Air Quality 
Clean unpolluted air is essential for all life on earth. Air quality is linked to many natural processes, i.e. soil and water nutrients, photosynthesis, acidification of lakes and streams. Pinnacles National Monument and Point Reyes National Seashore are rated as Class 1 areas by the Clean Air Act and are protected by strict air quality regulations. The rest of the parks in the SFAN are Class 2 areas and pollution regulations are less strict. However, in some instances federal land managers apply the “precautionary principle” and treat Class 2 areas with the same standards as Class 1 Areas. The NPS Air Resources Information Service monitors ozone at Pinnacles NM and maintains a web camera to measure visibility at Point Reyes NS. Follow the links below for more information on air quality in both parks and for real-time data.
Monitoring ObjectivesReport on seasonal and annual status and trends of N and S concentration and deposition in precipitation at existing monitoring stations in SFAN parks. Report on seasonal and annual status and trends of fine particle concentrations and composition at existing monitoring stations in SFAN parks. Report on seasonal and annual status and trends of ozone concentrations in SFAN parks using metrics that are indicative of human health (e.g., 8-hour average) and plant response (e.g., SUM06). |
Reports and Resources
Contact Information
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Monitoring ProtocolThe monitoring will mainly be implemented by the NPS Air Resource Division (ARD) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) using their monitoring protocols. As part of the long-term monitoring program, results are reported by the ARD |
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