Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Listserve: http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/meetings/fall2008/minutes/tc2008.pdf

The NRSP-3 provides a framework for cooperation among State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and governmental and nongovernmental organizations that support the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), which provides quality-assured data and information on the exposure of managed and natural ecosystems and cultural resources to acidic compounds, nutrients, base cations, and mercury in precipitation. NADP data support informed decisions on air quality issues related to precipitation chemistry. Researchers use NADP data to investigate the impacts of atmospheric deposition on the productivity of managed and natural ecosystems; on the chemistry of estuarine, surface and ground waters; and on biodiversity in forests, shrubs, grasslands, deserts, and alpine vegetation. These research activities address the "environment, natural resources, and landscape stewardship," one of the Experiment Station Section's top five National Research Priorities. Researchers also use NADP Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) data to examine the role of atmospheric deposition in affecting the mercury content of fish, and to better understand the link between environmental and dietary mercury and human health, which fits another National Research Priority,"relationship of food to human health." The NADP operates three precipitation chemistry networks: the National Trends Network (NTN), the Atmospheric Integrated Research Monitoring Network (AIRMoN), and the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN). At the end of December 2006, 252 NTN stations were collecting one-week precipitation samples in 48 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Quebec Province, Canada. The NTN provides the only long-term nationwide record of wet deposition in the United States. Complementing the NTN are the 7-site AIRMoN and the 112-site MDN. Data from daily precipitation samples collected at AIRMoN sites support continued research of atmospheric transport and removal of air pollutants and development of computer simulations of these processes. The MDN offers the only regional measurements of mercury in North American precipitation, and MDN data are used to quantify mercury deposition to water bodies that have fish and wildlife consumption advisories due to this toxic chemical. In 2008, every state and 10 Canadian provinces listed advisories warning people to limit fish consumption due to high mercury levels. Advisories also were issued for Atlantic Coastal waters from Maine to Rhode Island and North Carolina to Florida, for the entire U.S. Gulf Coast, and for Hawaii. Our principal objective and accomplishment for this project is the collection and analysis of samples for precipitation chemistry. Briefly, the NADP has processed or is currently processing samples that should total 13,600 samples from the 250-site NTN, 1,200 samples from the 7-site AIRMoN, and 5,800 samples from the 110-site MDN. NADP Web Site. Scientists, policymakers, educators, students, and others are encouraged to access data at no charge from the NADP Web site (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu). This site offers on-line retrieval of individual data points, seasonal and annual averages, trend plots, concentration and deposition maps, reports, manuals, and other data and information about the program. During FY2008, Web site usage continued to grow. There are now more than 37,850 registered users with 358,000 user sessions. This number of registered users is a significant increase over 2007. There were 25,500 data downloads from the site, a 5% increase. The site received more than 1.65 million hits, and 25,000 downloads of color concentration and deposition maps occurred. About 33% of users are from federal and state agencies, 33% from universities, 20% from K-to-12 schools, and the remainder from other organizations. The NADP Web site has registered users from more than 150 countries and from every continent except Antarctica. These statistics demonstrate that NADP continues to be relevant to the scientific and educational communities, and to attract new users. Emerging Issues. In November 2004 the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the first report of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, commonly known as Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), in the continental United States. ASR is an obligate fungal parasite that can cause significant losses in soybean and other leguminous crops. From infected plants, ASR spreads through the aerial release and dispersal of spores. These airborne spores can be scavenged in and below clouds and deposited by rain on uninfected host plants hundreds of kilometers from an existing infection. During the 2008 growing season, NADP again partnered with the USDA Cereal Disease Laboratory (CDL) to look for ASR spores in NTN samples (4th year). With partial support from the Agricultural Research Service, weekly samples from 85 eastern U.S. NTN sites were filtered in entirety. Filters were desiccated, sealed, and sent to the CDL, where they were assayed for an ASR-specific DNA sequence. From mid-May through mid-September 2008, the CDL reported that of the 1226 assays, 99 (8.1%) were positive for ASR. Additionally, this year researchers were able to estimate spore deposition rate by week and site. These weekly rates range from a few spores to more than 250 spores per square meter at individual sites. The above graph shows frequency of ASR positives by week for the past four years. These data are being examined to study spore dispersal and the spread of ASR and show again the tremendous usefulness of these monitoring efforts for agricultural applications. The presence of ammonia gas in the atmosphere and its association with agricultural operations has become a very important air quality topic. The NADP has initiated a new monitoring network for ammonia gas across the Midwest. The goal is to develop, deploy, and operate a cost-efficient passive sampling network for basic ammonia gas concentrations. These two-week integrated values will be used to quantify the spatial and temporal differences in atmospheric ammonia concentrations. The network includes an appropriate quality-assurance program to document the accuracy of passive samplers. Following NADP methods, the resulting quality-assured concentrations will be reported and made available for use by all. Currently, 21 sites have been operating during the 2008 calendar year, with plans for at least another year of operation. More information can be found at http://nadpweb.sws.uiuc.edu/. Currently, the NADP measures ammonium and nitrate deposition, but not total N deposition. But other nitrogen compounds are present in precipitation. Particularly, organic nitrogen is thought to be as high as one-third of total N deposition. We have begun the basic analytical tests to determine this fraction in our samples. The method has been identified and the preparation completed. Adding this component to monitoring programs would be particularly important to the agricultural community since nitrogen deposition (organic or inorganic) is limited in agricultural systems, which can be sources of organic nitrogen. Educational/Extension Activities. NADP staff participated in several outreach activities during the year. Among them are the following. (1) Continued effort to assist authors and publishers to introduce NADP isopleth maps into new college textbooks. The latest chemical text is Chemistry Matters and its associated study guide. It highlights the NTN acid deposition map for its discussion of how acid precipitation is formed and identifies the impacts of acid precipitation in North America. (2) A teaching activity with a U of I statistics class (STAT 427). NADP provided project data and pertinent questions for the class to study and answer. NADP received answers for network improvement, and provided students with specific research questions and training in the scientific method using real data/situations. This is an ongoing relationship. (3) Staff (Bowersox) served on the Feb. 2008 meeting of the Precipitation Chemistry Science Advisory Group, a World Meteorological Organization committee that coordinates efforts to gather precipitation chemistry data and provide guidance to countries needing assistance in improving their measurement programs. (4) Staff served with the Tribal Air Monitoring Support Center to train American tribal nations to monitor their own environment (in this case, deposition monitoring). This outreach included steering committee membership, speaking engagements, and two different teaching appointments for training courses. Supporting informed decisions on air quality issues. In its most recent progress report, Acid Rain and Related Programs, 2006 Progress Report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) described the NADP networks as a critical link in the "chain of accountability" that allow policymakers to determine if required emission decreases (1990 Clean Air Act Amendments) have in fact reduced acidic deposition, which translates into ecosystem recovery. In its report, the USEPA used NTN data to demonstrate the efficacy of the Act in many different ways. The report compared average 1989-1991 and 2004-2006 sulfate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) deposition in four eastern regions: Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Over this 15-year period, sulfate deposition decreased in all four regions, where averages ranged from 21 to 35% and were consistent with sulfur dioxide emission reductions at electric generating units targeted by the Act. Inorganic nitrogen deposition is also decreasing in the East with reduced emissions; average decreases are between 5 and 25%. These measurements are taken directly from NADP activities. In its most recent report, United States - Canada Air Quality Agreement, Progress Report 2006, the binational Air Quality Committee used NADP data to evaluate progress under the agreement's Acid Rain Annex. Since signing the agreement in 1991, U.S. and Canadian governments have acted to reduce acidic precipitation by requiring sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emission reductions. With major reductions in both sulfate and nitrate deposition highlighted with NADP data, the report acknowledges that "without substantial atmospheric deposition monitoring networks, it would be impossible to accurately track and confirm that air quality improvements are taking place." In its 2004 report, Air Quality Management in the United States, the National Research Council (NRC) recommended investigating the use of critical loads as a potential mechanism to address the need for alternative air quality standards to protect ecosystems. A critical load is the quantitative estimate of the exposure to one or more pollutants below which significant harmful effects on sensitive elements of the environment do not occur..." The same was called for by a subsequent workshop (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/cladws). This recommendation was acted upon by the NADP Executive Committee during 2006 by forming the NADP Critical Loads AD hoc committee (CLAD). The CLAD committee continues to meet in conjunction with other spring and fall NADP committee meetings and has a page on the NADP Web site for further information (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/clad/). Plans for 2009. -Serving science and education. The NRSP-3 will continue to support researchers and educators by providing up-to-date, quality-assured data and information on nutrients, acidic compounds, base cations, and mercury in precipitation. Work is proceeding on an overhaul of the NADP Web site. The new site is currently about 50% completed with its redesigned organizational structure. The redesigned site will be better organized and feature ready-access to maps and tabular and graphical data summaries. The Program Office will continue to develop data products that target user needs. A major equipment upgrade was begun during 2008 and will continue through 2009. Older raingages are being replaced with digital models. Over 75 of our 300 sites (25% of 3 networks) have purchased and converted to the new digital standard gages, and most sites should be converted by the end of 2009. This improvement will provide both enhanced and increased amounts of precipitation data for users for many years to come. - Supporting informed decisions on air quality issues. In 2005, the USEPA promulgated the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which seeks to lower fine particle and tropospheric ozone levels by reducing SO2 and NOx emissions in 28 eastern states. Recent evidence suggests that gaseous ammonia also has an important and increasing role in fine particle formation. NADP/NTN and AIRMoN measure aqueous ammonium, but gaseous ammonia has not been measured routinely. During 2008, NADP initiated its pilot gaseous ammonia network (see above). These measurements will continue through 2009 at the current 20 sites, with hopes of increasing the number of monitoring sites and becoming a standing network within the NADP. This network has numerous implications to agriculture, including directly addressing Challenge Area #2 in The Science Roadmap for Agriculture (Update 2006), and directly measuring an important agricultural gas in agricultural areas of the U.S. Although NADP/MDN data are used to evaluate the relationship between mercury emissions and wet deposition, there are no comparable airborne mercury measurements. Other estimates suggest mercury dry deposition levels may be three times that of wet deposition in some areas. Recognizing the need for routine, regionally representative measurements, the NADP Executive Committee endorsed a limited study for measuring airborne elemental, reactive gaseous, and particle-bound mercury in 2007. This network is developing, and we expect a minimum of 15 sites will be operating during 2009. -Investigating emerging issues. Along with the soybean rust, ammonia, and mercury ongoing new issue responses, we are partnering with several other researchers to investigate the presence of NADP samples (past and present) for new and different compounds, along with other topics. These include: (1) Perchlorate compounds, Texas Tech. University; (2) Oxygen isotope variation to predict past temperatures, University of Southern CA; (3) Perfluorocompounds, Environment Canada; (4) Fluoride concentrations, University of Texas; (5) Base cation dilution and isotope hydrograph separation, University of Maine; and (6) Unusual precipitation events in New Mexico and Arizona, West Texas S. U. The NADP will run a small pilot network during 2009 to measure total nitrogen deposition, with a major goal of defining the organic nitrogen component. EPA will fund this work at a small, 50-site network. Sample collection should begin in the early spring of 2009. This may become another component of wet deposition data that NADP can provide to its agriculture and ecological scientists since total nitrogen deposition is important in many situations.

There were more than 124 publications using NADP data or resulting from NRSP-3 activities in 2008 (excluding December). A publically available on-line database that lists citations using NADP data is accessible at http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/lib/bibsearch.asp. Selected journal articles referenced above: Alexander, R.B., Smith, R.A., Schwarz, G.E., Boyer, E.W., Nolan, J.V., and Brakebill, J.W. 2008. Differences in phosphorus and nitrogen delivery to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi river basin. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42:822-830, DOI: 10.1021/es0716103. Barnes, R.T., Raymond, P.A., and Casciotti, K.L. 2008. Dual isotope analyses indicate efficient processing of atmospheric nitrate by forested watersheds in the northeastern U.S. Biogeochemistry 90:15-27. Butler, T.J., Cohen, M.D., Vermelyn, F.M., Likens, G.E., Schmeltz, D., and Artz, R.S. 2008. Regional precipitation mercury trends in the eastern USA, 1998-2005: Declines in the Northeast and Midwest, no trend in the Southeast. Atmos. Environ. 42:1582-1592. Coates, T.A., Boerner, R.E.J., Waldrop, T.A., and Yaussy, D.A. 2008. Soil Nitrogen transformations under alternative management strategies in Appalachian forests. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 72:558-565. Clark, C.M., and Tilman, D. 2008. Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands. Nature 451:712-715. Costanza, J.K., Marcinko, S.E., Goewert, A.E., and Mitchell, C.E. 2008. Potential geographic distribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition from intensive livestock production in North Carolina, USA. Science of the Total Environment 389:76-86. Elliott, K.J., Vose, J.M., Knoepp, J.D., Johnson, D.W., Swank, W.T., and Jackson, W. 2008. Simulated effects of sulfur deposition on nutrient cycling in Class I wilderness areas. J. Environ. Qual. 37:1419-1431, DOI:10.2134/jeq2007.0358. Ingersoll, G.P., Mast, M.A., Campbell, D.H., Clow, D.W., Nanus, L., and Turk, J.T. 2008. Trends in snowpack chemistry and comparison to National Atmospheric Deposition Program results for the Rocky Mountains, US, 1993-2004. Atmospheric Environment 42:6098-6113. Krupa, S., Booker, F., Bowersox, V., Lehmann, C., and Grantz, D. 2008. Trace gases associated with U.S. agriculture: A review. J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 58:986-993, DOI:10.3155/1047-3289.58.8.986. Stephen, K., and Aneja, V.P. 2008. Trends in agricultural ammonia emissions and ammonium concentrations in precipitation over the Southeast and Midwest United States. Atmospheric Environment 42:3238-3252. Sparks, J.E.D.P., Walker, J., Turnipseed, A., and Guenther, A. 2008. Dry nitrogen deposition estimates over a forest experiencing free air CO2 enrichment. Global Change Biology 14:768-781, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01526.x. Tkacz, B., Moody, B., Castillo, J.V., Fenn, M.E. 2008. Forest health conditions in North America. Environmental Pollution 155:409-425. Vet, R., and Ro, C.-U. 2008. Contribution of Canada-United States transboundary transport to wet deposition of sulphur and nitrogen oxides: A mass balance approach. Atmospheric Environment 42:2518-2529. Walker, J., Spence, P., Kimbrough, S., and Robarge, W. 2008. Inferential model estimates of ammonia dry deposition in the vicinity of a swine production facility. Atmospheric Environment 42:3407-3418. Wu, S., Krishnan, S., Zhang, Y., and Aneja, V. 2008. Modeling atmospheric transport and fate of ammonia in North Carolina-Part I: Evaluation of meteorological and chemical predictions. Atmospheric Environment 42:3419-3436.