ARL News

Las Vegas – A Target For Urban Research

 

September 20, 2004

In recent months, the water availability plight of southern Nevada has received a lot of attention. In parallel with this, there is a growing problem with air quality and an increasing awareness that the area is a known favorite of terrorists. The air quality concerns have generated a program that is now rapidly evolving. In essence, the question of pollution from distant sources and its effect on local ozone levels must be explored. A meeting recently conducted in Las Vegas brought together some of the key players, from federal, state, and local agencies. The Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Terrestrial Applications (CIASTA) organized the gathering, and will be taking the lead in the program that is now evolving. The program will build upon the existing ARL mesonet in southern Nevada, by extending it into and beyond the urban area and by adding an air quality measurement component to it. Upper air data will be generated by sodar and other remote probing systems, now being arranged. Modeling will involve the ARL groups in Research Triangle Park and in Las Vegas.

This activity is seen as a further step in the development of a NOAA Urban Atmospheric Research Program.

Contact information: Bruce B. Hicks
Phone: (301) 713-0684
e-mail: bruce.hicks@noaa.gov