to try to keep conflicts to a minimum.

The biggest challenge when thissite was first established wasfinding a back-up operator. Danlives 55 miles away and cannotbe present at all times to takethe readings. Paul Pallas, whoalso works on the wildflife refugeas the assistant fire managementofficer, reliably operates the sta-tion when Dan can't be there.

Visibility is generally pretty good at the site, althoughthere are times during the summer and fall when air qual-ity is significantly reduced by wildfires. There are plansto establish some coal-fired power plants in the state,with at least one in the direction of the prevailing windsfor the IMPROVE station. How much that will affect airquality in the future is not known.

Established in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt asthe Fort Peck Game Range, it is now known as theCharles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The refugeextends from Fort Peck Lake, 125 miles up the MissouriRiver to the west, and contains approximately 1.1 millionacres. The mission of the refuge is "to preserve, restoreand manage, in a generally natural setting, a portion ofthe nationally significant Missouri River Breaks and asso-ciated ecosystems for optimum wildlife resources."


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

On March 12, 2008, the EPA significantly strengthened the NationalAmbient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone. Thelaw requires the EPA to review scientific information and the standardsfor ozone and other criteria pollutant every five years. There are twotypes of ozone standards that can be affected:

PPrriimmaarryy OOzzoonnee SSttaannddaarrdd -- protects public health, especially thosevulnerable populations such as people with lung disease like asthma,children, older adults, and people who risk higher exposure rates, suchas outdoor workers

SSeeccoonnddaarryy OOzzoonnee SSttaannddaarrdd -- setslimits to protect public welfare,including protection against dam-age to animals, crops, vegeta-tion, and buildings.

The ozone standards werelast revised in 1997. Atthat time both the pri-mary and secondarystandards were setat 0.080 parts permillion (ppm) withan 8-hour aver-aging t ime.When settingg theNAAQS, considerationis given to health and environmental effects. In contrast, acchievinggthe NAAQS requires more consideration be given to accounting forcost, technical feasibility, and the time needed to attain the standard.

The EPA has concluded that the 1997 pprriimmaarryy standard is not adequateto protect public health with an adequate margin of safety. They havestrengthened the level of the 8-hour primary ozone standard from 0.080ppm to 0.075 ppm. More than 1700 new scientific studies indicatestrong evidence of adverse health impacts of ozone at the level of the1997 primary standard and below.

Clinical studies show evidence of adverse respiratory responsesin healthy adults at a level of 0.080 and possibly lower. Large numbers of new epidemiological studies, including newmulti-city studies, strengthen the EPA's confidence in the linksbetween ozone exposure and health effects observed in the lastreview, including emergency department visits and hospitaliza-tions for respiratory causes.In addition, studies now link ozone exposure to other importanthealth effects, including mortality, increased asthma medicationuse, school absenteeism, and heart-related effects.Studies of people with asthma indicate they experience largerand more serious responses to ozone that last longer thanresponses in healthy individuals

The EPA has also concluded that the 1997 secondary ozone standardis not adequate to protect the public welfare -- including protectionagainst damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings. Theyhave strengthened the level of the 8-hour secondary ozone standardto 0.075 ppm.

Ozone effects on sensitive species include reduced biomass,foliar injury, loss of vigor, and susceptibility to disease. Thiscould lead to loss of plant diversity and change the types ofplants in ecosystems.Current ambient concentrations in many areas of the U.S., includ-ing areas that reach the 1997 standard, are sufficient to causeadverse impacts.Important new scientific information has been developed since1997; however many significant uncertainties remain.While the EPA agrees with the Clean Air Scientific AdvisoryCommittee (CASAC) that cumulative, seasonal exposures are themost biologically relevant, the remaining uncertainties over how tobest protect vegetation led the administrator to conclude that thesecondary standard should be set equal to the primary standard.

RReevviisseedd OOzzoonnee AAiirr QQuuaalliittyy IInnddeexx ((AAQQII))The EPA is changing the Air Quality Index (AQI) to reflect the new pri-mary ozone standard. The AQI is the EPA's color-coded tool designedto inform the public about daily air pollution levels in their communi-ties. The EPA is adjusting the 100-level, which is the upper end of the"moderate" category, to equal the new 0.075 ppm standard, and mak-ing proportional changes to other AQI values. The EPA encouragesthe states to use the new AQI break points for air quality forecastingstarting on May 1, 2008.

BBeenneeffiitt aanndd CCoosstt RReessuullttss These estimates assume aggressive technological change betweentoday and 2020. In addition to the health benefits of reduced air pol-lution, the Regulatory Impact Analysis estimates that a standard of0.075 ppm would prevent the following numbers of additional adversehealth effects annually by 2020:

380 cases of chronicbronchitis,890 nonfatal heartattacks,1,900 hospital and emer-gency room visits,1,000 cases of acutebronchitis,11,600 cases of upperand lower respiratorysymptoms,

6,100 cases of aggravated asthma,243,000 people-days of missed work or school, and750,000 people-days of restricted activities.

Based on the technology scenarios analyzed, the EPA estimates that

the average estimated value of these and other health benefitswould range from a low of $2 billion to a high of $17 billion peryear in 2020, and thatthe average estimated costs of implementing a standard of 0.075ppm would range from a low of $7.6 billion to a high of $8.8 bil-lion in 2020.

EExxppeecctteedd IImmpplleemmeennttaattiioonn TTiimmeelliinnee ffoorrRReevviisseedd OOzzoonnee NNAAAAQQSS

Milestone

Signature -- Final Rule

State DesignationRecommendationsto the EPA

Final Designations

AttainmentDemonstrationSIPs Due

Attainment Dates

PPrrooggrreessss TToowwaarrdd CClleeaann AAiirrWhile ozone's impacts on human health and the environment are moredamaging than previously understood and occur at lower ozone concen-trations, the EPA, states, and tribes have been making steady progresstoward lowering the amount of ozone in the air. In recent years, ozone airquality trends have been improving. Ground level ozone declined 9%nationwide between 1990 and 2006, and in the eastern U.S., the cap-and-trade NOX Budget Program has proven very successful. There has been a60% decline in eastern ozone season NOX emissions between 2000 and2006, and a 13% decline in eastern O3 concentrations between 2002 and2006. Nationwide, 89 of the original 126 areas designated as nonattainmentfor the 1997 standard met that standard during the 2004-2006 period.

Seve

rity

of E

ffect

s

Proportion of Population Affected

Date

March 12, 2008

No later than March 12, 2009 -- states andtribes have the option to recommend to theEPA which areas are and are not meetingthe new standards.

No later than March 12, 2010 -- the EPA isrequired to issue final designations within 2years after establishing revised standards

By 2013 -- the EPA will review existing des-ignation guidance and communicate withstates and tribes if additional guidance isneeded.

2013-2030 (depends on severity of problem)

United States Environmental Protection Agency,Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards

www.epa.gov/air/ozone pollution

The WichitaMountains NationalWildlife Refuge insouthwesternOklahoma hosts anIMPROVE samplerlocated near theheadquarters,mounted on an ele-vated scaffold-typeplatform. TheOklahoma Dept. ofEnvironmentalQuality added anephelometer to the site, and a mercurymonitor nearby. The refuge has alsooperated a National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)weather station for the past 102 years.

The terrain of the Wichita Mtns. is unlikeanything most people would expect tofind in Oklahoma. Granite rocky out-crops reach nearly 2,500 feet in eleva-tion. Two wilderness areas lie in therefuge -- the Charons Garden WildernessArea, whose eastern boundary is ¼ mile west of theIMPROVE site, and the North Mountain Wilderness Area fivemiles north.

The area has healthy herds of American bison, RockyMountain Elk, Texas long-horned cattle, and white-taileddeer. It was originally set aside as a forest preserve in 1901,and became a forest and game preserve in 1905. In the1930s, the CCC and WPA constructed roads, fences, largeconcrete dams, and numerous buildings. The refugereceives about 1.5 million visitors per year to view wildlife,hike on numerous trails, and go ‘boulder hopping’.

Ralph BBryant (top, right) and TimFischer (top, left) are the IMPROVEoperators. Ralph is the deputy man-ager of the 59,020-acre refuge. Hebegan his career with the Fish andWildlife Service in 1974 and has beenin the Wichita Mountains for 11 years.Tim, a mechanic with expertise inelectrical and HVAC maintenance, hasworked on the refuge for 10 years.Both get the opportunity to saddle-upthe refuge's horses and assist withthe annual bison and long-horned cat-tle round-ups, and the controlled elkand white-tailed deer hunts.

Check sampler inletsevery 3 months.

Call UC Davis at530-752-1123 tofigure out howholidays affectsample changeschedules.


(530) 752-1123



(970) 484-7941

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory (CNL) routinely performs X-ray fluo-rescence (XRF) analysis of aerosol samples to measure the concen-tration of elements with an atomic number greater than 10. In order toallow a more complete reconstruction of the aerosol mass, they recentlybegan testing a Rutherford back scattering (RBS) technique to measurecarbon (C) and oxygen (O) from air samples on Teflon filters using the76-inch cyclotron at the lab.

The purpose of this procedure is to develop an additional method ofmeasuring carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen on samples collected in theIMPROVE program. Carbon and nitrogen species are currently mea-sured using conventional techniques.

MMeetthhooddFor this test, the 4.5 MeV proton beam from the 76-inch CNL cyclotronlocated at the University of California, Davis was used.

A surface barrier detector (Si) for RBS was placed at 150 degrees to thebeam axis and 170 mm from the center of an ORTEC 2800 series scat-tering chamber. Figure 1 shows the layout of the setup. The detector,1000 ::m thick and 150 mm2 in area, was collimated by a circular open-ing 4.8 mm in diameter (18.1 mm2). The solid angle of the detector wasmeasured to be 6.25 x 10-4 steradians (sr). The thickness of the detec-tor stops the 4.5 MeV proton beam. Its measured resolution is better than25 KeV. A similar detector to measure the hydrogen in the filter usingforward proton elastic scattering was placed at 30 degrees to the beamaxis. For completeness, an X-ray detector (AMPTEK XR_100CR) recordedcharacteristic X-rays from elements on the filter.

A Faraday cup (FC) with electric and magnetic electron suppression waslocated 105 cm from the center of the ORTEC chamber. To assure no pro-tons were lost to the FC due to dispersion by the sample filters, a sec-ondary electron emission monitor (SEEM) was placed before the samples.This SEEM was composed of three aluminized-Mylar foils of thickness 0.29mg/cm2 each. The monitor was calibrated to the FC with no filter present.Then, for all the runs the monitor was used to count the protons imping-ing on the samples. The size of the beam at the sample location wasrecorded using HD-810 Gafchromic film and was found to be 6.35 mm indiameter. The background was measured with beam on and no samplepresent, and no counts were observed from the detectors.

The spectra were collected with a multichannel analyzer using the Genie2000 emulator software by Canberra Industries, Inc. Peaks in the spec-tra were integrated using the PeakFit software.

RReessuullttss

Two standards were used: a carbon foil with thickness of 300 µg/cm² anda Mylar foil with thickness of 280 µg/cm². Figures 2a and 2b show theRBS spectra for both foils.

A blank Teflon filter was analyzed before and after loading with elemen-tal carbon (graphite) using the CNL resuspension test chamber. Theblank and loaded spectra are shown in Figure 3.

A blank Teflon filter was loaded with urea (NH2CONH2) and analyzedusing RBS for C, N, and O. The spectrum energies are shown in Table1, and the spectra for C, N, and O on urea are shown in Figure 4.

CCoonncclluussiioonnss

An RBS analysis method has been developed and tested to measure thelight elements carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen on Teflon filters. The methodshows promise to extend the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory’s analyticaltechniques to more completely determine the species that make up themeasured mass on the filters.

Further development is needed and will be pursued in the coming months.

Figure 1:ORTEC 2800series scatter-ing chamberwith RBS, pro-ton elastic scat-tering analysis(PESA), and XRFdetectors

Figure 2a: Spectrum of car-bon standard foilwith density of300 µg/cm²

Figure 2b:Spectrum of Mylarfoil with density of280 µg/cm².

Figure 3:A comparison be-tween a blankTeflon filter andthe same f i l terafter loading withcarbon (graphite).

Figure 4:Urea spectrumcomparison withfitted C,N, and Opeaks using thePeakFit computerprogram

Table 1: Nuclear reaction and energies for C,N,O, and F

Lowell L. Ashbaugh, Omar F. Carvacho, Carlos M. Castaneda, Robert G. Flocchini, Jaspinder P. Singh, and Janice C.S. Lam; University of California, Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, Air Quality Group, Davis, CA

The Sula site sits atop Sula Peak at an elevation of 6,191feet on the south end of the Bitterroot Valley. TheBitterroot National Forest encompasses 1.6 million acresand includes portions of the Selway-Bitterroot, FrankChurch - River of No Return, and Anaconda-Pintler wilder-ness areas. This site offers great views of the wildernessareas off to the west and east of the site, and is a key visi-bility monitoring site as documented in the wildernessplans for the Selway-Bitterroot, Anaconda-Pintler,Rattlesnake, and Welcome Creek wilderness areas. It hasbeen operated by fire personnel on the Sula Ranger Districtsince 1994. The four operators, shown above from left toright, are Jon RRupp, Tanya NNeidhardt, Justin AAbbey,and Melissa WWegner. Secondaryoperators fill in throughout the sea-son. These operators also monitorthe National Trends Network site ofthe National AtmosphericDeposition Program when they’renot out fighting wildland fires.

The weekly treks to the site lead to wonderful and oftenchallenging situations in the winter months, due to blowingsnow and cold conditions. These same conditions canalso create challenges for the equipment in the coldermonths. Access to the site is by hiking, ATV, snowmobile,or snowshoes. Tanya Neidhardt reports it’s always a great

experience to make it to the top ofthe mountain and admire the viewsand see the many biologicalchanges that occur from week-to-week throughout the year.

The Bitterroot Valley lies within Ravalli County, one of thefastest-growing areas in Montana. Collection of IMPROVEdata from this site helps to determine trends on thenational and local level, and is linked and assessed withother ongoing environmental monitoring within the region.

In general, visibility has been improving at the site, withwild- and prescribed-fire smoke a major variable. Thetrends are similar to other IMPROVE sites around USFSRegion 1 in northern Idaho and western Montana.

Call UC Davis at530-752-1123 tofigure out howholidays affectsample changeschedules.

Front cover photo: Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Photographer: Jeff Lemke

U.S. EEPANeil FrankU.S. EPA MD-14Emissions, Monitoring and Analysis Div.Research Triangle Park, NC 27711Telephone: 919-541-5560Fax: 919-541-3613E-mail: [email protected]

BLMScott F. ArcherUSDI-Bureau of Land ManagementNational Science and Technology Ctr.Denver Federal Center, Building 50P.O. Box 25047, ST-180Denver, CO 80225-0047Telephone: 303-236-6400Fax: 303-236-3508E-mail: [email protected]

NACAATerry RowlesMO Dept. of Natural ResourcesAir Pollution Control ProgramP.O. Box 176Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176Telephone: 573-751-4817E-mail: [email protected]

NPSWilliam MalmColorado State UniversityCIRA - Foothills CampusFort Collins, CO 80523Telephone: 970-491-8292Fax: 970-491-8598E-mail: [email protected]

MARAMADavid KraskMaryland Dept. of the EnvironmentMARAMA/Air Quality Planning and

Monitoring1800 Washington Blvd.Baltimore, MD 21230-1720Telephone: 410-537-3756Fax: 410-537-4243E-mail: [email protected]

NOAAMarc Pitchford *c/o Desert Research Institute755 E. Flamingo RoadLas Vegas, NV 89119-7363Telephone: 702-862-5432Fax: 702-862-5507E-mail: [email protected]* steering committee chair

USDA-FFSScott CopelandUSDA-Forest ServiceWashakie Ranger Station333 E. Main St.Lander, WY 82520Telephone: 307-332-9737Fax: 307-332-0264E-mail: [email protected]

NESCAUMRich PoirotVT Agency of Natural Resources103 South Main StreetBuilding 3 SouthWaterbury, VT 05676Telephone: 802-241-3807Fax: 802-244-5141E-mail: [email protected]

FWSSandra SilvaFish and Wildlife ServiceP.O. Box 2528712795 W. Alameda ParkwayDenver, CO 80225Telephone: 303-969-2814Fax: 303-969-2822E-mail: [email protected]

WESTARRobert Lebens715 SW MorrisonSuite 503Portland, OR 97205Telephone: 503-478-4956Fax: 503-478-4961E-mail: [email protected]

ASSOCIATE MMEMBERSAssociate Membership in theIMPROVE Steering Committeeis designed to foster additionalcomparable monitoring that will aid inunderstanding Class I area visibility,without upsetting the balance oforganizational interests obtained bythe steering committee participants.The Associate Member representative is:

STATE OOF AARIZONAMichael SundblomManager, Air Monitoring UnitADEQ Air Assessment Section1110 W. Washington StreetPhoenix, AZ 85007Telephone: 602-771-2364Fax: 602-771-4444E-mail: [email protected]

IMPROVE STEERING COMMITTEEIMPROVE Steering Committee members represent their respective agencies and meet periodically to establish and evaluate program goals and actions.

IMPROVE-related questions within agencies should be directed to the agency’s steering committee representative.

Clear Dark Skies of Southern UtahOriginal black & white image by Cindy and Dan Duriscoe.

Copyright Cindy Duriscoe.

The efforts made to monitor and protect air quality notonly benefit daytime vistas, but the nighttime scenery aswell. This image is a fisheye view of Rainbow Bridge ofsouthern Utah. This site is managed by the National ParkService and sits between iconic Navajo Mountain and LakePowell. Far from city lights and unencumbered by air pol-lution, the Milky Way is seen in stunning detail. The sand-stone walls of the canyon are illuminated entirely bystarlight in this long exposure. Though increasingly rare,such dark skies are an increasingly popular naturalresource and sought by many city-weary travelers. TheNational Park Service has a team of scientists dedicatedto protecting dark night skies and investigating the linkbetween air quality and nighttime scenery.

For questions or problems with optical or scene monitoring equipment, contact Mark Tigges, Air Resource Specialists, Ft. Collins, CO, at 970-224-9300.For questions or problems with air sampler controllers or filters, contact Jose Mojica or Steven Ixquiac, UC Davis, at 530-752-1123. For sampler audits, ask for Steven Ixquiac.

2009 improve calendar...the standard improve particulate sampler has four sampling mod-ules. modules...

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