Monitoring update

 4th Quarter 2005 The IMPROVE Newsletter Volume 14 / Number 4

INTERAGENCY MONITORING OF PROTECTED VISUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Monitoring update continued on page 3....

Feature Article: New algorithm for 

light extinction approved, Page 4

Network operation status

The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual 

Environments) Program consists of 110 aerosol visibility 

monitoring sites selected to provide regionally representative 

coverage and data for 156 Class I federally protected areas. 

Additional instrumentation that operates according to 

IMPROVE protocols in support of the program includes: 

58 aerosol samplers

14 transmissometers 

42 nephelometers

8 digital or fi lm camera systems

55 Web camera systems

3 interpretive displays

IMPROVE Program participants are listed on page 8. 

Federal land management agencies, states, tribes, regional 

air partnerships, and other agencies operate supporting 

instrumentation at monitoring sites as presented in the map 

below. Preliminary data collection statistics for the 4th Quarter 

2005 (October, November, and December) are:

Aerosol (channel A only) 96% collection

Aerosol (all modules) 94% completeness

Optical (transmissometer) 95% collection

Optical (nephelometer) 95% collection

Scene (photographic) 84% collection

 (does not include Web cameras)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discontinued the remote 

digital camera systems at Wichita Mountains, KS, and Bosque 

del Apache, NM. The cameras collected high-resolution 

images of the areas for three years; both were discontinued 

in October 2005.

The USDA-Forest Service began operating two new highresolution Webcam systems this quarter. These systems 

were installed in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, 

MN (December 2005), and Upper Buffalo Wilderness, AR 

(November 2005).

The transmissometer system at Big Bend National Park, TX, 

was discontinued by the National Park Service in October. It 

has operated since January 2000.

IMPROVE and IMPROVE Protocol Sites

4th Quarter 2005 

Data availability status

Data are available on the IMPROVE Web site, 

at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/Data/

data.htm. IMPROVE and other haze-related 

data are also available on the VIEWS Web site, 

at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/views. 

Aerosol data are available through December 

2004. Transmissometer and nephelometer 

data are available through December 2004 and 

September 2005 respectively. Photographic 

slide spectrums are also available on the 

IMPROVE Web site, under Data. Real-time 

Web camera displays are available on a 

variety of agency-supported Web sites.
IMPROVE calendars available 

The 2006 IMPROVE calendar was distributed in December, 

but additional copies are available upon request.

Since 2003, the wall-sized calendars have been distributed 

to IMPROVE site operators and air quality managers. The 

calendars highlight the aerosol sampling days, describe 

components of the IMPROVE Program, and feature several 

IMPROVE operators and their monitoring stations.

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) 

staff produced the calendar. Suggestions and information 

for next year’s calendar are welcome. Give your local 

IMPROVE operators the recognition they deserve, and submit 

photographs, short biographies, and site information.

For additional calendars, or to submit information for next year’s 

calendar, contact Julie Winchester or Jeff Lemke at the Cooperative 

Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Foothills Campus, 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1375. E-mail: 

winchester@cira.colostate.edu or lemke@cira.colostate.edu.

Visibility news 

 The IMPROVE Newsletter 4th Quarter 2005

2

Monitoring Site Assistance: 

Aerosol sites: contact University of California-Davis

telephone: 530/752-7119 (Pacifi c time)

Optical/Scene sites: contact Air Resource Specialists, Inc.

telephone: 970/484-7941 (Mountain time)

Tower elevator available for nephelometer 

systems 

Routine Optec NGN-2 nephelometer servicing requires an 

operator to climb a 14-foot tower or step ladder to inspect the 

instrument, change lamps, replace the clean air fi lter, and perform 

other routine instrument maintenance. Some operators may not 

feel comfortable climbing towers or ladders, while others may 

be prohibited by their safety offi cers.

A tower elevator system is now an available option for 

nephelometer systems, which allows an operator to perform 

servicing tasks without having to climb the tower. A hand-crank 

winch and pulley system is used to lower the nephelometer on a 

captive rail system, to a working height of about 4 1/2-feet above 

ground level, and to raise the instrument back to its operational 

position at the top of the tower. Raising and lowering the 40-pound 

instrument is easily done by one person. Locking pins and a safety 

latch keep the unit from accidentally falling.

The elevator system can be mounted to the existing tower 

and includes a 4-foot hand crank and weather enclosure for 

the winch components at ground level. The system costs 

approximately $2,000 and can be available for installation 

within 90 days of order. 

For more information contact Mark Tigges at Air Resource 

Specialists, Inc. Telephone: 970/484-7941. Fax: 970/484-3423. 

E-mail: mtigges@air-resource.com.

New newsletter format available 

The IMPROVE Newsletter is now available in electronic format 

(.PDF) via e-mail distribution. If you wish future newsletters 

to be delivered to you via e-mail, please send your request 

to IMPROVEnews@air-resource.com. Otherwise, you will 

continue to receive the newsletter via U.S. Mail. 

The newsletter will also continue to be available on the 

IMPROVE Web site, at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/

improve/Publications/.

For more information contact Gloria Mercer at Air Resource 

Specialists, Inc. Telephone: 970/484-7941. Fax: 970/484-3423. 

E-mail: gmercer@air-resource.com.

The nephelometer tower elevator is operated by hand cranking a winch 

and pulley system. The operator lowers the nephelometer to a safe 

servicing height, and again raises the instrument to the top of the tower 

for routine operation.
3

 4th Quarter 2005 The IMPROVE Newsletter

IMPROVE committee approves new 

algorithm for estimating light extinction 

In December 2005, the IMPROVE Steering Committee 

approved the use of a new algorithm to estimate light 

extinction from IMPROVE aerosol speciation data. The 2nd

Quarter 2005 IMPROVE Newsletter presented a feature 

article discussing preliminary work regarding changing the 

algorithm. The recommendations were further refi ned and 

the fi nal, approved algorithm is presented as the feature 

article in this newsletter issue (see page 4). 

Scientists will begin generating aerosol extinction values 

using the new algorithm this winter, which will be available 

for dissemination on the IMPROVE and VIEWS Web sites. 

Documentation will also be available that explains the 

calculations. Data values using the old algorithm will also 

continue to be available. EPA and IMPROVE scientists 

will begin to calculate default natural levels using the new 

algorithm for Regional Haze Rule requirements. 

For more information contact Marc Pitchford at the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Telephone: 702/862-5432. 

Fax: 702/862-5507. E-mail: marc.pitchford@noaa.gov.

Monitoring update continued from page 1 ....

Monitoring update continued on page 7.... IMPROVE site operator Charles Conner maintains the IMPROVE sampler, 

a nephelometer, and various other air/meteorology instrumentation at 

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona.

Operators of distinction

Keeping tabs on reptile and rodent populations is Charles 

Conner’s main responsibility at Organ Pipe Cactus National 

Monument, in extreme southern Arizona. Maintaining the 

IMPROVE sampler is another responsibility for the biological 

technician, as well as operating 11 automated weather stations, 

performing groundwater measurements at several locations, 

and a multitude of other duties.

Charles has been the primary operator of the site’s aerosol 

sampler for a year now, and was backup operator when the 

system was installed in 2003. He has devoted quite some time 

troubleshooting the aerosol sampler recently. “There have 

been several equipment failures, but we’ve worked it out. 

I’ve swapped controllers and eliminated problems with the 

black boxes, and all components are functional now. The 

only thing remaining is a malfunctioning motor that raises 

and lowers the fi lter cartridges. I can get around that, though, 

by manually lowering and raising the fi lters until the motor 

issue is resolved.” His dedication to the IMPROVE Program 

is much appreciated. 

Charles has been at Organ Pipe for 17 years. In addition to his 

duties there, he also services air monitoring instrumentation 

in nearby areas for the state of Arizona Department of 

Environmental Quality, and performs similar environmental 

monitoring work in Organ Pipe’s sister park, the Pinacate 

Reserve, in Mexico. 

Charles has a B.S. degree in mathematics from Caltech, and 

is fl uent in Spanish, which is helpful when living near the 

U.S.-Mexico border. He keeps his pet rabbit safely away 

from the reptiles he brings home, and can often be found 

hiking, playing frisbee, or broadcasting a radio program in 

nearby Tucson and on a local Indian reservation.

Mark Scruggs retires from NPS ARD 

Dr. Mark Scruggs retired on January 3, 2006, after 25 years 

with the National Park Service Air Resources Division (NPS 

ARD). For the past several years, Mark was the Assistant 

Division Chief for Program Operations. He joined the 

NPS ARD in 1981 as an air quality modeler for the Permit 

Review Branch and was later in charge of the NPS ARD’s 

Research and Monitoring Branch. 

During his long tenure with the NPS ARD, Mark played a 

major role in expanding the national visibility monitoring 

network (IMPROVE), and in several intensive fi eld studies 

that increased understanding of the sources of visibility 

impairment at parks such as Grand Canyon (Projects 

WHITEX and MOHAVE) and Big Bend (BRAVO). 

Mark’s expertise was also recognized by others -- he 

chaired the Research Forum of the Western Regional 

Air Partnership and served as an expert witness for the 

Department of Justice in litigation against major power 

plants. Prior to joining the NPS, Mark worked for the 

Environmental Protection Agency and a private consulting 

fi rm. His historical perspective, technical expertise, and 

calm disposition will be sorely missed.
4

Feature article

 The IMPROVE Newsletter 4th Quarter 2005

New IMPROVE algorithm for estimating light extinction approved for use

(by M. Pitchford, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Background

The original IMPROVE algorithm for estimating light 

extinction using IMPROVE particle data was fi rst used in 

1993, and has been a useful tool in the understanding of 

haze by the various particle components in aerosols (sulfate, 

nitrate, organic compounds, elemental or black carbon, fi ne 

soil, and coarse mass). The algorithm performs reasonably 

well over a broad range of particle light scattering, but tends to 

underestimate the highest extinction values and overestimate 

the lowest extinction values. This algorithm for estimating 

light extinction was adopted by the Environmental Protection 

Agency as the basis for the regional haze metric used to track 

progress in reducing haze levels for visibility-protected areas 

under the 1999 Regional Haze Rule (RHR). 

As a result, the IMPROVE algorithm has been scrutinized 

carefully to assess deficiencies that could bias the 

implementation of the RHR. In light of the concerns raised 

by its use in the RHR, the IMPROVE Steering Committee 

initiated an internal review including recommendations for 

revisions of the algorithm for estimating light extinction. 

The review team (composed of scientists from the National 

Park Service and the Cooperative Institute for Research in 

the Atmosphere) developed a revised algorithm that reduces 

biases in light extinction estimates and is as consistent as 

possible with the current scientifi c literature. A review of 

the old algorithm and suggested revisions were presented in 

The IMPROVE Newsletter, 2nd Quarter 2005.

In July 2005, the status of the algorithm review and revision 

was presented to the IMPROVE Steering Committee. At that 

time, a subcommittee was formed to further investigate the 

proposed algorithm. The subcommittee included scientists 

who worked on the initial review, as well as scientists who 

have been critical of the original IMPROVE algorithm. Their 

work resulted in the fi nal version of the algorithm, which was 

again presented to the Steering Committee. In December 

2005, the IMPROVE Steering Committee voted to adopt 

this revised algorithm for use by IMPROVE as an alternative 

to the current approach. This new, approved algorithm and 

justifi cations for it are presented in this article.

Overview of revised algorithm

The new algorithm splits ammonium sulfate, ammonium 

nitrate, and organic carbon compound concentrations into two 

fractions: small and large. The algorithm for estimating the 

light extinction from particle components in aerosols is: 

bext≈ 2.2 x fs(RH) x [small sulfate] + 4.8 x fL(RH) x [large sulfate]

 + 2.4 x fs

(RH) x [small nitrate] + 5.1 x fL(RH) x [large nitrate]

 + 2.8 x [small organic mass] + 6.1 x [large organic mass]

 + 10 x [elemental carbon]

 + 1 x [fi ne soil]

 + 1.7 x fss(RH) x [sea salt]

 + 0.6 x [coarse mass]

 + Rayleigh scattering (site-specifi c)

 + 0.33 x [NO2 (ppb)]

Though not explicitly shown, the organic mass concentration 

used is 1.8 times the organic carbon mass concentration, 

(changed from 1.4 times carbon mass the original algorithm 

uses). New terms have also been added for sea salt and 

for absorption by NO2. The apportionment of the total 

concentration of sulfate compounds into the concentrations 

of small and large size fractions is accomplished using the 

following equations:

[large sulfate] = [total sulfate] x [total sulfate], for [total sulfate] < 20 μg/m3

[large sulfate] = [total sulfate], for [total sulfate] ≥ 20 μg/m3

[small sulfate] = [total sulfate] - [large sulfate]

The same equations are used to apportion total nitrate and total 

organic mass into small and large size fractions.

Sea salt is calculated as 1.8 x [chloride], or 1.8 x [chlorine] if 

the chloride measurement is below detection limits, missing, 

or invalid. The new algorithm contains three distinct water 

growth terms, designated fS

, fL, and fSS for the small and large 

sulfate and nitrate fractions, and for sea salt, respectively.

Technical justifi cation for revisions

The new IMPROVE algorithm for estimating light extinction 

from particle speciation data contains fi ve major revisions 

from the original algorithm:

 1) A sea salt term has been added. Sea salt is a particu- 

 lar concern for coastal locations where the sum of 

 the major components of light extinction and mass 

 have been defi cient.

 2) The assumed organic mass to organic carbon ratio 

 has been changed from 1.4 to 1.8, to refl ect more 

 recent peer-reviewed literature on the subject.

20 μg/m3
5

 4th Quarter 2005 The IMPROVE Newsletter

New algorithm continued on page 6....

 3) The Rayleigh scattering factor has been changed 

 from a network-wide constant to a site-specific 

 value. This factor is based on the elevation and 

 annual average temperature of individual monitor- 

 ing sites.

 4) A split component extinction effi ciency model for 

 sulfate, nitrate, and organic carbon components has 

 been developed. The model includes new water 

 growth terms for sulfate and nitrate to better estimate 

 light extinction at the high and low extremes of the 

 range of extinction.

 5) An NO2

 light absorption term has been added. This 

 term can only be used at sites with available NO2 

 concentration data.

A summary of each of these points is discussed below.

Sea salt term

The old IMPROVE protocol for estimating light extinction 

does not include light scattering by sea salt aerosols. Recent 

literature shows that inclusion of elements from sea salt (e.g., 

Na, Cl) increased the accuracy of mass reconstruction at 

coastal IMPROVE sites. Contributions of sea salt particles 

to light extinction at some coastal IMPROVE sites may 

be signifi cant, especially since light scattering by sea salt 

particles should be signifi cantly enhanced by hygroscopic 

growth in humid environments. Further study found that 

fi ne sea salt aerosols accounted for 43% of estimated light 

scattering at the U.S. Virgin Islands IMPROVE site.

To include sea salt in the IMPROVE light extinction equation, 

it is necessary to: 1) estimate the sea salt mass concentration, 

2) specify a dry sea salt scattering effi ciency, and 3) specify 

an f(RH) curve for sea salt representing the enhancement of 

sea salt scattering by hygroscopic growth as a function of 

relative humidity (RH).

Organic mass to carbon ratio

A factor of 1.4 is used in the original algorithm to convert 

organic carbon (OC) to organic mass (OM) to account for 

unmeasured elements (e.g., O, H, N), in OM. More recent 

study suggested this factor be increased. While additional 

experimental work is needed to further explore this issue, it 

is clear that an OC conversion factor of 1.4 is not applicable 

for remote U.S. Class I areas. A consensus value of 1.8 was 

recommended for use in the new algorithm.

Rayleigh scattering factor

Rayleigh scattering refers to the scattering of light from 

molecules of the air. A constant value of 10 Mm-1 is used in 

the original algorithm, however, Rayleigh scattering depends 

on the density of the air and thus varies with temperature 

and pressure. In the new algorithm, site-specifi c Rayleigh 

scattering is estimated as a function of temperature and 

pressure, corresponding to the monitoring site elevation and 

estimated annual mean temperature, and is rounded to the 

nearest integer value in units of inverse megameters. Based on 

the geographic extent of the IMPROVE network, site-specifi c 

Rayleigh values will be in the range of 8-12 Mm-1.

Split component extinction effi ciency model

The original algorithm employs dry scattering effi ciencies of 

3m2

/g for ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate, and 4m2/g 

for organic matter. More recent studies suggest these values 

are variable. The new algorithm accounts for the increase 

of ammonium sulfate/ammonium nitrate and organic matter 

effi ciencies with concentration using a simple mixing model. 

The concentrations are each comprised of external mixtures 

of mass (geometric mean diameters/geometric standard 

deviations) of small (0.2μm/2.2) and large (0.5μm/1.5) 

particle sizes for ammonium sulfate/ammonium nitrate and 

organic matter.

In addition, the original algorithm contains separate f(RH) 

curves to ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate scattering 

based on a hygroscopic growth curve for pure ammonium 

sulfate. The new algorithm contains f(RH) curves for smalland large-mode ammonium sulfate that are also applied to 

small- and large-mode ammonium nitrate.

NO2 light absorption term

The NO2 absorption effi ciency term in the new algorithm 

is a photopic-weighted absorption effi ciency value. It was 

calculated by dividing the sum of the products of the relative 

observer photopic response values for viewing an image and 

the spectral NO2 absorption effi ciency values by the sum of 

the photopic response values. Most IMPROVE sites are not 

collocated with NO2 monitors.

Comparison of old vs. new algorithm

One of the most compelling reasons for developing a 

new algorithm was to reduce the biases in light scattering 

estimates at the extremes, when compared to nephelometer 

measurements which directly measure particle scattering. To 

assess the performance of the new algorithm, the fractional 

bias for each sample period was calculated as the difference 

in estimated aerosol light scattering divided by the measured 

light scattering using collocated nephelometers. These biases 

were then averaged into quintiles to indicate the bias in each 

of those fi ve subsets of data. Analysis shows that the new 

algorithm has lower fractional bias than the original algorithm, 

in all but the haziest conditions.
 The IMPROVE Newsletter 4th Quarter 2005

6

New algorithm continued from page 5.... Acadia National Park, Maine

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon

Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia

Gila Wilderness, New Mexico

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Great Gulf Wilderness, New Hampshire

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina

Jarbidge Wilderness, Nevada

Lone Peak Wilderness, Utah

Lye Brook Wilderness, Vermont

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Mount Zirkel Wilderness, Colorado

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Shining Rock Wilderness, North Carolina

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon

Upper Buffalo Wilderness, Arkansas

In sum, the new algorithm for estimating haze reduces 

the biases compared to measurements at the high and low 

extremes, and is most apparent for the hazier eastern sites. 

The composition of “best and worst days” are very similar 

by the original and new algorithms. Most of the reduction 

of bias associated with the new algorithm is attributed to 

the use of the split component extinction effi ciency method 

for sulfate, nitrate, and organic components, that permitted 

variable extinction effi ciency depending on the component 

mass concentration. The new algorithm also contains specifi c 

changes that refl ect a better understanding of the atmosphere 

as refl ected in more recent scientifi c literature, refl ect a more 

complete accounting for contributors to haze (e.g., sea salt and 

NO2

 terms), and the use of site-specifi c Rayleigh scattering 

terms to reduce elevation-related bias. 

Efforts are currently underway to develop monthly average 

f(RH) terms for all IMPROVE monitoring sites. Once that 

work is completed, the new algorithm will be added to the 

suite of data analysis tools on the Visibility Information 

Exchange Web Site (VIEWS). At this time there has been 

no formal recommendation from the EPA on use of the new 

IMPROVE algorithm in tracking visibility progress under 

the Regional Haze Rule. A more complete discussion and 

report is available on the IMPROVE Web site at http://vista.

cira.colostate.edu/IMPROVE/Publications/GrayLit/Gray_

literature.htm.

For more information contact Marc Pitchford at the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Telephone: 702/862-5432. 

Fax: 702/862-5507. E-mail: marc.pitchford@noaa.gov.

Directly measured data used in algorithm evaluation

Directly measured light scattering data from collocated 

Optec NGN-2 nephelometers were key to evaluating the 

performance of the original IMPROVE algorithm, as well 

as for development and performance evaluation of several 

revised algorithms as well as the new, approved algorithm. 

The 21 nephelometer sites used in the evaluation are:

Scatter plots (Figures 1 and 2) of light scattering estimates 

from the original and new algorithms vs. nephelometer data 

for all available data at 21 monitoring sites were used to 

view the overall performance differences between the two 

algorithms. These fi gures show that the bias at the extremes 

is reduced using the new algorithm compared to the original 

algorithm (i.e., the points tend to be better centered on the 

one-to-one line). They also show the somewhat reduced 

precision of the new algorithm compared to the original (i.e., 

points are more broadly scattered).

Figure 1. Scatter plot of the original IMPROVE algorithm estimated 

particle light scattering versus measured particle light scattering.

Figure 2. Scatter plot of the new algorithm estimates of light scattering 

versus measured light scattering.
7

 4th Quarter 2005 The IMPROVE Newsletter

Sites that achieved at least 90% data collection for 4th quarter 

2005 are:

Aerosol (Channel A)

Transmissometer

Nephelometer

Photographic

Sites that achieved at least 95% data collection for 4th quarter 

2005 are:

Aerosol (Channel A)

Transmissometer

Nephelometer

Photographic

Acadia

Birmingham

Chiricahua

Crater Lake

Flathead

Frostburg Reservoir

Glacier

Great River Bluffs

Great Smoky Mountains

Hercules-Glades

Lake Sugema

Livonia

Mammoth Cave

Martha’s Vineyard

Meadview

Mount Rainier

New York

Pinnacles

Point Reyes

Sac and Fox

Sequoia

St. Marks

Tallgrass

Theodore Roosevelt

Washington DC

White Mountain

White Pass

Yosemite

Canyonlands Rocky Mountain San Gorgonio

Bliss

Children’s Park

Chiricahua

Dolly Sods

Dysart

Estrella

Grand Canyon (Hance)

Ike’s Backbone

Mammoth Cave

Mayville

Mount Zirkel

National Capital

Petrifi ed Forest

Queen Valley

Seney

Sierra Ancha

Thunder Basin

Tucson Central

Tucson Mountain

Vehicle Emissions

Wichita Mountains

Agua Tibia 

 

Monture

Milwaukee

Nebraska

Shenandoah Upper Buffalo

Bandelier

Grand Canyon

 (In Canyon)

Grand Canyon

 (South Rim) 

Great Basin

Guadalupe Mountains

Arendtsville

Blue Mounds

Bryce Canyon

Canyonlands

Cape Cod

Cloud Peak

Columbia Gorge East

Columbia Gorge West

Kaiser

Moosehorn

Nebraska

Northern Cheyenne

Petrifi ed Forest

Presque Isle

San Gabriel

San Pedro Parks

Sawtooth

Seattle

Shamrock Mine

Sierra Ancha

Starkey

Sula

Swanquarter

Sycamore Canyon

Thunder Basin

Wind Cave

 -- none --

Outstanding sites

Data collection begins with those who operate, 

service, and maintain monitoring instrumentation. 

IMPROVE managers and contractors thank all site 

operators for their efforts in caring for IMPROVE 

and IMPROVE Protocol networks. Sites that achieved 100% 

data collection for 4th Quarter 2005 are:

Aerosol (Channel A)

Transmissometer

Nephelometer

Photographic

Monitoring update continued from page 3 ....

Addison Pinnacle

Badlands

Baltimore

Bandelier

Big Bend

Bliss

Bondville

Bosque del Apache

Bridger

Bridgton

Brigantine

Cabinet Mountains

Cadiz

Caney Creek

Cape Romain

Casco Bay

Chassahowitzka

Cherokee

Cohutta

Crescent Lake

Death Valley

Denali

Dolly Sods

Douglas

El Dorado

Ellis

Fort Peck

Fresno

Gates of the Mountains

Gila

Grand Canyon (Hance)

Great Basin

Great Gulf

Great Sand Dunes

Guadalupe Mountains

Haleakala

Hawaii Volcanoes

Hells Canyon

Hoover

Ike’s Backbone

Isle Royale

James River Face

Jarbidge

Joshua Tree

Kalmiopsis

Lava Beds

Linville Gorge

Mesa Verde

MK Goddard

Mohawk Mountain

Monture

Mount Baldy

Mount Hood

Mount Zirkel

North Absaroka

North Cascades

Okefenokee

Olympic

Omaha

Pasayten

Petersburg

Phoenix

Pinnacles

Proctor Research Center

Quabbin Reservoir

Quaker City

Queen Valley

Redwood

Rocky Mountain

Saguaro

Saguaro West

Salt Creek

San Gorgonio

Seney

Shenandoah

Shining Rock

Sikes

Simeonof

Sipsey

Snoqualmie Pass

Three Sisters

Tonto

Trapper Creek-Denali

UL Bend

Upper Buffalo

Viking Lake

Virgin Islands

Voyageurs

Weminuche

Wheeler Peak

White River

Wichita Mountains

Zion Canyon

Cucamonga Grand Canyon Shamrock Mines

Acadia

Big Bend

Organ Pipe

Grand Canyon 

 (Indian Gardens)

Phoenix

Rocky Mountain 

Sycamore Canyon

Virgin Islands

Badlands Bridger Glacier
 PUBLISHED BY:

1901 Sharp Point Drive, Suite E

 Fort Collins, CO 80525

The IMPROVE Newsletter is published 

four times a year (February, May, 

August, & November) under National 

Park Service Contract C2350010850.

The IMPROVE Program was designed 

in response to the visibility provisions 

of the Clean Air Act of 1977, which 

affords visibility protection to 156 

federal Class I areas. The program 

objectives are to provide data needed 

to: assess the impacts of new emission 

sources, identify existing human-made 

visibility impairments, and assess 

progress toward the national visibility 

goals as established by Congress. 

To submit an article, to receive the 

IMPROVE Newsletter, or for address 

corrections, contact: 

Air Resource Specialists, Inc.

Gloria S. Mercer, Editor

Telephone: 970/484-7941 ext.221

Fax: 970/484-3423

E-mail: IMPROVEnews@air-resource.com

IMPROVE Newsletters are also 

available on the IMPROVE Web site at 

http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/

Publications/.

printed on recycled paper 

8

Air Resource Specialists, Inc.

1901 Sharp Point Drive, Suite E

Fort Collins, CO 80525

 TO:

First Class Mail

IMPROVE STEERING COMMITTEE

IMPROVE Steering Committee members represent their respective agencies and meet periodically to establish 

and evaluate program goals and actions. IMPROVE-related questions within agencies should be directed to the 

agency’s Steering Committee representative. Steering Committee representatives are:

U.S. EPA

Neil Frank

US EPA MD-14

Emissions, Monitoring and Analysis Div.

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

Telephone: 919/541-5560

Fax: 910/541-3613

E-mail: frank.neil@epa.gov

NPS

William Malm

Colorado State University

CIRA - Foothills Campus

Fort Collins, CO 80523

Telephone: 970/491-8292

Fax: 970/491-8598

E-mail: malm@cira.colostate.edu

USDA-FS

Rich Fisher

USDA-Forest Service Air Program

2150A Centre Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Telephone: 970/295-5981

Fax: 970/295-5988

E-mail: rwfi sher@fs.fed.us

FWS

Sandra Silva

Fish and Wildlife Service

P.O. Box 25287

12795 W. Alameda Parkway

Denver, CO 80225

Telephone: 303/969-2814

Fax: 303/969-2822

E-mail: sandra_v_silva@fws.gov

WESTAR

Robert Lebens

715 SW Morrison

Suite 503

Portland, OR 97205

Telephone: 503/478-4956

Fax: 503/478-4961

E-mail: blebens@westar.org

NESCAUM

Rich Poirot

VT Agency of Natural Resources

103 South Main Street

Building 3 South

Waterbury, VT 05676

Telephone: 802/241-3807

Fax: 802/244-5141

E-mail: rich.poirot@state.vt.us

BLM

Scott F. Archer

USDI-Bureau of Land Management

National Science and Technology Center

Denver Federal Center, Building 50

P.O. Box 25047, ST-180

Denver, CO 80225-0047

Telephone: 303/236-6400

Fax: 303/236-3508

E-mail: scott_archer@blm.gov

STAPPA

Ray Bishop

Dept. of Environmental Quality

Air Quality Division

707 North Robinson

P.O. Box 1677

Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677

Telephone: 405/702-4218

Fax: 405/702-4101

E-mail: ray.bishop@deq.state.ok.us

MARAMA

David Krask

Maryland Dept. of the Environment

MARAMA/Air Quality Planning 

and Monitoring

1800 Washington Blvd.

Baltimore, MD 21230-1720

Telephone: 410/537-3756

Fax: 410/537-4243

E-mail: dkrask@mde.state.md.us

NOAA

Marc Pitchford *

c/o Desert Research Institute

755 E. Flamingo Road

Las Vegas, NV 89119-7363

Telephone: 702/862-5432

Fax: 702/862-5507

E-mail: marc.pitchford@noaa.gov

* Steering Committee chair

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Associate Membership in the IMPROVE Steering Committee is designed 

to foster additional IMPROVE-comparable visibility monitoring that will 

aid in understanding Class I area visibility, without upsetting the balance 

of organizational interests obtained by the steering committee participants. 

Associate Member representatives are:

STATE OF ARIZONA

Michael Sundblom

Manager, Air Monitoring Unit

ADEQ Air Assessment Section

1110 W. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Telephone: 602/771-2364

Fax: 602/771-4444

E-mail: sundblom.michael@azdeq.gov

Government organizations 

interested in becoming 

Associate Members may 

contact any Steering 

Committee member for 

information.