Air Quality in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Topic of Thursday Talk at AMK Ranch

Air quality issues within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will be examined during the weekly Harlow Summer Seminars Thursday, July 3, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Robert Field, UW Department of Atmospheric Science associate research scientist, and Ted Porwoll from the United States Forest Service, will discuss the topic at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.

Air quality is critically important to a healthy environment, the two speakers say. The impact of air pollution upon the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will be discussed along with nitrogen deposition and wintertime ozone measurements.

Increased deposition of atmospheric nitrogen has affected high elevation ecosystems by enriching surface waters and soils, they say. The definition of critical loads for nitrogen in these sensitive areas will be discussed. The recently discovered phenomenon of wintertime ground-level ozone in the Upper Green River Basin, and the importance of oil and gas emissions also will be presented.

The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.