# Presentation: 773967

## Introduction to meteorological measurements in the NCore network:  A preliminary discussion of key issues

**Scott A. Jackson**
**EPA-Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards**
**jackson.scott@epa.gov**

*Garinger station, operated by Mecklenburg County, NC*

**Notes:**
Just showing this photo because it is a nice example of colocated ambient air and met measurements

## Outline

-  Introduction
-  Work Plan
-  Finished Product
-  Discussion

## Introduction - Goal

- To develop a strategy for
- appropriate meteorological
- monitoring to support air
- quality management
- programs.

- AgNet station, operated by the State Climate Office of NC

**Notes:**
Showing AgNet photo because it is an example of a met network designed to support ag needs.  Farmers need certain parameters to be observed (i.e. soil moisture).  Likewise, those in the air quality field need certain to be supported by certain measurements (i.e. solar radiation for stability calculations)

## Introduction - Motivation

**Meteorological monitoring is an important but often neglected aspect of air quality management.  **
- 	***Example:  Monitoring staff at SLT agencies are usually not instrumentation meteorologists ******	******      and sometimes have limited communication with an agency’s met staff.***
**Meteorological data are often available from other agencies but stations are not designed to observe for specific air quality needs.**
*      ****Example:  National Weather Service (NWS) data collected at  airports for aviation purposes.  ******	******     These data are not  as helpful for  air quality forecasting or complaint******           ******	******      investigations because they are not collocated with air  quality observations. ***
**The National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy  (NAAMS) stresses the importance of collocated  measurements with an integrated approach to  solving air quality problems.  **
- 	***Example:  “Meteorological processes that shape pollutant movement, atmospheric******                   transformations and removal act on all pollutants.” - NAAMS p. 4-3 ***
***	******	******     ***
***	******	***

## Work Plan 

- Phase 1 – Investigation and Research
- Assess current meteorological monitoring efforts at State, Local, and Tribal agencies to aid understanding their meteorological data needs
- Integrate with precursor gas training workshops to provide a prototype met station collocated with high sensitivity level monitors at EPA’s Jenkins Road facility.

## Work Plan 

- Phase 2 - Developing a Strategy
- Synthesize all elements of Phase 1 to create a concise guidance on appropriate meteorological monitoring.
- Incorporate this guidance into the National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy, specifically NCore Level 2 network design.

## Finished Product	

- A successful finished product will include...

- _In general_
-  An overview of how to
-   appropriately monitor
-   meteorology for air quality
-   management applications

- _Specifically_
-  Recommendations on the most
-   suitable parameters, methods, and
-   instruments
-  Guidance on QA/QC of data
-  A working prototype station on EPA-RTP’s
-   campus to serve training and NCore Level
-   2 network design purposes.

## Discussion

-     QA/QC criteria
-     Averaging periods
-     Sensitivity of instruments
-     Siting criteria

**Under consideration for requirement:**

-   Tower type
-   Gill vs. Motor aspiration system
-   Sonic anemometer vs. Cup/Vane
-   Lightning protection methods
-   Instrument brand

**Decisions for EPA**

**Decisions for Agencies**

- Wind Speed/Wind Direction
- Temperature
- RH
- Pressure

**Current parameters required for**
**NCore Level 2 sites:**

-  Solar Radiation
-  Delta T
-  ???

## Discussion – What we need

- The Data are being collected...How is your agency using it?

-      Met station      actively reporting     data to AQS

**Notes:**
Just showing that data are out there but we (EPA) don’t know really know how they are being used by the SLT’s that operate the stations.

## Discussion – What do you need?

-  **Instrument guidance?**
** ****QA/QC Guidance?**
** ****Proper way to site a met station?**
** ****How to store met data?**
** ****Feedback, please...**

_**How helpful are these existing EPA resources?**_
-  Ambient Monitoring Guidelines for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)  _[http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/files/ambient/criteria/reldocs/4-87-007.pdf](http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/files/ambient/criteria/reldocs/4-87-007.pdf)_
-  Meteorological Monitoring Guidance for Regulatory Modeling Applications  _[http://www.epa.gov/scram001/guidance/met/mmgrma.pdf](http://www.epa.gov/scram001/guidance/met/mmgrma.pdf)_
-  Quality Assurance Handbook:  Volume 4. Meteorological Measurements.  _[http://www.epa.gov/scram001/guidance/met/vol4metmeas1.pdf](http://www.epa.gov/scram001/guidance/met/vol4metmeas1.pdf)_

**Notes:**
Hoping trigger discussion with this slide and find out if anyone uses the existing EPA resources or do they refer to other guidance for siting and operating a met site?