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OVERVIEW AND STATUS OF THE PM SUPERSITES PROGRAM
Citation:
Scheffe, R., P A. Solomon, M. Jones, AND M. Pitchford. OVERVIEW AND STATUS OF THE PM SUPERSITES PROGRAM. Presented at American Association for Aerosol Research, Charlotte, NC, October 7-11, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
Develop and evaluate methods for the sampling and analysis of PM in ambient air, with emphasis on FRM/FEM for PMc, measurement of carbonaceous aerosols, measurement of biogenic aerosols, comparisons measurements from the STN and IMPROVE monitoring networks, and continuous methods for PM mass and its chemical components.
Description:
The PM Supersites program was first conceived as a set of special studies extending beyond the national regulatory networks for particulate matter (PM) to elucidate source-receptor relationships and atmospheric processes in support of State implementation plans (SIP's). The program has been established in eight airsheds representing a spectrum of PM problems across the country. In addition to supporting SIP,s, the program has been designed to: (1) accelerate the testing of advanced sampling methods to replace current technologies, (2) provide advanced measurements that simultaneously support PM2.5 and ozone SIP,s, (3) foster collaborative partnerships across the research and regulatory monitoring communities, and (4) provide additional information useful in upcoming health risk assessments of PM and it components. Spurred by the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences committee on PM research, EPA staff further developed the mission of the Supersite program to address priority health and exposure related research needs identified by the committee through a coordinated monitoring/coordinated science planning effort. An important part of the effort has been instituting a dialogue among health and atmospheric science disciplines and research and regulatory groups, such as took place at the July 1998 workshop on PM Measurements held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Supersites program has advanced through design and set up phases to a fully operational program. This paper provides a summary of the Supersites projects across the United States. These projects include a broad spectrum of experiments addressing a diversity of hypotheses that capture the complexities associated with aerosol characterization, probing formation mechanisms of particle growth and transformation, linking particles with health effects studies, and providing promise for more insightful measurement techniques.
This work has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Portions of the work were performed under Cooperative Agreements Cr-824849, CR-808257, CR-808258, CR-808259, CR-808260, CR-808261, CR-808262, CR-808263. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.