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Management of Air Quality Monitoring DataDebbie Miller

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Air Resources Division

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Overview

The NPS has a mandate to protect air quality and related values in national parks

The Environmental Protection Agency establishes air quality standards for six criteria pollutants that must be met nationwide

The Air Resources Division uses monitoring data to assess air quality conditions at parks across the country

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Overview (cont)

Some parks receive special protection under the Clean Air Act; most NPS-funded monitoring occurs in these “Class I” areas

Some monitoring in parks is funded by other agencies

ARD also uses data from monitors outside parks

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Air Quality Monitoring Data

Types of data include: 24-hour particulate concentrations (every 3rd

day) weekly wet deposition hourly ozone concentrations hourly meteorological measurements weekly ozone concentrations weekly particulate concentrations weekly dry deposition hourly SO2, NO, NO2, CO concentrations hourly light extinction and scattering

measurements

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Data Handling

Most NPS raw data are collected by contractors Continuous ozone and meteorology data are

validated by contractor and uploaded to national EPA air quality database

Particulate samples are analyzed by different labs, data collected and stored by contractor

Wet deposition samples managed by National Atmospheric Deposition Program

Dry deposition data collected and maintained by EPA contractor

Non-NPS data are collected and validated by states, tribes, and local air quality agencies

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Data Processing

Many summary statistics are created from raw data Used to evaluate status of parks and trends in

data Examples include:

annual 4th-highest 8-hour ozone concentration 3-year average of the annual maximum 3-month

ozone W126 sum mean annual visibility on 20% best and 20%

worst days number of days exceeding ozone standard annual mean wet deposition concentrations and

deposition maximum 3-month ozone SUM06

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Data Processing

ARD creates many of the calculated statistics Data ingested from various sources using SAS

statistical software Programs generate various ozone and visibility

statistics Other statistics such as deposition parameters

created by other agencies ARD stores a large amount of raw and

processed data for quick access

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Limitations

Most raw data available through some type of on-line retrieval system; not all are public

Some calculated statistics available, but many are not

Retrievals require fair degree of expertise Must be able to ingest and process large text

files No consistent file format Must visit different web sites Current system results in duplication of efforts

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EPA Data Format# RD|Action Code|State Code|County Code|Site ID|Parameter|POC|Sample Duration|Unit|Method|Date|Start Time|Sample Value|Null

Data Code|Sampling Frequency|Monitor Protocol (MP) ID|Qualifier - 1|Qualifier - 2|Qualifier - 3|Qualifier - 4|Qualifier - 5|Qualifier - 6|Qualifier - 7|Qualifier - 8|Qualifier - 9|Qualifier - 10|Alternate Method Detectable Limit|Uncertainty

# RC|Action Code|State Code|County Code|Site ID|Parameter|POC|Unit|Method|Year|Period|Number of Samples|Composite Type|Sample Value|Monitor Protocol (MP) ID|Qualifier - 1|Qualifier - 2|Qualifier - 3|Qualifier - 4|Qualifier - 5|Qualifier - 6|Qualifier - 7|Qualifier - 8|Qualifier - 9|Qualifier - 10|Alternate Method Detectable Limit|Uncertainty

RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|00:00||BF||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|01:00|0.011|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|02:00|0.014|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|03:00|0.012|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|04:00|0.001|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|05:00|0.002|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|06:00|0.001|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|07:00|0.014|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|08:00|0.030|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|09:00|0.043|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|10:00|0.041|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|11:00|0.045|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|12:00|0.047|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|13:00|0.048|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|14:00|0.051|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|15:00|0.052|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|16:00|0.053|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|17:00|0.047|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|18:00|0.041|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|19:00|0.036|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|20:00|0.015|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|21:00|0.010|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|22:00|0.003|||||||||||||||RD|I|01|003|0010|44201|1|1|007|047|20080301|23:00|0.005|||||||||||||||

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The Future

Development of consolidated data access application underway Use existing databases where possible Add information not already present (additional

metadata, calculated parameters, etc.) New park-centered interface—focus on specific

needs of NPS users Fit into existing IRMA structure

Add report-ready products (plots, tables, etc.)

Data Locations

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ARD/DenverHourly O3 (US)Trend resultsInterpolated data Mapping applicationsMetadata (site, park, usage notes)Calculated O3 parametersSAS programsOther data sets (?)

EPA/AQS (limited access)

Hourly O3 (US)NPS O3CASTNET (O3, dry dep)Met data (US)Other pollutants (SO2, NOx, toxics, etc)

New DB/query application

CSU/VIEWSVisibility data/RHR resultsHourly O3 (US), deposition, WX, other AQS data

ARS/Ft CollinsNPS O3 hourlySome calculated O3Live O3NPS met dataPortable O3Passive O3

NADPWet depositionMercury deposition

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Air Resources DivisionLakewood, Colorado

http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/303-987-6947

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior