The national ambient air monitoring strategy: rethinking the role of national networks.
A current re-engineering of the United States routine ambient monitoring networks intended to improve the balance in addressing both regulatory and scientific objectives is addressed in this paper. Key attributes of these network modifications include the addition of collocated instruments to produce multiple pollutant characterizations across a range of representative urban and rural locations in a new network referred to as the National Core Monitoring Network (NCore). The NCore parameters include carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), reactive nitrogen (NOy), ozone (O3), and ammonia (NH3) gases and the major fine particulate matter (PM2.5) aerosol components (ions, elemental and organic carbon fractions, and trace metals). The addition of trace gas instruments, deployed at existing chemical speciation sites and designed to capture concentrations well below levels of national air quality standards, is intended to support both long-term epidemiological studies and regional-scale air quality model evaluation. In addition to designing the multiple pollutant NCore network, steps were taken to assess the current networks on the basis of spatial coverage and redundancy criteria, and mechanisms were developed to facilitate incorporation of continuously operating particulate matter instruments.
Scheffe
Richard D
RD
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Office of Air and Radiation, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA. scheffe.rich@epa.gov
Solomon
Paul A
PA
Husar
Rudolf
R
Hanley
Tim
T
Schmidt
Mark
M
Koerber
Michael
M
Gilroy
Michael
M
Hemby
James
J
Watkins
Nealson
N
Papp
Michael
M
Rice
Joann
J
Tikvart
Joe
J
Valentinetti
Ricard
R
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003142:Communication; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000379:methods*; D010934:Planning Techniques; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency
D000393:Air Pollutants