This page provides access to aerosol and optical data and their metadata from
Specialty Studies and other data networks. See the Tools
section for data processing tools and aggregation algorithm.
Coarse particle speciation at
selected locations in the rural continental United States - To
more fully investigate the composition of coarse particles, a program of
coarse particle sampling and speciation analysis at nine of the IMPROVE
sites was initiated between 19 March 2003 and 23 December 2003, with each
site operating for one year. Sites were selected to be representative of the
continental United States and were operated according to IMPROVE protocol
analytic procedures. The following contains tables summarizing the
coarse mass and coarse mass species concentrations by site as well as the
fine mass and find mass species concentrations. These tables are
supplemental information for the publications: Malm, W.C., M.L. Pitchford,
C. McDade, and L.L. Ashbaugh. 2006. Coarse particle
speciation at selected locations in the rural continental United States.
Atmospheric Environment, excepted for publication.
Big Bend Regional Aerosol and
Visibility Observational Study (BRAVO) - The BRAVO study is
designed to investigate the causes of haze at the Big Bend National
Park. The network operated from ?? to ?? collecting ?? hour samples of
aerosol and optical properties at Big Bend.
Southeastern Aerosol and
Visibility Study (SEAVS) - This study measured aerosols under
humid Southeastern US conditions to determine the contribution of major
aerosol constituents, including water, to the total particle mass and light
extinction. Field measurements included particle size, water and optics,
aerosol composition, meteorology and human perception of scenes at the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park over a 6 week period during the summer of 1995.
Measurement of Haze and Visual
Effects (MOHAVE) - This network was established to help determine the
contributions of the Mohave Power Plant and other sources to haze at Class I
areas in the Southwestern US. The
MOHAVE network employed 43 IMPROVE type samplers in the Southwest collecting
daily particulate samples over a 24 hour period.
The network collected data over a winter and summer period from 1/10/–2/15/92
and 7/11/–9/2/92 respectively. The particulate samples were analyzed for
PM2.5 and its elemental constituents, organics, ions, light absorption and
PM10.
The Pacific Northwest Regional
Visibility Experiment Using Natural Tracers (PREVENT) - This network
was established to study visibility causes and effects in Washington state,
west of the Cascades. The network consisted of 34 monitors located in
Washington and Oregon. Daily particulate samples were collected from
6/90–9/90 and analyzed for PM2.5 mass and its elemental constituents and
light absorption.
The Winter Haze Intensive
Tracer Experiment (WHITEX) - This study was established to study the
visibility impacts of emissions from the Navajo Generating Station.
The database contains data from 13 locations which sampled from 1/1/87
– 2/18/87. Samples were
collected every 6, 12, and 24 hours depending on the site and sampler.
The particulate samples were analyzed for PM2.5 mass and its elemental
constituents, organics, ions, and light absorption.
Northeast States for
Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) - This aerosol
monitoring network was an extension of the IMPROVE network supported by
NESCAUM and the National Park Service. The network consisted of 10
IMPROVE type samplers located in rural areas of the northeastern US, and
collected three 24 hour samples per week. The PM samples were analyzed
for PM2.5 mass and its elemental constituents, organics, ions, and light
absorption.
National Park Service's Stack Filter
Unit Network (NPS-SFU) - This network was the predecessor to
IMPROVE. The network consisted of 80 monitoring sites which collected
particulate samples in Class I areas throughout the United States. The
network operated from 7/79 to 11/93 with monitoring sites coming on and off
line throughout this time period. The network used two stage stacked
filter samplers collecting fine (< 2.5 mm) and coarse (> 2.5 mm)
particulate samples over a 72 hour sampling period from 7/79 -5/86 and 24 hour
sampling period from 6/86 - 11/93. The samples were analyzed for PM2.5
mass and its elemental constituents and light absorption and PM coarse mass
and its elemental constituents.
Class I Area Web Cams - Links
to the real-time internet cameras in the Class I Areas. These Web Cams
are useful for documenting the occurrence of haze episodes.
