NPS Photo
Farview Curve on a clear day.
Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park marvel at the deep blue skies, cotton clouds, and fresh air (though some visitors might declare it too thin). Park managers aim to maintain high standards of air quality. Unfortunately, studies have shown that the quality of the park's air is affected by air pollution and that most of our pollutants come from outside the park's boundaries.
Rocky Mountain National Park has an array of air quality initiatives underway, including research and monitoring. To get an "in depth" look at air pollution, visit the web pages or on air quality in the park.
A recent report used the data collected over ten years, 1990-1999, to analyze park trends in four categories.
First the good news. Sulfate concentrations, a contributor to acid rain and acidification of lakes, have declined in the park. This positive change is a direct result of improvement in "scrubbing" equipment at electric power plants. During this same period, and also attributable in part to equipment changes, visual range on the haziest days improved. (Visibility from in Rocky Mountain may exceed 50 miles!)
Now the bad news. Ozone concentrations increased between 1990 and 1999. High ozone levels can have an immediate health affect on park visitors. Individuals with asthma, emphysema, and other breathing problems; are most at risk. High ozone levels literally make the air poisonous to breath. Since ozone is produced by the interaction of nitrous oxides, UV light, and heat, Rocky Mountain is particularly prone to increases in ozone on warm summer afternoons with upslope winds. (Car exhaust from Front Range communities is the main source of nitrous oxides.)
Perhaps the most subtle, but potentially the most serious, air quality threat to the park is from nitrogen deposition. Winds from the south and east sweep nitrates and ammonium from car exhaust, factories, and agricultural activity up into the mountains. These types of winds are most prevalent in the spring when higher elevation areas receive most of their precipitation. Nitrate concentrations in precipitation increased significantly during the ten year study period.
Nitrogen deposition is causing changes to the park's soil and water chemistry, particularly on the eastern slope. These changes in turn affect algae, aquatic invertebrates, and soil microorganisms - eventually leading to changes in food chains and forest health. Because nitrogen deposition is a regional problem, involving multiple pollution sources, a new strategy to curb emissions is needed if the park is to be protected.
