June  2015    

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National  Atmospheric  Deposition  Program  National  Trends  Network  (NADP  NTN)  in  North  Carolina  

The   mission   of   the   National   Atmospheric   Deposition  Program   (NADP)   is   to   characterize   the   chemical  climate   in   the   United   States,   with   an   emphasis   on  current   status   and   long-­‐term   trends.   The   NADP  National  Trends  Network  (NTN)  of  the  NADP  monitors  precipitation   chemistry,   providing   a   measure   of   the  removal   of   air   pollutants   from   the   atmosphere   by  deposition;   just   as   importantly,   it   measures   the  addition   of   chemical   compounds   to   the   biosphere   in  the   form   of   acidic   ions,   essential   nutrients,   and   base  cations.   In   part   because   of   NC   State   University’s  involvement   in   helping   to   create   NADP   in   1977,   five  sites  in  North  Carolina  were  among  the  first  NTN  sites  established   and   have   now   collected   more   than   36  years  of  continuous,  high-­‐quality  data.  

NADP  is  a  cooperative  research  program  funded  by  federal,  state,  tribal,  local,  and  private-­‐sector  organizations.  Currently,  the  NTN  has  266  monitoring  sites  in  the  US  that  measure  free  acidity  (H+  as  pH),  conductance,  calcium  (Ca2+),   magnesium   (Mg2+),   sodium   (Na+),   potassium   (K+),   sulfate   (SO4

2-­‐),   nitrate   (NO3-­‐),   chloride   (Cl-­‐),   and  

ammonium   (NH4+)   in   wet   deposition.   Precipitation   samples   are   collected   weekly   and   shipped   to   a   Central  

Analytical  Laboratory  at  the  Illinois  State  Water  Survey  for  chemical  analysis  and  quality  assurance.  All  NTN  data  are  made  available  at  http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu.  

NADP  NTN  provides  an  inexpensive  means  to  monitor  changes  in  the  chemical  climate  of  NC  and  other  states.  The   longevity  of   the  data   record,  which  started   in  1978,  and  consistent  data  quality  assurance  make   the  NTN  data  a  uniquely  valuable  resource.  Data  on  the  pH  and  ion  concentrations  in  rain  and  snow  are  widely  used  to  indicate   changes   in   regional   emissions   as   a   result   of   changing   emission   sources,   to   detect   geographic   and  temporal  trends  in  air  quality,  to  estimate  atmospheric  inputs  to  terrestrial  and  aquatic  ecosystems,  and  as  input  to   air   quality,   water   quality,   and   ecosystem   management   models   (e.g.,   Bash   et   al.,   2012,   Biogeosciences  Discussions  9(8),  11375-­‐11401;  Tilak  et  al.,  2014,  JAWRA  50(3),  665-­‐682).  One  of  the  primary  data  products  of  NADP   is   a   series   of   national   maps   displaying   isopleths   of   annual   concentration   and   deposition   of   analytes  measured  by   the  network   (shown  above;  http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/   lib/data/2013as.pdf).  NADP  NTN  data  are  freely   available   and   used   by   scientists,   land   managers,   educators,   students,   policymakers,   and   the   public   in  North  Carolina,  the  US,  and  abroad.  In  2013,  208  publications  that  used  or  compared  NADP  data  were  published  (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/lib/citations/2013nadpCitations.pdf).  

Active  NADP  National  Trends  Network  sites  in  and  near  North  Carolina.  NCSU-­‐coordinated  sites  are  indicated  in  red.  

    June  2015    

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Long-­‐term  data  on  precipitation  chemistry  and  deposition  from  NADP  are  extensively  used  in  simulations  using  advanced   numerical   modeling   (e.g.,   Liu   et   al.,   2010,   Atmospheric   Environment   44,   2443-­‐2456),   which   can  address  uncertainties  in  future  climate  change  projections  identified  as  a  top  priority  by  the  National  Research  Council  and  IPCC.  Long-­‐term  data  are  also  critical  components  in  the  development  of  new  Earth  system  models  that  integrate  knowledge  about  the  atmosphere,  biosphere,  hydrosphere,  and  lithosphere.  

There  are  currently  ten  active  NADP  NTN  sites  in  North  Carolina  in  all  three  physiographic  regions  of  the  state.  Because   NADP   uses   a   cooperative   funding   structure,   sites   in   the   national   network   are   supported   by   many  different  agencies  and  organizations,  and  this  holds  true  in  NC.  Four  sites  in  NC  are  each  sponsored  solely  by  a  different   federal   agency.  NC   State  University   has   coordinated   support   for   four   to   six   sites   since  1978.   Recent  funding  for  the  two  major  aspects  of  site  support  –  costs  for  shipping  and  analysis  of  precipitation  samples  and  costs  for  site  operator  and  infrastructure  are  shown  below.  

NADP  NTN  sites  in  North  Carolina      (*denotes  site  for  which  NCSU  coordinates  support)  

Site  ID   Site  Name   County   River  Basin  Eleva-­‐tion  (m)  

Start  Date   Current  Funding  Source  for  Both  Sample  Analysis  /  Site  Operation  

Mountain  Region  NC25   Coweeta   Macon   Little  

Tennessee  686   7/5/1978   USDA  Forest  Service  /  USDA  Forest  Service  

NC45*   Mt.  Mitchell*   Yancey   French  Broad  

1987   11/26/1985   NC  State  University  /  US  Environmental  Protection  Agency  

Piedmont  Region  NC17   University  Res.  

Farm  Guilford   Cape  Fear   238   1/30/2015   US  Dept  of  Energy  /  NC  A&T  University  

NC34*   Piedmont    Res.  Station*  

Rowan   Yadkin   219   10/17/1978   NC  State  University  /  NC  Dept  of  Agriculture  &  Consumer  Services  

NC41*   Finley  Farm*   Wake   Neuse   120   10/3/1978   NC  State  University  /  US  Department  of  Agriculture  

Coastal  Plain  Region  NC03*   Lewiston*   Bertie   Roanoke   22   10/31/1978   NC  State  University  /  NC  Dept  of  Agriculture  

&  Consumer  Services  NC06   Beaufort   Carteret   Neuse   2   1/26/1999   US  Environmental  Protection  Agency  /  US  

Environmental  Protection  Agency  NC29*   Hofmann  

Forest*  Onslow   White  Oak   14   7/2/2002   NC  State  University  &  NC  Natural  Resources  

Foundation  /  NC  Natural  Resources  Foundation  

NC35*   Clinton  Crops  Res.  Station*  

Sampson   Cape  Fear   41   10/24/1978   NC  State  University  /  NC  Dept  of  Agriculture  &  Consumer  Services  

NC36   Jordan  Creek   Scotland   Lumber   132   10/18/1983   US  Geological  Survey  /  US  Geological  Survey  

 Other   organizations   that   have   supported   the   NCSU-­‐coordinated   sites   over   the   past   37   years   include   US  Geological   Survey,   Carolina   Power   and   Light   Company,   Duke   Power   Company   (both   now   Duke   Energy),   NC  Agricultural  Research  Service,  and  Division  of  Air  Quality  in  the  NC  Dept.  of  Environment  and  Natural  Resources.  NC   State   University   has   developed   the   North   Carolina   Atmospheric   Chemistry   Consortium,   which   provides   a  framework   for  multiple   stakeholders   to   join   as   contributing  members   to   support   the   important   atmospheric  deposition  monitoring  efforts  of  the  NADP  NTN  in  North  Carolina,  http://go.ncsu.edu/ncacc.