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THE EMERGING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUND LEVEL OZONE AND LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS
Citation:
Slonecker, E T. THE EMERGING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUND LEVEL OZONE AND LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS. Presented at USGS Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Science Symposium, Nebraska City, NE, April 15-17, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objectives of this research are to:
Develop methodologies so that landscape indicator values generated from different sensors on different dates (but in the same areas) are comparable; differences in metric values result from landscape changes and not differences in the sensors;
Quantify relationships between landscape metrics generated from wall-to-wall spatial data and (1) specific parameters related to water resource conditions in different environmental settings across the US, including but not limited to nutrients, sediment, and benthic communities, and (2) multi-species habitat suitability;
Develop and validate multivariate models based on quantification studies;
Develop GIS/model assessment protocols and tools to characterize risk of nutrient and sediment TMDL exceedence;
Complete an initial draft (potentially web based) of a national landscape condition assessment.
This research directly supports long-term goals established in ORDs multiyear plans related to GPRA Goal 2 (Water) and GPRA Goal 4 (Healthy Communities and Ecosystems), although funding for this task comes from Goal 4. Relative to the GRPA Goal 2 multiyear plan, this research is intended to "provide tools to assess and diagnose impairment in aquatic systems and the sources of associated stressors." Relative to the Goal 4 Multiyear Plan this research is intended to (1) provide states and tribes with an ability to assess the condition of waterbodies in a scientifically defensible and representative way, while allowing for aggregation and assessment of trends at multiple scales, (2) assist Federal, State and Local managers in diagnosing the probable cause and forecasting future conditions in a scientifically defensible manner to protect and restore ecosystems, and (3) provide Federal, State and Local managers with a scientifically defensible way to assess current and future ecological conditions, and probable causes of impairments, and a way to evaluate alternative future management scenarios.
Description:
One of the most serious environmental health problems facing our society is that of poor air quality caused primarily by the formation of ground level ozone. Although natural ozone is beneficial in the upper atmosphere as a filter for ultraviolet radiation, ground- level ozone is primarily the result of anthropogenic activity and is the primary component of smog and poor air quality in urban environments. Washington D.C. is one of 14 cities with serious air quality problems and has, since 1990, been designated as an air quality, non-attainment area under the Clean Air Act.
Ground level ozone is formed when precursor chemicals, originating mostly from vehicle emissions, react with heat and light to form the 03 chemical bond. The landscape profile of dense urban environments of concrete and other 'impervious surfaces' create increased thermal profiles conducive to this reaction.
From a regulatory standpoint, the monitoring and study of ozone is generally focused on Regional or Synoptic scales of management and study However, readings from the past ten years from the 18 monitoring stations indicate that ozone formation is highly variable across the region. Funded under the 2002 USGS Geography Discipline Research Prospectus Grant, this paper presents some of the preliminary findings of the relationship of Ozone formation to landscape variables such as impervious surfaces, vegetation height and structure, building height and roof color. Some of these landscape relationships appear to be significant and have important implications to the study of urban air quality.