ARL News
The National Atmospheric Deposition Program -- ARL again at the fore
November 30, 2004
The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) is
the community-wide activity to monitor the deposition of atmospheric
trace chemicals in precipitation. NADP involves many federal and state
agencies and a large number of universities, as well as a smattering
of private interests. The NADP protocols are well developed and are
internationally recognized. In fact, the NADP system is the reference
point for all such monitoring activities, world-wide.
Atmospheric deposition data are of major use in considerations of the
environmental effects of adverse air quality. The precipitation chemistry
measurements that underpin evaluations of atmospheric deposition have
a further use -- they are a direct indicator of changes in air chemistry,
with relevance to air aloft rather than air in contact with the surface.
Thus, a combination of measurements of air chemistry near the surface
and precipitation chemistry is often an optimal indicator of changes
in the quality of the atmosphere as a whole.
ARL scientists have contributed greatly to the growth of NADP over
its thirty (nearly) years of existence. At the recent NADP Technical
Meeting, ARL's role was once again emphasized. Maggie Kerchner of ARL
is now serving as a member of the NADP executive council, as NADP Secretary.
The NADP procedures call for today's secretary to move up to being
tomorrow's program director. Maggie is now embarking on this well charted
path, the third ARL scientist to be involved in this way.
Contact information
Name: Bruce B Hicks
Tel: (301) 713-0684
bruce.hicks@noaa.gov
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Contact information: Bruce B. Hicks
Phone: (301) 713-0684
e-mail: bruce.hicks@noaa.gov
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