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The Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project (WACAP): An interdisciplinary evaluation of the impacts of airborne contaminants in Western U.S. National Parks
Citation:
LANDERS, D. H., S. Simonich, D. Jaffe, L. Geiser, D. H. Campbell, A. Schwindt, C. Schreck, M. Kent, W. Hafner, H. E. Taylor, K. Hageman, S. Usenko, L. Ackerman, J. Schrlau, N. Rose, T. Blett, AND M. Morrison Erway. The Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project (WACAP): An interdisciplinary evaluation of the impacts of airborne contaminants in Western U.S. National Parks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Indianapolis, IN, 44:855-859, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants were having an impact on remote western ecosystems.
Description:
The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants were having an impact on remote western ecosystems. Multiple sample media (snow, water, sediment, fish and terrestrial vegetation) were collected from 2003 – 2005 in watersheds from eight primary National Park units ranging in latitude from California to Alaska and East to the Rocky Mountains (Colorado and Montana). Additional vegetation samples were collected from 12 secondary parks. The objective was to evaluate contaminant flux, pathways and impacts of semi-volatile organic compounds and metals, including mercury. Atmospheric back trajectory modeling was performed for each site to determine the potential sources of contaminants. WACAP is designed so that contaminant pathways can be inferred based on the contaminants measured in the various environmental compartments. Annual snow pack analysis directly estimates a major component of annual contaminant deposition. Dated lake sediment flux histories reflected local, regional and global contaminant use and are influenced by deposition fluxes as well as watershed characteristics and aquatic processes. Fish contaminant burdens reflect the gross contaminant loading to the watershed and the food web processes. Linking these matrices we evaluate current and future risk to these ecosystems and compare contaminant status in fish to contaminant benchmarks.
