Environmental Links: Atmosphere

• Acid Rain Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  Clean Air Markets Division manages various market-based approaches for controlling air pollution and public health benefits through reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Topics include: Assessing emissions control technology assessments, Emissions monitoring and reporting, Conducting atmospheric deposition monitoring and analysis, Developing information systems for market programs, Assessing environmental and human health effects, Assessing benefits and costs of programs, Educating the public about acid rain, other regional air pollution problems, and market-based mechanisms.
• AirData : Access to Air Pollution Data
  Access to air pollution data for the entire United States. From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Air Facility System (AFS)
  The Air Facility System (AFS) contains compliance and permit data for stationary sources regulated by the U.S. EPA and state and local air pollution agencies. AFS is used by some state and local government agencies to track permit data - site intro
• AirNow : State Real-Time Air Pollution Data
  Presents comprehensive air quality maps and forecasts. Supplies real-time images of air quality and visibility via webcams. Displays air quality forecasts (good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy, hazardous) for "air action days" in major metropolitan areas around the country. Provides suggestions on what you can do to help improve the air quality where you live. Four primary areas: Ozone Maps, Air Quality Forecasts, Where I Live and Publications. - site intro
• All About Smog: Southern California Forecasts and Current Conditions
  AQMD site, health and smog data, including historical data. Features: Student's Health Web Site, Smog & Health - An Introduction, Tomorrow's Forecast, Today's Interactive Smog Levels, Current Hourly Reading (clickable map), Current Hourly Reading (text), Historic Ozone Air Quality Trends (1976-Present), Air Quality Data from 1994-1999, Air Quality in Prior Years, 1997 So Cal Ozone Study, 1999 AQMD Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study -- MATES II (Final Report), and Meteorological Data (Dispersion Model Application).
• Automobile Emission Related Service and Repair Information
  The EPA Clean Air Act Databases has citations to and ordering information for service manuals and repair information for 1994 and later model automobiles and light-duty trucks. Search by make, model, year, and type of problem. The purpose of the EPA Clean Air Act Database is to provide independent automotive repair technicians with information necessary to maintain and repair emissions and related systems.
• Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  All aspects of air pollution in Northern California. Many out-of-staters use it too for definitions, CA rules, etc. - Mary Keba
• California Air Quality Data
  The California Air Resources Board (ARB) compiles data from air quality monitoring stations located throughout California. Predefined summaries of annual air quality data are available for Ozone, PM10, and Toxics. The Year-to-Date Ozone includes preliminary 2000 ozone data summaries for the five most populated regions in California and for selected monitoring sites in those regions.The State & Local Air Monitoring Network Plan (NAMS/SLAMS Report) provides the results of the annual review of the air monitoring stations in California. These stations house monitoring instruments that measure ambient levels of gaseous and particulate air pollutants. Move from pollution to monitoring National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) A network of monitoring stations for acid rain. Shows concentrations: sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and nitrogen ions. Site specific, and some weekly, monthly and daily data. The State & Local Air Monitoring Network Plan (NAMS/SLAMS Report) provides the results of the annual review of the air monitoring stations in California. These stations house monitoring instruments that measure ambient levels of gaseous and particulate air pollutants. The 2001 California Almanac of Emissions and Air Quality is now available in Adobe Acrobat format. Other resources are also available.
• California Air Quality Data Statistics
  Top 4 measurements, annual averages, and days above standards by basin or site, year, and pollutant. 24 Hourly Measurements for a Site and Day (includes hourly measurements and daily statistics in a 10-Week Listing). Moveable 10-Week Window; Display daily statistics of your choice.
• California Air Resources Board
  News; board meetings; calendar; workshops; programs; air quality/emissions program; business assistance and training; Laws and regulations; networking opportunities;
  information for kids, students and teachers; employment information; cleaner cars buyer's guide; fuel cell partnership; ZEVInfo.com
• California Air Resources Board Laws and Regulations
  The Air Resources Board (ARB) is responsible for promulgating regulations pertaining to a variety of areas including state ambient air quality standards and area designations, emissions from motor vehicles, fuels and consumer products, and airborne toxic control measures. - site intro. Rulemaking projects are listed alphabetically and by year.
• CARB's Text Archive Search Engine
  Search CARB, Cal/EPA, and State of California. From the California Air Resources Board.
• Center for Air Pollution / Centro de Información sobre Contaminación de Aire
  CICA provides technical support and assistance in evaluating air pollution problems along the U.S.-México border. CICA web pages offer: Air pollution data for the U.S.-Mexico border area. Includes ambient air pollution data for carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particular matter, and noncriteria pollutants; Descriptions of U.S.-Mexico air pollution programs; Reports, manuals, and other documents on air pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border - site intro
• Clean Air Act
  Here are: full-text of the Clean Air Act; the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act; a Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act.
• Clean Air Status and Trends Network : CASTNET
  "The Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) provides atmospheric data on acid rain, tropospheric (ground-level) ozone and other forms of atmospheric pollution. Used in conjunction with other national monitoring networks, CASTNET is used to determine the effectiveness of national emission control programs. CASTNET has been operating since 1987 and is considered the nation's primary source for estimates of dry acidic deposition and rural ozone levels. Cooperatively funded and operated with the National Park Service, the network is comprised of over 70 sites across the eastern and western United States."
  CASTNet dry deposition stations measure: * atmospheric concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, sulfur dioxide, and nitric acid; * continuous ambient ozone levels; * meteorological conditions required for calculating dry deposition rates. Dry deposition rates are calculated using atmospheric concentrations, meteorological data and information on land use, vegetation, and surface conditions. CASTNet complements the database compiled by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN), which is considered the nation's primary source for wet deposition data. Because of the inter-dependence of wet and dry deposition, CASTNet also collects wet deposition data at the 18 sites where there are no NADP/NTN stations within a 50 km radius. Together, these two long-term databases provide the necessary data to estimate trends in total atmospheric deposition. In conjunction with information on ecosystem health, these results will ultimately be used to determine the effectiveness of emission reductions in curtailing the environmental effects associated with acidic and other forms of atmospheric deposition." - site intro
• Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emissions Factors: CHIEF 
  EPA's Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emissions Factors (CHIEF) "serves as EPA's central clearinghouse for the latest information on air emission inventories and emission factors". Included are: air emissions inventories and trends reports; emission estimation databases and software; technical reports on point source emissions, mobile source emissions, biogenic source emissions, greenhouse gases; technical guidance documents; newsletters; and other publications. - site intro
• Climate Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  The EPA's Climate Protection Prevention Division web pages present information on EPA voluntary programs to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emmissions through: methane reduction (Ag Star, CoalBed Methane Outreach Program, Landfill Methane Outreach Program, Natural Gas Star, Ruminant Livestock Efficiency Program); energy efficiency in buildings and manufacturing (Energy Star; Green Lights) and environmental stewardship programs (Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership; SF6 Emissions Reduction Partnership for Electric Power Systems). There are also graphs showing carbon dioxide emissions by source. - site intro 
• Coating Alternatives Guide
  "Welcome to the Coating Alternatives Guide (CAGE), a pollution prevention tool for small- and medium-sized businesses and State technical assistance program representatives. CAGE is an expert system and information base designed to recommend low-emitting alternative coating technologies to coatings users. In addition, CAGE provides summarized information on recommended alternatives. The expert system asks the user several questions about their current coating process and tries to match up alternatives that fit the user's operating conditions. CAGE currently addresses alternative, low-emitting coatings for metal and plastic part coating operations. Future versions will address alternative coatings for wood, and other substrates." - site intro
• Emissions Measurement Center: EMC, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
  Test methods for measuring air pollutants emissions from industrial processes; performance specifications and other air monitoring information; technical guidance documents for applying emission testing methods; information about the EMC and an EMC staff directory; and announcements of workshops, conferences, and seminars. - site intro
• Envirofacts Air Releases: EPA
  The AIRS Facility Subsystem (AFS) is the only AIRS subsystem contained in Envirofacts. AFS contains both emissions and compliance data on air pollution point sources regulated by the U.S. EPA and/or state and local air regulatory agencies. AFS contains data on industrial plants and their components: stacks, the points at which emissions are introduced into the atmosphere; points, the emission point or process within a plant that produces the pollutant emissions; and segments, which are components of the processes that produce emissions. Compliance data are maintained at the plant and point levels, tracking classification status, inspections, and compliance actions. AFS also includes data for management of operating permit applications and renewals. The information in AFS is used by the states in preparation of State Implementation Plans (SIPs), to track the compliance status of point sources with various regulatory programs and to report air
  emissions estimates for pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. General source identification information is maintained, such as: name, address, industrial classification, operating status, and description, as well as descriptive and parametric data on stacks,
  emission points, and processes within the facility. - site intro
• EPA Indoor Air Quality Home Page
  The EPA Indoor Air Quality Home Page presents information about indoor air pollution in homes, schools, and offices. Topics covered are sources of indoor air pollution, health effects of indoor air pollution, and prevention and amelioration of indoor air pollution. Individual sections address indoor air quality issues in homes, schools, and large buildings. These sources of indoor air pollution are addressed: radon; secondhand smoke (environmental tobacco smoke); asbestos; biological contaminants (bacteria, molds, mildew, viruses, house dust mites, animal dander, etc.); carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and combustion gases; formaldehyde, household furnishings; respirable particles; household chemicals, pesticides.
• EPA TTNWeb (Technology Transfer Network)
  "The TTNWeb is a collection of related (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) web sites containing information about many areas of air pollution science, technology, regulation, measurement, and prevention." Web sites present technical and regulatory information, publications, databases, models, and software tools related to these air pollution topics: Aerometric Information Retrieval Systems; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution on the U.S. - Mexico Border; Air Emissions Measurement, Air Emission Inventories, Air Emission Factors; Air Quality and Clean Air Act rulemaking, policy, technical guidance; Ambient Monitoring Technology; Clean Air Technology; Industrial Combustion and Industrial Processes Rulemaking; Ozone, Ozone Transport, Particulate Matter, and Regional Haze; and Assistance for Small Business compliance with Clean Air Act.
• EPA's Visibility Program
  "The Regional Haze Rule calls for state and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility in 156 national parks and wilderness areas." The EPA's Visibility Improvement Program web pages present: Information about the regional haze, the regional haze rule, visibility impairment, visibility protection rule; List of and location maps of national parks, wilderness areas managed by U.S. Forest Service, and wilderness areas managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Real-time images from air quality stations at selected national parks; Links to visibility web pages for other U.S. federal agencies and of regional planning agencies.
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration NOAA
  Metasite with links to:Business & Grant Opportunities; Regional Information; Education;
  Atmospheric & Space Sciences; Government; Earth Sciences; Information Management; Ocean Sciences; News & Issues; Technology; UV Index; Sunrise/Sunset Calculation; Tides Online; Beach Temps; Art Gallery; National Weather Service; National Environmental Satellite; Data & Information Service; National Ocean Service; National Marine Fisheries Service; Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research; Public Affairs; NOAA News; NOAA Legislation; NOAA Central Library; High Performance Computing & Communications; NOAA History; The GLOBE Program; NOAA Education; National Hurricane Center; and Photo Library.
• Compliance and Enforcement
  EPA program site seeks to maximize compliance and reduce threats to public health and the environment by employing an integrated approach of compliance assistance, compliance incentives and innovative civil and criminal enforcement.- site intro
• Southern California Particle Center and Supersite (SCPCS)
  The Southern California Particle Center and Supersite (SCPCS) was established in 1999 to define and understand the health effects from exposure to airborne particulate matter. The Center has created a framework for the integration of research disciplines to investigate PM through a multidisciplinary approach including exposure assessment, toxicology and epidemiology. Focus is on the Southern California geographic area - site intro
• State of the Air reports
  State of the Air annual reports represent the most recent available complete ozone monitoring data that has been fully reviewed by the EPA for quality assurance at the time this report was prepared. - site intro. Focus on health issues related to air quality. From the American Lung Association.
• Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Project
  The TAO array consists of approximately 70 moorings in the Tropical Pacific Ocean, telemetering oceanographic and meteorological data to shore in real-time via the Argos satellite system. The array is a major component of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). TAO measure surface winds, air temperature, and relative humidity, and ocean temperatures in the upper 500 meters. Ocean currents are measured at five sites along the equator. Some moorings are enhanced to measure shortwave and longwave radiation, rainfall, salinity, and atmospheric pressure. - site intro