May I, 1995 

TO: 

Christy Lee 

EPA Region X 

FAX (206) 553-0110 

FROM: 

Steve Morris 

Anchorage Air Pollution Control Agency 

(907) 343-6976 

SUBJECT: PM-IO Data Capture 

Dear Christy: 

You asked me to document why we failed to achieve 75% data capture at our Eagle River PM-IO sites 

during the first quarter of 1994. We have two monitoring stations in Eagle River. The Parkgate station 

(020060 004I030) is set to run on a one in six day schedule and the Caribou station (020060 040GO I 0) is 

set to run every day. The data capture rate during the first quarter of 1994 was 67% (10 of 15 sampling 

days) at Parkgate and 61 % at Caribou (55 of90 sampling days). 

The reason for these low data capture rates was an acute staff shortage during most of March 1994. 

Wendell Lane, who operated the PM-IO network for years, retired at the end of February. We had planned 

to continue PM-IO network operations with other staff members. Larry Taylor hurt his knee in a workrelated injury in early March. This injury required surgery and he missed over a week of work. He was 

unable to perform any field work for several weeks afterward as he recovered from surgery. 

We received over a foot of snow on March 2. It continued to snow on March 3 and 4. There was ample 

snow cover through all of March and we judged that the potential for PM-IO pollution was low. Given our 

staffing shortage, we opted to suspend PM-I 0 monitoring temporarily. Monitoring was suspended in Eagle 

River from March 4 through April I. The PM-I 0 network was down for a shorter period oftime in 

Anchorage. 

It is extremely unlikely that PM-I 0 levels exceeded the NAAQS during tlus down period. Snow cover was 

ample. In our experience, PM-I 0 levels remain low when snow cover is present. 

We resumed monitomg at our Gambell station in midtown Anchorage earlier than the Eagle River stations 

(on March 23). The highest PM-IO concentration measured at Gambell during the period 

March 23 - April I was 27 J-Lg/m3 PM-IO concentrations in Eagle River are well correlated tc 

measurements in Anchorage. However, the magnitude of the concentrations measured at Gambell are 

consistently higher than those in Eagle River. This suggests that PM-IO levels in Eagle River were quite 

low during this period. 

If you have further questions please give me a call at 343-6976. 

cc: Gerry Guay 
(' 

( 

\,. 

MAR 1994 

ANCHORAGE, AI< 

WEATHER SERVICE CONTRACT 

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY LOCAL 

INQUIRIES/COMMENTS CALL CL I MAmOLOG I CAL (704) 271-4800 VOICE ~ 

271-4010 TDO/271-4876 FAX 

PT. CAMPBELL OBS. INT. AP. MONTHLY SUMMARY 

ISSN # 0197-9558 

DATA 

LATITUDE 61° 13'N LONGITUDE 149" 53'W ELEVATION (GROUND) 114 FEET TIME ZONE ALASKA 26451 

TEMPERATURE 'F DEGaEJ!: DAYS WEATHER TYPES SNOWI PRECIPITATION AVERAGE WIND SUNSHINE OOV'" "'"' SASE 65 'po .~ ICE (INCHi$) STATION (M.P.H. \ mm" 

rd lHDlVY fOG ON 

~ ~ ~ PRESSURI!: 

~ PEAl< FASTEST 

~ J THUlfDERSTllIIM5 GRD ~ {INCHES 

~~ GUST I-MIN 4 ICE PELLETS ~ Eo § '" '" ~ 1'0 I: Ii Ii 5 HAIL AT ~ :l OF Hq) " u ~ Sl Sl E~ · "" i ' ta ..... 'E ~ ~ ~ " •• z. :l! Z H H 0300 o ~ ELEV. C C ~ .. o. 

~ H iil ~ .., , DU5'!'STOIIH Z ~ " ~ gj if U~ -, "" ~ ~a 8 a 5MO~I!..KA.E ~ 

~ 132 

~ H ~~ ~ .. ~~ !" P !lC; g BLOwnlC SNOW g ~~ ~ H ~ H z .. 0 .. U (IK. ) U (!'T.MSL) .. !i1 ,~ ;;~ • 0 ~ C ~g H 

1 2 3 4 S • 7A 7 • B • 10 11 12 13 14 IS " 17 IB I. 20 21 22 

01 27 20 24 2 22 41 0 1 2 0.23 B.l 28.760 06 2.3 5.B 15 SW B 03 0 o 10 " 10 

02 25 13 I. -3 17 46 0 2 12 0.33 6.B 28.810 26 6.7 B.4 20 SW 15 23 0 o 10 10 

03 19 12 16 -6 • 4. 0 1 15 0.10 3.0 29.120 26 4.1 7.0 13 SW 10 32 0 0 • 10 

04 12 3 B -14 -1 57 0 1 • 16 0.06 D •• 29.400 20 10.8 1.3 2B S 1B 20 0 o 10 10 

05 11 -.. ,. -22 -3 64 0 16 0.00 0.0 30.170 03 6.B B.3 20 N 15 01 13. 21 2 3 

06 20 2 11 -12 2 54 0 16 0.00 0.0 29.960 36 11.2 ~!-.4 22 N 15 01 31 5 10 10 

07 35 20 2B 5 23 37 0 14 T T 29.630 35 6.5 7.3 13 N 13 36 0 o 10 10 

OB 40 30 35 12 2B 30 0 12 T T 29.320 31 5.B 7.5 17 W 14 30 0 o 10 10 

O' 43 32 3B 14 2. 27 0 10 0.00 0.0 29.300 15 3.3 8.4 23 SE 14 07 40 6 10 

10 3. 25 32 B 27 33 0 • • 0.00 0.0 29.480 O. 0.' 6.3 16 SE 12 I. 0 0 B B 

11 3. 23 31 7 24 34 0 B 0.00 0.0 29.470 02 5.' B.5 24 N 1B 03 21 3 • B 

12 41 2B 35 11 2l 30 0 B 0.00 0.0 29.190 35 2.2 7.2 16 N 13 02 ., 13 • • 13 40 25 33 B 26 32 0 B 0.00 0.0 29.450 33 2.1 6.7 15 NE 13 22 23 3 • B 

14 41 30 36 11 2. 2. 0 1 7 0.06 1.6 29.520 35 3.2 5 •• 13 NE B 30 0 0 • • 15 31 21 26 1 23 3. 0 1 13 0.32 5.2 29.320 2. 3.1 6.2 15 HE 10 27 0 o 10 10 

16 23 I. 21 -5 16 44 0 1 15 0.19 2.5 29.290 36 ..5 0.0 26 N 15 34 0 o 10 10 

17 27 14 21 -5 3 44 0 15 0.00 0.0 29.500 35 10.2 O.B 26 NW 20 33 0 0 7 6 

1B 27 5 16 -10 -2 4. 0 12 0.00 0.0 29.500 36 B.3 ••• 2l N 16 33 73 10 0 1 

" 1B 6 12 -14 -5 53 0 12 0.00 0.0 29.370 34 13.2 3.5 2B NW IB 34 0 0 7 6 

20 I. 3 11 -.16 -6 54 0 12 0.00 0.0 29.620 36 13.4 3.7 26 N 21 01 10. 15 1 1 

21 21 2 12 -15 -B 53 0 • 0.00 0.0 29.830 36 7.B B.4 21 N 16 01 123 17 2 3 

22 23 B 16 -11 3 4. 0 • T T 29.710 01 B.6 '.0 17 N 13 01 0 0 10 10 

23 37 20 2. 1 22 36 0 • T T 29.510 34 4.7 B.B 2B SE 17 2. 0 0 10 10 

24 42 31 37 • 2. 28 0 B 0.14 T 29.330 16 6.4 0.5 25 SW 20 14 0 o 10 • 25 45 34 40 12 27 25 0 6 0.00 0.0 29.630 15 7.4 1.2 2. S 17 14 67 • • • 

26 41 25 33 4 27 32 0 1 4 0.09 1.B 29.530 24 4.' 0.5 31 SE 1B 15 0 o 10 10 

27 3B 23 31 2 22 34 0 6 T T 30.000 O' 4.0 B.B 32 SE lB 16 0 o 10 10 

2B 44 24 34 5 26 31 0 4 0.00 0.0 29.820 31 5.' 7.0 14 SE 12 13 3B3 4. • • 2' 40 32 36 6 28 2. 0 4 T T 29.635 33 4.B 6.5 14 NW 10 32 0 o 10 10 

30 45 34 40 10 32 25 0 3 T 0.0 29.800 13 1.6 6.5 2B SE 16 17 0 o 10 B 

31 4B 33 41· 11 31 24 0 3 0.00 0.0 29.940 35 0.7 5.7 13 H • 17 lB6 23 10 • 

S SUN T TO OTAr FOR THE 0 B , • ... "'" 

VG. 0 . A~ 

NUMBER OF DAYS 

32.3 

AVG. 

19.0 25.11 0.0116.5 -6 

DEP. 

o:z. PRECIPITATION .01 INCH 9 ~ 0.82 

D~ , 7 , 0 POIiI 

20130 

B -

6 

; 

•• ~ B. 

NUMBER OF DAYS EAIOI'I TO DAT SNOW, ICE PELLETS GREA'l'EST IN 24 BOURS AND DMES GREATEST OBP'l'B ON GROUND or 

ALiToTAL :z. 1.0 INCH 1 SNOW, ICE PELLETS OR ICE 

MAXIMUM TEMP.I MINIMUM TEMP. 1936 o THUNDERSTORMS o PRECIPITATION SNOW ICE PELLETS AND DAXE 

a: 90'L" ]2' I" 32" < o· D DEP. HEAVY FOG 1 0.38 01-02 '.B 01-02 16 I 06+ 

o I 14 I 29 1 -870 CLEAR 4 PARTLY CLOUDY 2 CLOUDY 25 I 

11 EXTREME FOR THE MONTH - LAST OCCURRENCE IF MORE THAN ONE. 

T TRACE AHOUN'1'. 

DATA IN COLS 6 AND 12-15 ARE BASED ON 21 OR MORE OBSERVATIONS AX 

HOURLY INTERVALS. RESULTANT WINO IS THE VECTOR SUM OF WIND SPEEDS 

+ ALSO ON EARLIER DAXE(S). 

BEAVY FOG: VISIBILITY 1/4 MILE OR LESS. 

BLANK ENTRIES DENOTE MISSING OR UNREPORTED DATA. 

AND DIRECTIONS OIVIOED BY THE NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS. 

COLS 16 & 17 : PEAK GUST - HIGHEST INSTANTANEOUS WIND SPEED. 

ONE OF Tt«l WINOS IS GIVEN UNDER COLS 18 & 19 : FASTES'!' MILE- BIGBEST 

RECORDED SPEED FOR WHICR A MILE OF WIND PASSES STATION (DIRECTIONIN 

COMPASS POINTS). FASTEST OBSERVED ONE MINUTE WIND - HIGHEST ONE 

MINUTE SPEED (DIRECTION IN TENS OF DEGREES). 

ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED IN SUBSEQUENT PUBLICATIONS. 

I CERTIFY TIlAT TInS IS AN OFFICIAL PUBUCATION OF TIm NATIONALOCEANtC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, 

AND IS COMPILED FROM RECORDS ON FILE AT TIlE NATIONAL CLIM.Kl1CDATA CENTER. ~ ;f) ~ 

n oaa NAl10NAL NATIONAL NATIONAL 

OCEANIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SATEJ...LITE. DATA. CUMATIC DATA CENTER DIRECTOR ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION AND INfORMATION SERVICE ASHEVlllE. NORlH CAROUNA NATIONAL CUMATIC DATA CENTER