Dillner, A. M., C. H. Phuah, and J. R. Turner (2009), Effects of post-sampling conditions on ambient carbon aerosol filter measurements, Atmos. Environ., 43, 5937-5943.

Coury, C. and A. M. Dillner (2009), ATR-FTIR characterization of organic functional groups and inorganic ions in ambient aerosols at a rural site, Atmos. Environ., 43, 940-948.

The goal of the U.S. EPA’s 1999 Regional Haze Rule is to return visibility to natural levels in most of the nation’s national parks and wilderness areas by the year 2064. With this 65-year timeframe, incremental changes that occur during the rule’s 5-year study periods can be so subtle that distinguishing real change from background noise requires data of the highest caliber and reliability.

Data from the IMPROVE network are processed at AQRC and then sent quarterly to CIRA—the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere—at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

CIRA staff compile and format the data, then upload it to their FED website at http://views.cira.colostate.edu/fed/

Since the 1970s, the Air Quality Research Center has been improving the design of the equipment used to collect airborne particulate matter for the IMPROVE program. A number of special design features have been incorporated into AQRC’s aerosol samplers, including:

The natural visual range in the United States varies from about 140 miles in western states to 90 miles in eastern states. However, emissions generated by human activity have greatly reduced these historical vistas. In the West, average visibility is now only 33 to 90 miles, with even more significant reductions in the East, where average visibility is just 14 to 24 miles.

Visible air pollution contains particles that block visibility, cause health problems for humans and wildlife, and damage environments and infrastructures. In 1985, the EPA created the IMPROVE network along with UC Davis air quality researchers at Crocker Nuclear Lab.