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

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