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Air Quality Monitoring Program
Welcome to the Air Quality Monitoring Program at Glacier National Park. (GLAC)

At this site you will learn why, where, and how Glacier monitors its air. Historic trends and current conditions concerning Glacier's air quality are also presented.

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Lake McDonald
To the casual observer, a remote park such as Glacier would seem likely to have excellent air quality. However, there are some areas of concern. At Glacier, an extensive monitoring network exists for pollution and visibility conditions. This includes visibility and fluoride monitoring and a national atmospheric deposition network.

blue bullet Visibility Monitoring
blue bullet Fluoride Monitoring

blue bullet Dry Deposition Monitoring
blue bullet Wet Deposition Monitoring
blue bullet Mercury Deposition

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Why?		 clear.gif (49 bytes)
Air pollution is one of the most important environmental issues facing the National Park Service (NPS). Data collected through the NPS air quality programs show that park service units are not islands isolated from the by-products of an urban, agricultural and industrial society. Manmade and natural air pollutants are transported long distances and have been detected at all NPS monitoring sites. Air pollution is affecting natural and cultural resources throughout much of the park system through visibility reduction, biological and human health effects and degradation of historic structures and artifacts. NPS units that are monitoring air quality, such as Glacier, are serving as key areas for research on air pollution and are yielding valuable baseline data and basic information on the effects of air pollution.

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Diesel Bus Emissions

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Industrial Plume

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Road Dust

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Slash Burn

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Chimney Smoke

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Forest Fire in Glacier

The Clean Air Act The Clean Air Act, as amended in 1977, provides one of the most important mandates for protecting air resources in NPS areas. Congress states that one of the purposes of the act is "to preserve, protect and enhance the air quality in national parks, national wilderness areas, national monuments, national seashores and other areas of special national or regional natural, recreation, scenic or historic value".

Where?

Class I Areas

Maps to Class I Areas
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blue bullet National Forests
blue bullet National Fish and
blue bullet Wildlife Refuges
blue bullet American Indian Lands

The Clean Air Act also establishes stringent requirements for "Class I" areas, national parks over 6,000 acres and national wilderness areas over 5,000 acres. Forty-eight NPS units are Class I areas and the Clean Air Act affords the greatest air quality protection to these areas. Glacier National Park is a Class I airshed and this designation also confers certain responsibilities: "Affirmative responsibility to err on the side of resource protection" and the expectation to know the condition of our air quality and resources.

How?

Air Quality Monitoring Nationally

 The National Park Service began air quality monitoring programs in 1979 at various park units throughout the United States. Data from these stations help to delineate the mobility of air masses over large areas. Analysis of data yields information about air pollution transport into parks with monitoring stations as well as adjacent units that may not have any monitoring instrumentation.

Information collected through the NPS air quality monitoring programs has been used in a variety of decision-making arenas. Baseline data have assisted the NPS Air Resource Division in reviewing hundreds of air quality permit applications from major and new and modified industrial facilities whose activities might affect air quality in parks. Information regarding visibility impairment and pollution-caused injury to vegetation in NPS units has been shared with Congress and transmitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. State air quality control agencies promote the development of national air pollution control programs and standards that will protect park resources.

Program Overview
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Monitoring Shed 		clear.gif (49 bytes)
blue bullet Dry Deposition Monitoring
blue bullet Visibility Monitoring
blue bullet Wet Deposition Monitoring

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blue bullet Fluoride Monitoring
blue bullet Mercury Deposition Monitoring
annraingauge.jpg (27596 bytes) Glacier's monitoring instruments are located mostly on the west side of the park. Seasonal vegetation collection associated with fluoride monitoring also occurs at various sites on the west side. The program staff includes a coordinator and two physical science technicians.

Rain Gauge

For further information on air quality monitoring in the National Park Service visit:
http://www.epa.gov/air/visibility/
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