What Goes Up Does Come Down How Air Pollution Affects our Natural Resources Christopher Lehmann Director, Central Analytical Laboratory National Atmospheric Deposition Program Illinois State Water Survey - Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Oradea, Romania Reutlingen, Germany Out on garbage patrol…

Bratislava, Slovakia Lake Constance, Switzerland

Beijing, China

Atmospheric Deposition EMISSIONS REMOVAL Precipitation volume/time AQUEOUS PHASE PRECIPITATION GAS/PARTICULATE PHASE AEROSOL PARTICLES & GASES Deposition velocity ATMOSPHERIC TRANSPORT & TRANSFORMATION REACTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Trends in US Emissions 1980: : Clean Air Act Amendments: Reduced emissions by 10 million short tons ( ) Source: U.S. EPA 2014: 4.3 U.S. EPA Proposed Air Transport Rule: 71% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels 2005: 14.8 SO 2 NO x

Trends in US Emissions Source: U.S. EPA 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments power plant and mobile source emissions reduced 2014: 9.2 U.S. EPA Proposed Air Transport Rule: 52% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels 2005: 19.1 SO 2 NO x

What are the environmental impacts of atmospheric deposition?

Environmental Impacts Stream and lake acidification Increased fish mortality (eggs, fry)

U.S. EPA, 2002: Response of Surface Water Chemistry to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Is “Acid Rain” still an issue for the US? pH in Precipitation (Mean) 2011

EPA, 2007 pH Effects on Species Abundance OH MO03 5.0

Environmental Impacts Stream and lake acidification Increased fish mortality (eggs, fry) Damage to vegetation

Damage to forests Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina

Acid deposition effects Source: HBRF, Acid Rain Revisited, 2001

Environmental Impacts Stream and lake acidification Increased fish mortality (eggs, fry) Damage to vegetation Benefits certain agricultural crops (reduces fertilizer needed) Benefits invasive species

Environmental Impacts Contributes to wetland nutrient loads

Nitrogen damage to aquatic systems Nitrogen Effects

Where is Nitrogen Deposition of Concern in the US? Total Nitrogen Wet Deposition, 2011

Environmental Impacts Contributes to wetland nutrient loads Bioaccumulates in aquatic environments (Hg)

The mercury problem? Bioaccumulation Bacterial action (water and sediment) Zooplankton Smaller fish predatory fish Water Body Me-Mercury Concentration Dry Deposition Wet Deposition Geologic Sources (soil, rock, base flow etc.) Methylation Hg

Where is Mercury Deposition of Concern in the US?

Environmental Impacts Contributes to wetland nutrient loads Bioaccumulates in aquatic environments (Hg) Damage to buildings, structures, and statues Corrosion of materials

Limestone statue of George Washington first put outside in New York City in 1944 Source: ACS, Chemistry in Context, 2006

How (and Why) do we measure Air Quality and Atmospheric Deposition?

Some challenges AQ - Environmental Engineers face 26 We learn by observing and collecting data BUT  how can you measure something that is either so small as PM10 and PM2.5 or  something that your can’t even see in the atmosphere, such as most trace gases, which at the same time are found in minute amounts in the atmosphere?

Principles of Ambient Air Sampling (tricks of the trade) 27 Collection techniques depend on the pollutant: PM Collection Filtration Impaction

Instruments imitating the respiratory system 28 (Papastefanou, 2008)

29 How do you measure minute amounts of something you can’t see?

Natural lighting Ultraviolet lighting Source: background/underwater/media/3panels.html Can’t really see?

What if we shed different kind of light instead of visible light? Then atmospheric gases might be “visible” too… NO 2 column Observed from the SCIAMACHY Satellite Instrument (ultraviolet, UV) 31

32 What is society/ government doing about Air Pollution?

Air Quality Data and Public Policy 33 The data environmental engineers collect inform the government of the most recent scientific findings, so that the right measures can be taken to protect health and the environment.

Tough balance 34 Air Pollution control is very expensive But so are the damages Air Pollution causes Society has to balance these two huge costs

Expensive to control Air Pollution 35 Dust removal Gaseous pollutant removal Expensive equipment High energy use

Before action was taken: Noontime, Donora, Pennsylvania, October 29, 1948 Copyright Photo Archive/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, All rights reserved Expensive not to control Air Pollution 1948: a thick cloud of air pollution formed above the industrial town of Donora, Pennsylvania. It killed 20 people and caused sickness to 6,000 out of 14,000 people.

Current regulations 37  Limits on how much air pollution power plants, industries and cars can emit.  If the amounts of certain pollutants, as measured in the atmosphere exceed certain upper limits, then emissions need to be further reduced.  Operation of monitoring networks all over the country.

38 Monitoring Air Quality

Kinds of monitoring 39 Emissions (Source) Monitoring is the process of monitoring particulate and gaseous emissions from a specific source. Ambient Monitoring is the systematic, long-term assessment of pollutant levels by measuring the quantity and types of certain pollutants in the surrounding, outdoor air. Indoor Monitoring is monitoring of air quality at the workplace, schools and homes.

Sampling platforms – land 40 UrbanRural

Sampling platforms-ocean 41

Sampling platforms-air 42 Balloon Aircraft Satellites

43 Sampling platforms-personal samplers

Ambient monitoring 44 Measure air pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere as a concentration (e.g., for PM micrograms/m 3 of air) or as mixing ratios (e.g. usually for gases ppmv, ppbv or pptv). There are a number of different methods to measure any given pollutant, varying in complexity, reliability, and detail of data. Major decision 1 Which method to use, taking into account pollutants to be monitored, initial investment costs, operating costs, reliability of systems, and ease of operation. Major decision 2 Where to install the monitors and how often to sample.

Example ambient air samplers 45 Filter packFilter pack disassembled

46 Filter packs in a filter sample holder Example ambient air samplers

47 Passive diffusive samplers for measurement of ammonia (NH 3 ) gas Example ambient air samplers

48 Sequence of samplers to measure different pollutants Example ambient air samplers

Wet Deposition Monitoring National Trends Network (NTN) Operators collect weekly wet deposition sample from NADP wet-dry collector Continuous precipitation record Chemical Analysis –Acids (SO 4 2-, NO 3 -, Cl -, Br - ) –Bases (Ca 2+, Mg 2+, K +, Na + ) –Nutrients (NH 4 +, PO 4 3- ) –pH –Specific Conductivity

NTN NV05 Great Basin National Park NTN IL11 Bondville, IL

National Trends Network (NTN) 243 stations + 2 QA

Central Analytical Laboratory IL State Water Survey

What trends do we see in atmospheric wet deposition data? …what’s the cause? …what should we do about it?

Ammonium (NH 4 + )

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) Nitrogen Oxides (NO x )

Team Exercise Break into groups, each with a laptop A-Group: View animated sequences of deposition trends over time (H +, SO 4, NO 3, NH 4 )  Maps & Data  NTN Animated Maps  Deposition Animationshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu B-Group: View trends in pollutants from select locations  Data Access  Site List  Data  Trend Plotshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu/NTN Choose: Denali National Park (AK03),

Team Exercise Break into groups, each with a laptop A-Group: View animated sequences of deposition trends over time (H +, SO 4, NO 3, NH 4 )  Maps & Data  NTN Animated Maps  Deposition Animationshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu B-Group: View trends in pollutants from select locations  Data Access  Site List  Data  Trend Plotshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu/NTN Choose: Denali National Park (AK03),

Team Exercise Break into groups, each with a laptop A-Group: View animated sequences of deposition trends over time (H +, SO 4, NO 3, NH 4 )  Maps & Data  NTN Animated Maps  Deposition Animationshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu B-Group: View trends in pollutants from select locations  Data Access  Site List  Data  Trend Plotshttp://nadp.isws.illinois.edu/NTN Choose: Denali National Park (AK03), Rocky Mtn. National Park (CO19), Whiteface Mountain (NY98)

Team Discussion Answer the following questions: –Is atmospheric pollution getting better or worse in the United States? Why do you say this? –What do you think is the cause of the change? –Why do you think it is changing?

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