Air Quality Monitoring in the Southern Plains, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert Networks (Southwest Network Collaboration)

Over the past three decades, the National Park Service has developed several internal and cooperative programs for monitoring various measures of air quality. Three main components comprise the NPS air quality monitoring program: atmospheric wet and dry deposition, ozone, and visibility. To obtain information on air quality, network staff will download data products made available by the various agencies and partners that conduct the actual monitoring. Reporting will summarize the information contained in those data products for specific parks and parameters. Understanding changes in air quality can aid in interpreting changes in other monitored “vital signs” (i.e., ecological indicators) and support evaluation of compliance with legislative and reporting requirements.