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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S PM SUPERSITES PROGRAM - A MAJOR SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE AIR QUALITY PROGRAM SUPPORTING STATES AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR APPROACHES TO REDUCE PM LEVELS IN AIR ON URBAN AND REGIONAL SCALES
Citation:
SOLOMON, P. A. AND R. SCHEFFE. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S PM SUPERSITES PROGRAM - A MAJOR SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE AIR QUALITY PROGRAM SUPPORTING STATES AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR APPROACHES TO REDUCE PM LEVELS IN AIR ON URBAN AND REGIONAL SCALES. Presented at EPA Science Forum 2005, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The PM Supersites Program is an ambient monitoring program intended to address the scientific uncertainties associated with fine particulate matter. The main objectives of the Supersites Program are as follows: 1) characterize particulate matter in a way that contributes to the understanding of source-receptor relationships and supports development of State Implementation Plans (SIPs), 2) develop and test advanced measurement methods for potential use in national monitoring networks, and 3) support health and exposure studies by providing detailed chemical and physical data at one or more central monitoring sites.
The specific objectives of this task are to provide scientific review and coordination of the technical aspects of the Supersites Program. This includes coordination among all Supersites projects and other projects which support Supersites objectives, overseeing of the data management, and coordinating the communication of data analysis and modeling results to the scientific community and other stakeholders. Products include a number of peer-reviewed journal articles (approaching 200 or more), final reports from each project, a relational database than includes not only Supersites data, but most aerometric data collected in the continental US and SE Canada during the period July 2001 to August 2002, and a policy relevant findings synthesis entitled Key and Policy Relevant Findings from the Supersites Program and Related Studies. Also supporting the synthesis is a major international conference where results will be presented from air quality methods, measurements, modeling, and data analysis studies with similar objectives to the Supersites program and during the time period of the Supersites Program, i.e., the last 5-7 years.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Particulate Matter (PM) Supersites Program (Program) is a nationwide air quality methods, measurement, modeling, and data analysis program initiated through cooperative agreements with leading universities in the United States. The Program provides state of the science information to support 1) the development of emission reduction strategies designed into State Implementation Plans (SIPs) by improving our understanding of PM2.5 accumulation on urban and regional scales and relationships between sources and receptors, 2) human exposure and health effects research, and 3) development and testing of measurement methods for possible transition to national PM monitoring networks. Eight Supersites Projects were established in major cities across the U.S. covering areas of most concern with regards to PM pollution.