During July-August 2002, a large, collaborative, intensive period of atmospheric measurement and model comparisons was undertaken.

NEAQS 2002 had many components:

• Ground-based measurements. The Atmospheric Investigation, Regional Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction (AIRMAP) consortium established a network of rural air quality monitoring stations. Before, during and after the NEAQS 2002 campaign these stations provided continuous measures of ozone and fine particles and their precursor compounds as well as meteorological parameters in rural New Hampshire. Through the analysis of these data, a clearer picture of the factors controlling air quality in New England is emerging.

• Ship and Aircraft measurements. In addition to the AIRMAP network, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ship RONALD H. BROWN was deployed into the Gulf of Maine and surrounding waters with a complete complement of chemical (gases and aerosols) and meteorological sensors to track the transport and transformation of air pollution. Also, use of instrumented aircraft allowed the vertical tracking and distribution of polluted air masses as they entered and left the New England region.

• Forecasting. Air quality forecasts were used to plan the deployment of mobile sampling platforms (ships and aircraft). The availability of reliable forecasts improved the probability that mission goals were accomplished and increased the productivity of these expensive assets. Plymouth State College provided timely meteorological forecasts during NEAQS 2002. NOAA's High Resolution Temperature and Air Quality (TAQ) Forecasting program also provided important forecasting products during NEAQS 2002.

• Modeling analyses. Air quality models are the main conduit for the transfer of scientific understanding of the atmospheric processes that control air quality to the management of air quality. The decisions and strategies developed by the regulatory and policy communities are only as good as these models are in describing the key atmospheric processes. The use of air quality models was an integral part of the analysis of data from both the long-term monitoring network and the intensive field campaigns. Models provide a very effective mechanism for integrating data sets from ground-based and airborne platforms. More information about NEAQS 2002 modeling efforts can be found through the Data link.

The next research effort involving NEAQS, the NEAQS - ITCT 2004, occurred the summer of 2004.

NOAA's Atmospheric Research Campaign
Combining Climate Change and Air Quality Research

NOAA Research Earth System Research Laboratory Chemical Sciences Division
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