This is an ongoing cooperative agreement to develop a sound scientific understanding of the levels and causes of elevated air pollutants that degrade the vistas and the natural ecosystems in…

This is an ongoing cooperative agreement to develop a sound scientific understanding of the levels and causes of elevated air pollutants that degrade the vistas and the natural ecosystems in national parks and affect visitor health. This information is needed to create the best management practices for protecting park resources identify current and emerging issues and assess the success of past management strategies. Activities include the use of monitoring and modeling data to assess the current levels and trends of haze, reactive nitrogen deposition, and ozone in national parks, as well as to understand the physical, chemical, and optical processes leading to the air quality issues. The outcomes of the research are included in scientific presentations, reports, journal articles and park planning documents. Air quality monitoring and modeling datasets developed are shared through various websites. Beneficiaries include state and local governments, federally recognized indian tribal governments, public private nonprofit organizations, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and the public.