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2000 Progress Report: Regional Transport of Air Pollutants and Exposure of Sierra Nevada Forests to Ozone

EPA Grant Number: R825433C022
Subproject: this is subproject number 022 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825433
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis)
Center Director: Rolston, Dennis E.
Title: Regional Transport of Air Pollutants and Exposure of Sierra Nevada Forests to Ozone
Investigators: Carroll, John
Institution: University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Levinson, Barbara
Project Period: October 1, 1996 through September 30, 2000
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000
RFA: Exploratory Environmental Research Centers (1992)
Research Category: Center for Ecological Health Research , Targeted Research

Description:

Objective:

To document the distribution of a number of air pollutants and to estimate impacts of these on the forests and surface waters in the Sierra Nevada.

Progress Summary:

As air passes over industrialized areas and those with high population densities, emissions of air pollutants are constantly added, such that the highest total loading is found downwind of these source areas. For example, air flowing from the Pacific Ocean, through the San Francisco Bay Area, through the major transportation routes and through the Sacramento metropolitan area arrives over the Sierra Nevada foothills with concentrations of urban smog species. In addition, the air in the foothills includes agricultural emissions of nitrogen species, such as nitric oxide (NO), ammonia (NH4) and of pesticides and their derivatives. As well as the direct effect of these pollutants on the vitality of flora and fauna in the forests of the Sierra Nevada, dry and wet deposition of acidic compounds, nitrogen species, pesticides and other organic compounds affects soils and surface waters in a number of significant ways.

We have used data from previous studies, in which meteorological data, ozone concentrations and foliar injury to pine species were collected at a number of Sierra Nevadan sites, to develop exposure-response relationships (VanOoy and Carroll, 1995; Salardino and Carroll, 1998; Arbaugh et.al, 1998; Bytnerowicz, et.al.,1999; Miller, et.al. 1999). We have also conducted a climatological, atmospheric modeling and airborne observational studies of pollutant transport patterns in this geographic region (Zaremba and Carroll, 1999; Carroll, et.al. 1999, Carroll and Dixon, 1998a).

With support from the California Air Resources Board, as well as the Center, we have refined the instrumentation aboard a light aircraft and conducted a number of warm season flights within the Tahoe basin (Carroll and Dixon, 1998b) and over Central California (the Central California Ozone study, 2000). These measurements include aircraft motion and position, meteorological variables (pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction), and several significant pollutant species (ozone, NO, NOy, and particle concentrations). These data are unique in two important aspects. They include for the first time accurate wind information coincident with the other variables and are the first systematic three-dimensional measurements with in the Tahoe Basin. Early analyses of the data from these studies indicates that, in summer, high concentrations of polluted air do not reach the Sierra crest and are not transported into the Tahoe basin.

We have also tested an annular denuder-filter system for the collection of groups of gas species and fine particles in the aircraft. Real time measurements of the concentrations of organic and inorganic nitrogen species from the aircraft are not possible. However, a new design, adsorption-filter system has become available which allows airborne collection of these species in quantities measurable using state-of-the-art laboratory techniques. We, in collaboration with Dr. Anastasio, have completed several tests of these techniques (cf: section C1.e). These tests have shown that concentrations well above detection limits can be measured for exposure times of about 1 hour, making aircraft sampling of the three dimensional distribution of various gaseous and condensed phase nitrogen species practical.

Future Activities:

We are continuing the process of coupling the atmospheric chemical model to a meso-scale meteorological model (Liu and Carroll, 1996) and applying it to central California i.e. the same domain as that in which aircraft measurements have been made. We will be analyzing data from CCOS2000 (Central California Ozone Study, 2000) that was conducted during the summer 2000. In winter 2000-01, we will be sampling conditions in the Tahoe basin to describe the distribution of the afore mentioned pollutants, with special emphasis on nitrogen species associated with wood burning and cold weather vehicle emissions. With successful completion of these efforts, we will be in a position to evaluate in more detail the parameters that control patterns of exposure of forest ecosystems to air pollutants and to suggest emission control strategies.

Supplemental Keywords:

Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, Waste, RFA, Air Quality, Ecological Risk Assessment, Atmospheric Sciences, Fate & Transport, Environmental Chemistry, Forestry, Monitoring/Modeling, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, State, California (CA), ozone , airborne organics, fate and transport, forested watersheds, ecological risk, aquifer fate and treatment, field detection, atmospheric deposition, emissions, monitoring, chemical kinetics, analytical models, detection system, emission control, air pollution, atmospheric chemistry, environmental measurement, nitrogen, pesticides, agricultural runoff, modeling, watershed influences, kinetics, agrochemicals

Progress and Final Reports:
1999 Progress Report
Original Abstract
Final Report


Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R825433    EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis)

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825433C001 Potential for Long-Term Degradation of Wetland Water Quality Due to Natural Discharge of Polluted Groundwater
R825433C002 Sacramento River Watershed
R825433C003 Endocrine Disruption in Fish and Birds
R825433C004 Biomarkers of Exposure and Deleterious Effect: A Laboratory and Field Investigation
R825433C005 Fish Developmental Toxicity/Recruitment
R825433C006 Resolving Multiple Stressors by Biochemical Indicator Patterns and their Linkages to Adverse Effects on Benthic Invertebrate Patterns
R825433C007 Environmental Chemistry of Bioavailability in Sediments and Water Column
R825433C008 Reproduction of Birds and mammals in a terrestrial-aquatic interface
R825433C009 Modeling Ecosystems Under Combined Stress
R825433C010 Mercury Uptake by Fish
R825433C011 Clear Lake Watershed
R825433C012 The Role of Fishes as Transporters of Mercury
R825433C013 Wetlands Restoration
R825433C014 Wildlife Bioaccumulation and Effects
R825433C015 Microbiology of Mercury Methylation in Sediments
R825433C016 Hg and Fe Biogeochemistry
R825433C017 Water Motions and Material Transport
R825433C018 Economic Impacts of Multiple Stresses
R825433C019 The History of Anthropogenic Effects
R825433C020 Wetland Restoration
R825433C021 Sierra Nevada Watershed Project
R825433C022 Regional Transport of Air Pollutants and Exposure of Sierra Nevada Forests to Ozone
R825433C023 Biomarkers of Ozone Damage to Sierra Nevada Vegetation
R825433C024 Effects of Air Pollution on Water Quality: Emission of MTBE and Other Pollutants From Motorized Watercraft
R825433C025 Regional Movement of Toxics
R825433C026 Effect of Photochemical Reactions in Fog Drops and Aerosol Particles on the Fate of Atmospheric Chemicals in the Central Valley
R825433C027 Source Load Modeling for Sediment in Mountainous Watersheds
R825433C028 Stress of Increased Sediment Loading on Lake and Stream Function
R825433C029 Watershed Response to Natural and Anthropogenic Stress: Lake Tahoe Nutrient Budget
R825433C030 Mercury Distribution and Cycling in Sierra Nevada Waterbodies
R825433C031 Pre-contact Forest Structure
R825433C032 Identification and distribution of pest complexes in relation to late seral/old growth forest structure in the Lake Tahoe watershed
R825433C033 Subalpine Marsh Plant Communities as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C034 Regional Hydrogeology and Contaminant Transport in a Sierra Nevada Ecosystem
R825433C035 Border Rivers Watershed
R825433C036 Toxicity Studies
R825433C037 Watershed Assessment
R825433C038 Microbiological Processes in Sediments
R825433C039 Analytical and Biomarkers Core
R825433C040 Organic Analysis
R825433C041 Inorganic Analysis
R825433C042 Immunoassay and Serum Markers
R825433C043 Sensitive Biomarkers to Detect Biochemical Changes Indicating Multiple Stresses Including Chemically Induced Stresses
R825433C044 Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
R825433C045 Microbial Community Assays
R825433C046 Cumulative and Integrative Biochemical Indicators
R825433C047 Mercury and Iron Biogeochemistry
R825433C048 Transport and Fate Core
R825433C049 Role of Hydrogeologic Processes in Alpine Ecosystem Health
R825433C050 Regional Hydrologic Modeling With Emphasis on Watershed-Scale Environmental Stresses
R825433C051 Development of Pollutant Fate and Transport Models for Use in Terrestrial Ecosystem Exposure Assessment
R825433C052 Pesticide Transport in Subsurface and Surface Water Systems
R825433C053 Currents in Clear Lake
R825433C054 Data Integration and Decision Support Core
R825433C055 Spatial Patterns and Biodiversity
R825433C056 Modeling Transport in Aquatic Systems
R825433C057 Spatial and Temporal Trends in Water Quality
R825433C058 Time Series Analysis and Modeling Ecological Risk
R825433C059 WWW/Outreach
R825433C060 Economic Effects of Multiple Stresses
R825433C061 Effects of Nutrients on Algal Growth
R825433C062 Nutrient Loading
R825433C063 Subalpine Wetlands as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C064 Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
R825433C065 Sierra Ozone Studies
R825433C066 Assessment of Multiple Stresses on Soil Microbial Communities
R825433C067 Terrestrial - Agriculture
R825433C069 Molecular Epidemiology Core
R825433C070 Serum Markers of Environmental Stress
R825433C071 Development of Sensitive Biomarkers Based on Chemically Induced Changes in Expressions of Oncogenes
R825433C072 Molecular Monitoring of Microbial Populations
R825433C073 Aquatic - Rivers and Estuaries
R825433C074 Border Rivers - Toxicity Studies

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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