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On A Clear Day, You Can See...
On a clear day, you can see ... well, maybe not forever. But, you
can expect to see geographic features over 125 miles away! Crater Lake
National Park is one of the cleanest airsheds in the United States and
the clean air allows us spectacular views of the surrounding Cascades
and Klamath Basin. Climb Mt. Scott, the highest peak in the park (8,926
ft.), and you will be able to see Mt. Shasta to the south and the Three
Sisters to the north near Bend, Oregon ... both over 100 miles away!
Researchers who analyze the air quality at Crater Lake have compared
it with the high standard found at Antarctica. But, like the growing
hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica, the pristine airshed at Crater
Lake also faces serious threats. A major concern of the National Park
Service are the pollutants from industrial areas introduced at Crater
Lake in the form of acid rain and snow. These pollutants threaten both
land and water resources, particularly the incomparable lake clarity.
Resource managers at Crater Lake monitor the air quality using
sophisticated instruments and cameras. Air samples are collected and
analyzed for particulate and chemical composition. Photographs of
distant geographic features are especially revealing when taken over
time; they provide a dramatic record of the changes in air quality at
Crater Lake. Snow analysis is another tool used to monitor air quality
in the park during the long winter season.
Air quality can be degraded by other sources. Smoke from
lightning-caused fires can temporarily lower the air quality. This type
of pollution is considered acceptable in a national park because it is a
natural part of the forest ecology. On the other hand, man-caused fires
and other pollution sources bring in nutrients that may change lake
clarity, stunt vegetation, or even kill trees as we see happening in the
Black Forest of West Germany.
The National Park Service will continue to monitor the air quality
at Crater Lake National Park. The development of base line data today
will enable us to manage and protect both the land and the air for
future generations of Crater Lake visitors.
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