The station, located at Assateague Island State Park and designated MD 18, is part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program National Trend Network, and will measure the amounts of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium and pH in rainfall. In the past we ve had to estimate the impact of air pollution on the health of the Coastal Bays. This tool will enable us to more clearly identify those impacts, track them over time, and begin to plan how to mitigate the damage. Burning fossil fuels releases oxides of nitrogen into the atmosphere which are later deposited on the land and water as nitrate through rain and settling.
Ammonia is also a nutrient of growing concern.
These nutrients entering the coastal bays from the atmosphere may originate from vehicles, power plants, industrial chemicals and animal agriculture from both local sources and other sources many hundreds of miles away. We need to get a better handle on where those nutrients are coming from and break out our local contribution. Partners in the Coastal Bays Program that are participating in this project include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which provided the majority of the funding, as well as Worcester County, the National Park Service, DNR and the Maryland Department of Environment.