Check out current ozone and weather in over 30 national park areas plus recent data with NEW! timeline charts.
Too Much Nitrogen in Rocky Mountain National Park?
Air-borne nitrogen deposition in the park has produced harmful effects on the park's sensitive natural resources. On June 21, 2007, a draft nitrogen deposition reduction plan was discussed at a public hearing in Estes Park, Colorado. The plan considers nitrogen emission reduction options, deposition and trends, emission sources and source areas, atmospheric transport, and future needs for progress and achievement of park management goals.more »
Increasing ozone concentrations at Mesa Verde National Park and significant energy development in the four corners area (where the borders of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet) led to the formation of a multi-stakeholder task force which focuses on air quality concerns in the region. The NPS has been actively involved in the Task Force since 2005. A plan that presents options for air pollution mitigation in the four corners region is now out for public review.
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Based on the latest analysis of atmospheric deposition, ozone, and visibility air quality data for the period 1995-2004, 68% of reporting parks have stable or improved air quality. The NPS has established a goal of having stable or improved air quality in 70% of reporting park areas by September 30, 2008, consistent with the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act. An area meets the goal if it does not show statistically significant deterioration in any of the air quality performance indicators. For more information, view the 2005 GPRA Report.
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» State Regulatory Plans for Protecting Visibility in Parks - States must submit regulations to improve visibility conditions for NPS Class I air quality areas to EPA by this December.
If the current amount of total nitrogen deposition measured at the high-elevation monitoring site in Rocky Mountain National Park (4 kg/ha/yr) was the same throughout the park, the amount of airborne nitrogen entering the park would be equivalent to 943,000 twenty-pound bags of fertilizer. more » archive »
