Quality Assurance for the IMPROVE Network

The IMPROVE monitoring network undergoes extensive quality control and assessment procedures and analyses. From this page the QA/QC procedures and analyses can be accessed, changes to the monitoring network can be viewed and contacts for reporting problems with the IMPROVE data are provided.

Data Advisories

IMPROVE Data Advisories - This page documents interesting findings from the IMPROVE database including data anomalies, potential problems, and new uses for the IMPROVE data. These advisories are not meant to be comprehensive or complete. In addition, unless explicitly stated the data advisories are not necessarily endorsed by the IMPROVE steering committee, National Park Service, CIRA or others.

Network Changes

Listing of all changes to the IMPROVE monitoring network including changes in filter analysis, data corrections and monitoring site locations. The network changes are available from the metadata section returned with queries from the online database.

QA/QC Data Products

UC Davis Quarterly QA/QC Reports - These reports summarize the quality assurance performed during and after elemental analysis of three months of IMPROVE samples . The elemental analyses include the determination of most elements with atomic numbers from 11 to 40 (Na-Zr) and 82 (Pb) with two energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence systems (XRF), and the determination of hydrogen by Proton Elastic Scattering Analysis (PESA) with the Crocker cyclotron. The following data assessments and quality controls are obtained for all analyses: Concentration calibration and verification; Energy calibration; Laboratory replicates (reanalysis); Systems comparison.

NPS/CIRA QA/QC Data Products - Each quarter, NPS/CIRA conducts generated a number of routine graphical data products to assist in the QA of the IMPROVE particulate data. These graphical data products are made available through a series of power point files.

QA/QC procedures

IMPROVE Aerosol Quality Management Plan (QMP) - This QMP outlines the roles of organizations involved in the IMPROVE Aerosol Monitoring Network.

IMPROVE Aerosol Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) - This QAPP documents the quality assurance and quality control activities of the IMPROVE Aerosol monitoring network.

Aerosol QA/QC Standard Operating Procedures - Detailed description of the aerosol data QA/QC procedures conducted by the University of California at Davis.

Carbon Analysis QA/QC Standard Operating Procedures - Detailed description of the QA/QC procedures of the Thermal/Optical Reflectance conducted by the Desert Research Institute to measure organic and elemental carbon the IMPROVE filters.

Optical QA/QC Standard Operating Procedures - Detailed description of the optical data QA/QC procedures conducted by Air Resource Specialist are available from the standard operating procedures.

NPS/CIRA's additional QA/QC Procedures - Description of the QA/QC procedures on the aerosol and optical data conducted by the National Park Service. In addition the graphical data products generated as part of the QA/QC procedure are provided. These analyses are the final checks on the IMPROVE data before their release.

Report QA/QC Problems

Contact Webmaster - As the data are further analyzed new problems may arise. Please report any of these problems here.