A team of scientists concerned about the air quality in east Tennessee and surrounding areas will discuss plans for developing an air-quality forecast system during a briefing from 10 - 11:30 a.m., April 22 (Earth Day), at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Air Resources Laboratory, 456 South Illinois, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

"We all need to be aware of the increasing concerns regarding the quality of the air we breathe and the impact that air quality may have on economic growth and development throughout East Tennessee and the surrounding areas," said R.P. Hosker Jr., director of NOAA's Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division. "During the summer of 1998, ozone concentrations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other parts of the region reached record levels."

NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory, in collaboration with the National Park Service, the University of Tennessee, and other interested groups, started a scientific study, called the East Tennessee Ozone Study (ETOS), with the ultimate goal of creating an air-quality forecast system. During the briefing, scientists from some of the collaborating groups will discuss the goals and objectives and the main experimental and predictive models.

Space is limited; those planning to attend should contact Barbara Shifflett at (423) 576-0061.

NOAA's mission is to describe and predict changes in the earth's environment and to conserve and manage wisely the nation's coastal and marine resources.