• ARL Home
•  > ARL FAQs
•  > What kind of research is done concerning air quality in New York City?

I would like to know what kind of research is done concerning air quality in New York City so far. Is there a permanent sampling of air quality parameters? Where are these stations located?

Your question was forwarded to me because I lived in NYC for several years (1989-1998) and do air pollution research. I can't give you the exact answers to your questions, but, I think I can give you some clues as to where to look.

First, I know that there are some routine regulatory measurements made at various sites in New York City, to determine compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Clean Air Act. I think that there are (or at least there were) on the order of 5-7 such stations spread throughout the City. I believe that they measure such parameters as ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, particulate matter, and perhaps a few other pollutants.

There are four places that you could look that might give you information about this monitoring program. I would start with the first and contact the others if I couldn't get the information.

1. First, I would start with the New York City Dept of Environmental Protection (offices in New York City; I think their main office is in Lefrak City, Queens).
2. Then I would contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (offices in Hunter's Point, Queens; main office in Albany).
3. Then I would contact the U.S. EPA Region 2 offices in New York City (in lower Manhattan). Note that this Region 2 office has a large publicly accessible library (with very helpful librarians!) -- you may want to check out this library.
4. Finally, if all else failed, I would contact the U.S. EPA directly. A public information number (at least in the past) is/has been 202-260-5922. Probably the best bet would be the Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards (OAQPS) which has main offices in Washington D.C. and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. You could also check out the main epa web site, at http://www.epa.gov.

For routine climate monitoring in NYC, I know that there are several weather stations, including ones at Central Park and the major airports (Kennedy, La Guardia). NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Ashville NC has data records for these stations. They can be reached at 828-271-4800, or at their web site: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Their publications with records of climate monitoring (temp, precip, wind, etc) are also available in many of the libraries (I think they may be available at Hunter College, but if not, they would certainly be available at the main public library in Midtown (near 5th Ave and 42nd Street).

Hope this is helpful,

Dr. Mark Cohen