Overview of the NARSTO-NE-OPS program
C.R. Philbrick, Penn State University, Electrical Engineering Department
W.F. Ryan, Penn State University, Meteorology Department
R.D. Clark, Department of Earth Sciences, Millersville University
R.R. Dickerson, University of Maryland, Department of Meteorology
B.G. Doddridge, University of Maryland, Department of Meteorology
P. Koutrakis, Harvard University, School of Public Health
J.W. Munger, Harvard University, Earth and Planetary Science
S.R. McDow, Drexel University, Environmental Science, Engr. & Policy
S.T. Rao, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
P.K. Hopke, Clarkson University, Chemistry Department
D.J. Eatough, Brigham Young University, Department of Chemistry
P.K. Dasgupta, Texas Tech University, Chemistry Department
D.J. Tollerud, Hahnemann University, School of Public Health
P.G. Georgopoulos, Rutgers University, Ozone Research Center
L.I. Kleinman, Brookhaven National Laboratory DAS/ECD
R. Dennis, USEPA
J. Gaffney, Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Research Division
J. Fast, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
W. McClenny, USEPA National Exposure Research Laboratory
P.K. Mueller, EPRI
The NARSTO-NE-OPS (NorthEast Oxidant and Particle Study) is an investigation of the coupling of the meteorological and chemical processes that control the evolution of air pollution events. The project includes three major field programs carried out at a field site in northeast Philadelphia during the summers of 1998, 1999 and 2001. The activity brings together the research groups from 13 universities, 5 government laboratories and representatives of the electric power industry to apply the most advanced measurement techniques to understanding the physical and chemical processes contributing to air quality issues. Results have been obtained from three ground sites, two instrumented aircraft, many different instrumented balloon platforms, and several remote sensing techniques including satellites. In addition, the database used includes the ground-based measurements conducted at several surrounding sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Maryland. The results have shown the importance of developing the 3-dimensional regional scale picture of the atmosphere to understand and properly model air pollution events. It has been shown that only from such a perspective can one hope to properly model and predict ozone and particulate pollution. A combination of photochemical and dynamical processes transport, both horizontal and vertical, accumulate pollutants that then mix with the locally produced chemical species to cause the more severe episodes of air pollution. Efforts have also focused on developmental testing of several new approaches to improved measuring techniques for better understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the airborne particulate matter.