Canaan Valley is near the center of the mid-Atlantic highlands region which features the most diverse forests in North America and the largest temperate hardwood forest in the world. These highlands are also the headwaters of the Ohio, Potomac, and Susquehanna rivers. As such, these highland wetlands, such as those within Canaan Valley, have the potential to store and transport contaminants via river transport to half the nation. NOAA ATDD provides a full-time liaison to the Canaan Valley Institute (Steve Brooks) to facilitate atmospheric deposition and climate monitoring.

The Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) hosts four NOAA sites, comprising seven air quality, climate, and precipitation monitoring networks which closely follow national and international protocols. All results are distributed regularly to national databases (National Atmospheric Deposition Program, National Climatic Data Center, World Meteorological Organization) where summary reports are generated, and where past datasets are available free-of-cost to the scientific and climate research communities. Our measurements provide information on atmospheric contaminants and acid rain inputs to the local ecosystem, and evaluate the effectiveness of clean air legislation and emissions controls to the health of the mid-Atlantic highlands.

The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) site at Canaan Valley State Park is shown above. This NOAA network station meets the accuracy requirements of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Data are provided to the National Climatic Data Center. This is the only station of its kind in West Virginia.

NOAA operates a Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) and Ameriflux site (shown below) located within the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This station continuously measuring the surface water cycle and energy (solar and heat) exchange, and the ecosystem balance of carbon dioxide. Data are provided to the World Meteorological Organization and the Ameriflux program.

NOAA operates the Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network (AIRMoN), Mercury Deposition Network (Wet Deposition), Atmospheric Mercury Initiative (Dry Deposition), and USGS Litterfall network sites (shown below) within the Canaan Valley Institute’s 926 acre research watershed. National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) AIRMoN is a NOAA combined wet deposition, and Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet) station with daily collections and, measurements of acid rain and deposition of major airborne contaminants. The mid-Atlantic highlands are considered to be among the worst regions in the nation for acid rain.

Canaan Valley is one of four NOAA stations continuously monitoring all airborne mercury inputs for estimating total (wet and dry) mercury deposition. The site also collects annual forest litterfall samples which are analyzed for mercury by the USGS. Other mercury measurements at the site include; weekly seasonal snow pack and stream discharge sampling, monthly ground water sampling, and annual sediment and biota sampling with the University of Maryland Appalachian Laboratory.

NOAA and the Canaan Valley Institute also operate an NADP Atmospheric Mercury Initiative site 100 miles north-east of Canaan Valley in the Pennsylvania highlands at Allegheny Portage National Historical Site.

Pennsylvania has 78 electric generating units at 36 sites around the state representing more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity. In total, these power plants annually emit more than 3 tons of mercury, nearly 80 percent of all the mercury emissions in Pennsylvania. This ranks Pennsylvania secondly only to Texas in total mercury emissions. Together West Virginia and Pennsylvania have over 100 rivers and lakes on the US EPA 303d list of waters impaired by mercury, including the Susquehanna, Delaware, Ohio, and Allegheny Rivers.

In response, Pennsylvania has recently enacted the Pennsylvania State-Specific Mercury Emissions Reduction Plan (Pennsylvania Bulletin February 17, 2007; 37 Pa.B. 883) requiring that existing coal-fired power plants begin monitoring and reporting mercury emission by January 1, 2009, and reducing emissions starting in 2010. Allegheny Portage is predominately downwind of three major coal-fired power plants (two of which are the largest point-sources in Pa.) in neighboring Indiana County; Reliant Energy's Conemaugh Generating Station and Keystone Power Plant, and Edison International's EME Homer City Plant. Our measurements at Allegheny Portage (shown below) will monitor mercury deposition and the efficacy of the new mandated emissions controls.

If there are any questions or comments regarding the atmospheric studies in Canaan Valley, please contact Steve Brooks