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Completed Projects |
Monitoring Projects |
Both of the following monitoring projects funded by the Environmental Research Program are under the direction of
Bruce Rodger, Air Monitoring Field Operations Team Leader, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Madison,
Wisconsin.
Wisconsin NADP National Trends Network (NTN)
Since 1980 Wisconsin has participated in a national program collecting precipitation samples for chemical analysis.
This network is called the National Trends Network (NTN) and was established by the National Atmospheric Deposition
Program (NADP) to measure atmospheric deposition and study its effects on the environment. Wisconsin DNR presently
operates a network of seven NTN stations throughout Wisconsin. Historical levels of pollutants in the atmosphere
provide important clues as to what is happening to the chemistry of Wisconsin's precipitation today.
Scientists and policy makers use the data provided by the NTN to examine the effectiveness of air quality regulations,
determine whether changes in land use are affecting atmospheric conditions and answer other questions regarding
atmospheric deposition. Long-term changes in the atmosphere occur very slowly, obscured by wide month-to-month
variability in chemistry measurements. In order to see beyond the short-term changes, it is necessary to analyze
the precipitation chemistry of NTN sites over many years. Key support for analysis of trends and patterns is provided
by data from the NADP National Trends Network (NTN). NTN data indicate that atmospheric deposition has improved
in positive ways as intended by the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990. The length and continuity of record
in NADP -- NTN measurements is essential for future assessments of Clean Air Act related policy. The NADP -- NTN data
record is fundamental to the process of providing answers to ecological science questions.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources maintains operation of seven (7) NTN stations across Wisconsin collecting
weekly atmospheric deposition samples every Tuesday. Standardized NADP -- NTN quality assurance sample handling and
preparation protocols are followed in the collection and shipment of these samples to the NADP Central Analystical
Lab (CAL) at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) in Champaign, IL. The wet deposition samples are analyzed for a
suite of cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na, NH4), anions (NO3, SO4, Cl) and pH along with sample conductivity.
Concentration and deposition data resulting from the individual analysis results of the weekly samples from these 7
Wisconsin stations is placed on the NADP web site along with data from over 250 additional NADP sites throughout the
U.S. and Canada. This data is readily accessible to the atmospheric deposition research community and the general
public at the following web site:
nadp.sws.uiuc.edu.
Wisconsin Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)
All of Wisconsin's lakes fall under a fish consumption advisory for mercury. Research has shown that the majority of
mercury in Wisconsin's lakes and streams comes from atmospheric deposition via wet precipitation. In 1995 the National
Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) established a secondary network of deposition monitoring stations, the Mercury
Deposition Network (MDN), to measure the deposition of mercury throughout a network of stations in North America.
Wisconsin participated in the establishment of this network from its beginning in 1995.
Wisconsin DNR presently operates six MDN stations in Wisconsin. There are now of 98 active sites in the MDN network
including stations across the U.S., Canada, and two sites in Mexico. New additional MDN sites are pending as this network
continues to grow. The scope of the MDN network is rapidly increasing to fill the void of monitoring sites between
the Mississippi River and the West Coast. The MDN provides a long-term, widespread monitoring network allowing researchers
and policymakers to answer essential questions about the health and future our environment with respect to mercury
deposition to Wisconsin's and the nation's water resources.
The MDN will characterize the extent of the mercury problem, describe regional patterns of mercury deposition, and
assess deposition changes over time. The MDN data will be especially useful to ground truth mercury modeling efforts to
predict mercury deposition as controls are added to mercury sources to reduce emissions. Event sampling (event sites)
and single-event weeks (weekly sites) data will be used to support receptor modeling and back trajectory analysis.
The MDN is a long-term monitoring program. Data acquired through uninterrupted long-term operation of this network will
enable the examination of local and regional scale problems and the evaluation of control efficacy. MDN data will be
critical to establish and verify relationships between emissions and effects to sensitive receptors of mercury
contamination.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources maintains operation of six MDN stations across Wisconsin collecting weekly
and event (at Devil's Lake) wet deposition samples every Tuesday. Standardized NADP -- MDN quality assurance sample
handling and preparation protocols were followed in the collections and shipment of these samples to the Hg Analytical
Laboratory (HAL) at Frontier Geo Sciences, Inc. in Seattle, WAS. The wet deposition samples were analysed for total
and methyl mercury.
Concentration and deposition data resulting from the individual analysis results of the weekly and event samples from
these six Wisconsin stations were placed on the NADP web site along with data from over 100 additional MDN sites throughout
the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This data is readily accessible to the mercury depositions research community and the
general public at the following web site:
nadp.sws.uiuc.edu.
