Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The NRSP-3 provides a framework for cooperation among State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and governmental and nongovernmental organizations to 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 and are used by scientists, policy-makers, educators, and the public. 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 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 2004, 261 NTN stations were collecting one-week precipitation samples in 49 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 8-site AIRMoN and the 87-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 2004, 44 states and 8 Canadian provinces listed advisories warning people to limit fish consumption due to high mercury levels. Advisories also were issued for coastal Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and for the Atlantic Coast from the Virginia-North Carolina border to the southern tip of Florida, and for the entire U.S. Gulf Coast. NADP Internet Site. NADP data are available at no charge via the Internet, which enables on-line retrieval of individual data points, seasonal and annual averages, trend plots, concentration and deposition maps, reports, manuals, and other data and information (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu). Internet site usage continued to increase. In 2004 the site received 75,477 unique visitors, up more than 40 percent from 2003. Registered data users more than doubled in the last 12 months and user sessions rose by nearly 90 percent. About 39 percent of NADP Web site usage is for educational purposes, and the balance is for research. Educational/Extension Activities. In April, NADP staff members partnered with the American Chemical Society (ACS) to develop an earth day activity, entitled "Testing the pH of Rain Water," for elementary school students. Students were instructed in assembling a simple rain collector from household materials and in measuring rainwater pH with materials from the ACS. Students were directed from the ACS Web site to the NADP Web site (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/earthday/), where they could post their pH measurements, compare their measurements with data from nearby NTN sites, and print a personal certificate of completion. Compared with the 2003 ACS earth day activity, participation in this activity tripled, prompting the ACS Committee on Community Activities to award the NADP a "Salute to Excellence" for commitment to education. Supporting informed decisions on air quality issues. In its most recent report, "United States - Canada Air Quality Agreement, Progress Report 2004," the bilateral Air Quality Committee, established under the United States-Canada Air Quality Agreement, used NADP data to evaluate progress under the Acid Rain Annex of the agreement. Since signing the agreement in 1991, U.S. and Canadian governments have taken significant actions to reduce acidic precipitation by requiring substantial reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions. The goal is to reduce the deposition of sulfate, the primary acidifying agent in precipitation. Canadian and U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions decreased by about 27 percent and 32 percent, respectively, since 1990. NADP NTN and AIRMoN data confirmed that these reductions were essentially matched by decreases in sulfate deposition. In both countries, reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions were much smaller, averaging 10 - 20 percent. Nitrate at NTN sites decreased in eleven northeastern states but remained unchanged or increasing elsewhere. NTN data are being used in the Forest Health Monitoring Program (FHMP) to map inorganic nitrogen and sulfur deposition in U.S. ecoregions, as an indicator of forest exposure to air pollutants. The FHMP is a multi-agency program (http://fhm.fs.fed.us/) that was initiated in 1991 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to determine the status, changes, and trends of forest health indicators in forested ecosystems. Recent research has focused on nutrient uptake, retention, and cycling in forests and the effect of atmospheric deposition on these processes. Acidic deposition has been implicated as a factor in the loss of base cations from forest soils in the northeastern and southeastern United States and in calcium losses from red spruce needles, making this species more susceptible to damage from disease, frost, and drought. The recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on "Air Quality Management in the United States" describes the three NADP wet deposition networks (NTN, AIRMoN, and MDN), along with the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet) for assessing dry deposition, as "the most comprehensive atmospheric deposition monitoring networks in the United States today," and describes "monitoring networks as an essential part of any air quality management system." The report summarizes some of the applications of NTN and CASTNet data to measure the progress and assess the benefits of existing air quality management programs. These monitoring networks provide data for estimating exposure of sensitive ecosystems to air pollutants, developing information on pollutant source-transport-transformation-removal processes and how these change in space and time, and evaluating compliance with air quality standards. The NAS report also identifies the emerging interest in bioaerosols (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and allergens), which the NADP is uniquely suited to address with its nationwide network of sites. The NADP could play an important role in a surveillance system for the detection and spread of pathogens, whether domestic or foreign in origin. Plans for 2005/2006 -Serving science and education. The NRSP-3 seeks to continue to support the needs of researchers and educators by providing up-to-date quality-assured data and information on nutrients, acidic compounds, base cations, and mercury in precipitation. Experience has demonstrated the value of the Internet in making NADP data available to scientists, educators, students, and policy-makers. New on-line data presentations will be developed, including isopleth map animations that track annual concentration and deposition changes of cations and anions not now included in the current map animation series. - Supporting informed decisions on air quality issues. Scientists and policy-makers have a keen interest in the atmospheric deposition of nutrients and the role of nutrient deposition in affecting unmanaged forests, shrublands, and grasslands and in affecting surface water quality, especially in the estuarine waters of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The NADP Central Analytical Laboratory is measuring total nitrogen and total phosphorus in precipitation samples to explore the feasibility of adding these analytes to the current measurement set. - Responding to emerging issues. The NADP Program Office recently collaborated with scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cereal Disease Laboratory (CDL) to look for wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis) spores in NTN samples. Filters containing insoluble matter from NTN samples collected at selected Midwestern sites from May to November 2004 were sent to the CDL, where plant pathologists applied polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to search for the spores. PCR methods are very sensitive and specific and the search frequently uncovered wheat stem rust spores on the filters. Wheat stem rust is one of many plant pathogens that are spread by wind-borne spores. In 2005/2006, this work will focus on detection of Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) spores. Asian soybean rust was first reported in the southern U.S. in November 2004. Atmospheric transport and deposition are key to the spread of this damaging pathogen. With nearly 250 sites across the country, the NADP/NTN could be a key part of a surveillance system for the detection and spread of Asian soybean rust and other plant pathogens.

There were more than 100 publications, using NADP data or resulting from NRSP-3 activities in 2003. An on-line database that lists citations using NADP data is accessible at http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/lib/bibsearch.asp. Publications: NADP PROGRAM OFFICE PUBLICATIONS Lehmann, C.M.B. 2004. Atmospheric Quality. In Climate Atlas of Illinois (S.A. Changnon, J.R. Angel, K.K. Kunkel, and C.M.B. Lehmann, authors). Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, IL. pp. 153-178. Lehmann, C.M.B., V.C. Bowersox, and S.M. Larson. 2004. Spatial and Temporal Trends of Precipitation Chemistry in the United States, 1985-2002 (paper #546). In Proceedings, 97th Annual Conference and Exhibition, Air &Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA. 18 pp. Lehmann, C.M.B., N. Latysh, and C. Furiness. 2004. Discontinuation of Support for Field Chemistry Measurements in the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP/NTN). NADP Data Report 2004-02. NADP Program Office, Champaign, IL. 12 pp. National Atmospheric Deposition Program. 2004. NADP 2004 - Technical Committee Meeting and Scientific Symposium. (prepared by Douglas, K.E. and P.S. Bedient) NADP Proceedings 2004-01, September 21-24, 2004, Halifax, Nova Scotia. NADP Program Office, Champaign, IL. 143 pp. National Atmospheric Deposition Program. 2004. National Atmospheric Deposition Program 2003 Annual Summary. NADP Data Report 2004-01. NADP Program Office, Champaign, IL. 16 pp. National Atmospheric Deposition Program. 2004 2005 NADP CALendar. NADP Program Office, Champaign, IL. 32 pp. SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES Amirbahman, A., P.L. Ruck, I.J. Fernandez, T.A. Haines, and J.S. Kahl. 2004. The Effect of Fire on Mercury Cycling in the Soils of Forested Watersheds: Acadia National Park, Maine, U.S.A. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 152: 313-331. Burns, D.A. 2004. The Effects of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Southern Wyoming, USA  a Critical Review. Environmental Pollution. 127: 257-269. Campbell, J.L. J.W. Hornbeck, M.J. Mitchell, M.B. Adams, M.S. Castro, C.T. Driscoll, J.S. Kahl, J.N. Kochenderfer, G.E. Lichens, J.A. Lynch, P.S. Murdoch, S.J. Nelson, and J.B. Shanley. 2004. Input-Output Budgets of Inorganic Nitrogen for 24 Forest Watersheds in the Northeastern United States: A Review. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 151:373-396. Cohen, M., R. Artz, R. Draxler, P. Miller, L. Poissant, D. Niemi, D. Ratte, M. Delauriers, R. Duval, R. Laurin, J. Slotnick, T. Nettesheim, and J. McDonald. 2004. Modeling the Atmospheric Transport and Deposition of Mercury to the Great Lakes. Environmental Research. 95(3): 247-265. Grimm, J.W. and J.A. Lynch. 2004. Enhanced Wet Deposition Estimates Using Modeled Precipitation Inputs. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 90: 243-268. Kahl, J.S., J.L. Stoddard, R. Haeuber, S.G. Paulsen, R. Birnbaum, F.A. Deviney, J.R. Webb, D.R. Dewalle, W. Sharpe, C.T. Driscoll, A.T. Herlihy, J.H. Kellogg, P.S. Murdoch, K. Roy, K.E. Webster, and N.S. Urquhart. 2004. Have U.S. Surface Waters Responded to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments? Environmental Science & Technology. 38(24):484A-490A. Krug, E.C., and D. Winstanley. 2004. Comparison of Mercury in Atmospheric Deposition and in Illinois and USA Soils. Hydrology & Earth Systems Sciences. 8(1): 98-102. Latysh, N. and J. Gordon. 2004. Investigation of Differences Between Field and Laboratory pH Measurements of National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network Precipitation Samples. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 154: 249-270. Menz, F.C. and H.M. Seip. 2004. Acid Rain in Europe and the United States: an Update. Environmental Science & Policy. 7(2004):253-265. Norton, S.A., I.J. Fernandez, J.S. Kahl, and K.L. Reinhardt. 2004. Acidification Trends and the Evolution of Neutralizatioin Mechanisms through Time at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM), U.S.A. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus. 4:289-310. Royer, T.V. J.L. Tank, and M.B. David. 2004. Landscape and Watershed Processes, Transport and Fate of Nitrate in Headwater Agricultural Streams in Illinois. Journal of Environmental Quality. 33: 1296-1304. Seigneur, C., K. Vijayaraghavan, K. Lohman, P. Karamchandani, and C. Scott. 2004. Global Source Attribution for Mercury Deposition in the United States. Environmental Science & Technology. 38:555-569. Stevens, C.J. N.B. Dise, J.O. Mountford, and D.J. Gowing. 2004. Impact of Nitrogen Deposition on the Species Richness of Grasslands. Science. 303: 1876-1878. Walker, J.T., D.R. Whitall, W.Robarge, and H.W. Paerl. 2004. Ambient Ammonia and Ammonium Aerosol Across a Region of Variable Ammonia Emission Density. Atmospheric Environment. 38:1235-1246. OTHER PUBLICATIONS Air Quality Committee. 2004. United States - Canada Air Quality Agreement, Progress Report 2004. International Joint Commission, Washington, D.C. pp. 5-6, 40-41. Center for the Inland Bays. 2004. An Indication of Progress through Government Action: Nutrient Pollution. In Delaware Inland Bays' Environmental Indicators. Center for the Inland Bays, Lewes, DE. 1 pp. Committee on Air Quality Management in the United States. 2004. Air Quality Management in the United States. National Research Council, National Academies Press, Washington , D.C. 426 pp. Kendall, C., E. Elliott, S.D. Wankel, R. Carlton, K. Harlin. 2004. Use of Nitrate Isotopes for Tracing Sources of Atmospheric Nitrate to Aquatic Ecosystems: Piggybacking on the NADP Network Archives. In Proceedings Hydrologic Observatories as a National Resource, A CUAHSI National Workshop. http://www.cuahsi.org/. Steinman, J. 2004. Forest Health Monitoring in the Northeastern United States, Disturbances and Conditions during 1993-2002 (NA-TP-01-04). U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest Service, Newtown Square, PA. p 14. Stensland, G.J. and A.L. Williams. 2004. Atmospheric Emission and Deposition of Deicing Salt Applied to Highways in the Chicago Area. In Proceedings 97th Annual Air & Waste Management Association Conference (control #698). Air and Waste Management Association, Sewickley, PA. 14 pp. U.S. Geological Survey. 2004. A Science Strategy to Support Management Decisions Related to Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Excess Nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin (Circular 1270). U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. 58 pp.