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Air Quality Observation Systems in the United States

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Air Quality Observation Systems in the United States NOVEMBER 2013 PRODUCT OF THE Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL 2 THIS DOCUMENT IS A PRODUCT OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL’S COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND SUSTAINABILITY About the National Science and Technology Council The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is the principal means by which the Executive Branch coordinates science and technology policy across the diverse entities that make up the Federal research and development enterprise. A primary objective of the NSTC is establishing clear national goals for Federal science and technology investments. The NSTC prepares research and development strategies that are coordinated across Federal departments and agencies to form investment packages aimed at accomplishing multiple national goals. The work of the NSTC is organized under five committees: Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability; Homeland and National Security; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education; Science; and Technology. Each of these committees oversees subcommittees and working groups focused on different aspects of science and technology. More information is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/nstc. About the Office of Science and Technology Policy The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was established by the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976. OSTP’s responsibilities include advising the President in policy formulation and budget development on questions in which science and technology are important elements; articulating the President’s science and technology policy and programs; and fostering strong partnerships among Federal, state, and local governments, and the scientific communities in industry and academia. The Director of OSTP also serves as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and manages the NSTC. More information is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp. About Subcommittee on Air Quality Research (AQRS) The Subcommittee on Air Quality Research (AQRS) is chartered to advise and assist in the coordination and enhancement of the effectiveness of U.S. air quality research. Its scope includes the observation, understanding, prediction, and assessment of the causes and consequences, both physical and biological, of degraded air quality, and the development of effective preservation and remediation strategies. In reporting to the CENRS, AQRS functions to: identify research information required to inform policy decisions; develop Federal interagency research strategies and priorities; serve as a forum to facilitate research planning; coordinate with other NSTC, Federal interagency, and private sector groups (as permitted by law); and periodically assess the effectiveness of Federal air quality research programs. Federal Copyright Information This document is a work of the United States Government and is in the public domain (see 17 U.S.C. §105). Subject to the stipulations below, it may be distributed and copied with acknowledgment to OSTP. Copyrights to graphics included in this document are reserved by the original copyright holders or their assignees and are used here under the government’s license and by permission. Requests to use any images must be made to the provider identified in the image credits or to OSTP if no provider is identified. 3 National Science and Technology Council Chair Staff John P. Holdren Pedro I. Espina (through May 31, 2013) Assistant to the President for Science and Executive Director Technology and Director, Jayne B. Morrow (beginning June 1, 2013) Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Director Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability Chairs Tamara Dickinson Kathryn Sullivan Principal Assistant Director for Environment and Acting Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Energy; Assistant Director for Disaster Resilience Administrator of the National Oceanic and and Space Science Atmospheric Administration Office of Science and Technology Policy Department of Commerce Glenn Paulson Staff Science Advisor Lisa Matthews Environmental Protection Agency Executive Secretary Environmental Protection Agency Subcommittee on Air Quality Research Chair Staff Dan Costa Jeanne Waters Environmental Protection Agency Executive Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Akkihebbal Ravishankara National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Acknowledgments This report was prepared by the Air Quality Research Subcommittee (AQRS) of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability. It updates an earlier AQRS report on the Nation’s air quality networks and explores the broader integration of observational-based resources across several Federal agencies. The principal authors of this report are Richard Scheffe and Joseph Tikvart, based in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Substantial assistance was provided by David McCabe of EPA’s Clean Air Task Force during his tenure as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. Significant review and advice was provided by the following: John Dawson, Terry Keating, Jim Szykman, and Richard Haeuber (EPA); Marc Pitchford, Richard Artz, David Parrish, John McNulty, Shobha Kondragunta, Steve Fine, and Jim Meagher (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); John Ray, Julie Thomas, and Bill Malm (National Park Service); Jay Al-Saadi, Bruce Doddridge, and Doreen Neil (National Aeronautics and Space Administration); and Ray Knighton and Rich Pouyat (U.S. Department of Agriculture). 4 Air Quality Observation Systems in the United States 5 Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Overview of Observation Programs .......................................................................................................... 15 Maintaining and Advancing Observation Programs ................................................................................. 42 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 54 References .................................................................................................................................................. 56 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................... i 6 Executive Summary – Air Quality Observation Systems in the United States In June 2013, President Obama released his Climate Action Plan. The Plan calls for a range of activities to help mitigate the impacts of carbon pollution, prepare for and adapt to those impacts that cannot be avoided, and enhance international efforts to reduce the harmful global effects of climate change. Success in each of the Plan’s three components will require access to and application of the highest quality atmospheric science. Fortunately, as a result of decades of attention to the issue of air quality generally – from ozone and carbon dioxide to soot and other particulates – the United States is in good position to address the added observational and modeling challenges posed by climate change. Federal agencies and state and local partners invest hundreds of millions of dollars annually to maintain and operate the Nation’s ground- and space-based air quality observation networks, and to conduct short-term field studies relating to air quality. The data collected by these activities have been indispensable to the effective development and implementation of policies to protect public health and the environment, and will be even more so as the Nation addresses the emerging impacts of climate change. This report catalogs the wide range of U.S. air quality measurement modalities and programs, including routine regulatory and deposition networks, intensive field studies, satellites, and fixed-site special-purpose networks operated or overseen by Federal departments and agencies – including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of the Interior (DOI) – and by various state, local and tribal partners. It also highlights some leading observational needs and opportunities, and identifies some of the barriers to fulfilling those needs and leveraging those opportunities. Specific programs and the pollutants they measure are documented in detail in the appendices. Among this report’s findings (not ranked in priority order) are: Observational Needs 1. Although local and regional observation and emissions reduction efforts are generally well advanced in the United States, there is a need to improve characterization of pollutants from distant/international sources to better evaluate their contribution to domestic air quality.
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