common aqast terms and acronyms defined (from a-z) a · distributions from observations or other...

CommonAQASTtermsandacronymsdefined(fromA-Z)

A

A-train–SeeAfternoonTrain.AtmosphericInfraredSounder(AIRS)–AsatelliteaboardtheAquaspacecraftthatsupportsclimateresearchandimprovesweatherforecasting.Itisthemostadvancedatmosphericsoundingsystemdevelopedforspacetodate.Moreinformationmaybefoundathttp://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/description/.AerosolOpticalDepth(AOD)–Anumericalmeasurementofthetransparencyofaerosols,mostcommonlyinvisiblewavelengths.Asmallnumber(lessthan0.1)indicatesaclearsky,whereasanAODof1orgreaterishazy.AODismeasuredbysatelliteslikeMODIS.Moreinformationathttp://1.usa.gov/xpPASQ.Aerosols–Finesolidparticlesorliquiddropletssuspendedinagas(similartoparticulatematter,butincludesliquidvapor).Clouds,smokeandsmogareallaerosols.Alsoseeprimaryandsecondaryaerosols.AfternoonTrain(A-train)–aconstellation,or“train,”offiveobservationsatellitesthatorbitaroundtheEarthoneaftertheother.ThesesatellitesareAqua,CloudSat,CALIPSO,PARASOLandAura.Theycoordinatetheirmeasurementstotellscientistsamorecompletestoryaboutthemakeupoftheatmosphere,clouds,weatherandclimatechange.AirQualityEvent–SeeEpisode.AirQualityIndex(AQI)–Asystemforreportingandforecastingdailyairquality.Itkeepstrackofthemajorpollutantsthatthreatenhumanhealth:ground-levelozone,particulatematter,carbonmonoxide,sulfurdioxideandnitrogendioxide.AirQualityManagers–Peoplewhoareemployedinoneofavarietyoffieldsthatrelatetothemanagementofairqualityinacertainregion.Thesemaybeengineers,policymakers,employeesofstateagencies,theEPA,etc.AirQualityMetrics(AQM)–Themeasuredvaluesofcertainchemicalsintheairusingcertainsetparametersinagivenperiodoftime.Ambient–Ambientreferstothatwhichisinthesurrounding,outdoorair.Itismeasuredseparatelyfrompollutantemissionssources.AmesAlphaJetAtmosphericeXperiment(AJAX)–ANASA-fundedprojectthatusesplanestomeasureozoneandgreenhousegasesinCaliforniaandNevada.Aqua–PartoftheA-TrainsatellitesandEOS,AquaisaNASAsatellitehousinginstrumentsthatmeasureaerosols,vegetation,andair,landandwatertemperatures.Itsprimaryfocus,though,isdatacollectionontheearth’swatercycle(henceitsname,theLatinwordforwater);thisincludesoceanicevaporation,soilmoisture,clouds,precipitation,snowcover,andsea/landice.ArcticResearchoftheCompositionoftheTropospherefromAircraftandSatellites

(ARCTAS)–NASAisstudyingtheroleofairpollutionintheArctic,aregionsensitivetoclimatechange,viathelarge,airborneARCTASfieldcampaign.AtmosphericModelversion3(AM-3)–Achemistry-climatemodeldevelopedatNOAA'sGeophysicalFluidDynamicsLaboratorythatistheatmosphericcomponentoftheCM3globalclimatemodel.AM3includesfullycoupledstratosphereandtropospherechemistry,aerosol-cloudinteractionschange,andiscoupledtoadynamicvegetationlandmodel(LM3),withoptionstonudgethewindsinAM3toreanalysisfieldsortocoupleAM3toafulloceanmodel(coupledmodelversion3,CM3)orAM3canbedrivenbyseasurfacetemperaturesandseaicedistributionsfromobservationsorothermodels.(DefinitionbyArleneFiore.)Aura–TheAurasatelliteispartoftheA-TrainandEarthScienceProjectsDivision.ItisaNASAsatellitehousinginstrumentsthatcollectdatafromspacetomonitorthemanynaturalprocessesthataffecttheEarth,suchasozone,airqualityandclimate.AuraistheLatinwordfor“breeze.”

B

Backgroundozone–Thelevelofozoneinanareaif,hypothetically,humanactivitywerenotpresent.Itisimpossibletomeasurebaseddirectlyonobservations(sincehumanactivityissowidespread),soestimatesrelyonmodels.Backgroundozonelevelsvarydependingongeographiclocation,altitude,season,andfromyeartoyear.Itisanimportantvalueintermsofunderstandingclimateandhumanhealthimpacts.BayAreaAirQualityManagementDistrict(BAAQMD)–AregionalgovernmentalagencythatregulatessourcesofairpollutionintheSanFranciscoBayArea.BenefitsMappingandAnalysisProgram(BenMAP)–AprogramdevelopedbytheEPAthatuses(GIS)datatoestimatethehealthandeconomicimpactsinapopulationfromchangesinairquality.BenMAPiscomprehensivebutfairlysimpletouse;itcanhelpestimateeffectsofpollutionexposure,comparebenefitsofregulations,andperform“whatif”typeanalyses.Biogenic–Derivingfromplants,treesandsoils.Biomassburning–theburningoflivinganddeadvegetation(thiscanbeaforestfireormanmadeblaze).BoundaryConditions(BC)–Whenamodelhasalimitedspatialextent,thereareboundaries,informationspillingofftheedgesofthemodel’scapabilities,whichthemodelneedstoaccountfor.Theupperboundaryconditionisusuallythestratosphere,andthelowerboundaryconditionisthesurfaceoftheEarth.Inaregionalmodel,therearealsolateralboundaryconditions—globalmodelsdonothavelateralboundaryconditionsbecausetheentireglobeiscovered.Lateralboundaryconditionswouldrepresentinformationblowingintoaregionalmodelfromwind.

C

CarbonDioxide(CO2)–Agreenhousegasthatcannotbeseenfromsatellites.NaturalsourcesofCO2includevolcanicactivity,wildfires,andlivingaerobicorganisms,whileanthropogenic(human-made)sourcesincludetheburningoffossilfuels.Carbon“sinks”arethingsthatsoakupandstorecarbondioxide,inaprocesscalledcarbonsequestration—oceansandplantssequestercarbonnaturally,andhumanscandosothroughavarietyof“carboncapture”techniques.CarbonMonoxide(CO)–Agasreleasedbyfiresandfossilfuelburning,whichmakesitagoodtracerofhumanactivityfromtheatmosphere.COcanbeseenfromMOPPITT.Coarsefraction–SeePM10.CommunityAtmosphereModel(CAMorCAMx)–Three-dimensional,regionalairqualitymodeldevelopedbyEnvironconsultingfirm(environcorp.com).AprecursortoCMAQ,asimilar

modeldevelopedmorerecentlybytheEPA,CAMhelpsrepresentozone,particulatesandtoxicsintheair.CommunityMultiscaleAirQuality(CMAQ)monitoringsystem–Athree-dimensionalregionalairqualitymodeldevelopedbytheEPA.Concentration–Theamountofaspecifiedsubstance(achemicallikeNitrogen,etc.)inaunitamountofanothersubstance(e.g.theairinthetroposphere).CriteriaPollutants–SixsubstancescontrolledbytheEPA’sNAAQSstandards.Theyincludecarbonmonoxide,lead,particlepollution,ozone,nitrogendioxideandsulfurdioxide.Criticalloads–Athresholdusedtoestimatethepointatwhichcertainnaturalelementsintheenvironment(oceans,forests,etc.)willbeharmfullyaffectedbypollutionexposure.Belowthisthreshold(the“criticalload”),itisbelieved,pollutantswillnothavesignificantharmfulimpactsonthespecifiedelement.Exposuretomorepollutantsthanthecriticalload,though,isthoughttocauseharm.Thecriticalloadvalueisestimatedusingcalculationsbasedonthebestavailablescience.

D

DISCOVERAQ–ANASAprojectdesignedtodistinguishbetweenpollutionintheupperlevelsoftheatmosphereandpollutionclosesttoEarth’ssurface,intheairthathumansbreathe.DISCOVER-AQstandsforDerivingInformationonSurfaceconditionsfromColumnandVerticallyResolvedObservationsRelevanttoAirQuality.Diurnal–variationfromnighttoday.

E

EarthObservingSystem(EOS)–EOSisacoordinatedseriesofsatellitesdesignedbyNASAtoobservetheglobeanditsprocessesoveralongperiodoftime.IthelpsscientistsbetterunderstandtheinteractionsbetweentheEarthanditssurface,ecosystems,atmosphereandoceans.(Readmoreathttp://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/)EmissionInventory–Anestimateofemissionsforasinglechemicalormultiplechemicalsfromasingleemissionsector(suchaselectricity),orfrommultipleemissionssectors,forsomeparticularregionoftheEarth(e.g.astate,country,theentireglobe).Emissions–Thefluxofgassesandaerosolsintotheatmosphere.Theymaycomefromcars,powerplants,trees,andairplanes,orevenlightning,cowsandtermites.EmissionsDatabaseforGlobalAtmosphericResearch(EDGAR)–AglobaldatabasedevelopedinEuropethatprovidesinformationonpastandcurrentmanmadeemissionsofgreenhousegassesandairpollutantsbylocation.Emissionssector–Categoriesofsourcesfromwhichgreenhousegassesandothermaterialsareemitted.(Electricity,transportation,agriculture,industry,etc.)EnvironmentalBenefitsMappingandAnalysisProgram(BenMAP)–AprogramdevelopedbytheEPAthatuses(GIS)datatoestimatethehealthandeconomicimpactsinapopulationfromchangesinairquality.BenMAPiscomprehensivebutfairlysimpletouse;itcanhelpestimateeffectsofpollutionexposure,comparebenefitsofregulations,andperform“whatif”typeanalyses.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)–AfederalagencythatwritesandenforcesenvironmentalregulationsbasedonCongressionallaws.Episode/AirqualityEvent–Anairqualityeventoccurswhenambientairqualityisaffectedmorethanusual,oftenbyhighwinds,volcaniceruptions,largefires,seismicactivity,orevenfireworks.Exceedance–Whenlevelsofapollutant(suchassurfaceozone)increasesinacertainareatothepointthatlevelsexceednationalstandards.

ExceptionalEvent–TheEPAsaysan"exceptionalevent"isanyunusualornaturallyoccurringeventsthatcanaffectairqualitybutarenotreasonablycontrollableusingtechniquesthattribal,stateorlocalairagenciesmayimplementinordertoattainandmaintaintheNationalAmbientAirQualityStandards.ExposureAssessment–Publichealthresearchfocusedonquantifyingthelevelsofairpollutiontowhichpopulationsarebeingexposed.Itmaybeaglobalassessment,orpopulationsofacertainplaceordemographic.Itmayalsozeroinononesegmentofairpollution,likePM2.5orNO2.

G

GeophysicalFluidDynamicsLaboratory(GFDL)–LocatedinPrinceton,NewJersey,theGFDLisaresearchcomponentofNOAA.ScientistsatGFDLbuildmathematicalmodelsandcomputersimulationstobetterunderstandandforeseeeventsinclimate,theatmosphereandoceans.GEOS-Chem–SomeAQASTmembersareglobalscientistsandothersstudysmallregions,sonaturallytheyrequiredifferentmodels.GEOS-Chemisathree-dimensionalglobalchemicaltransportmodeldrivenbymeteorologicalinputfromtheGoddardEarthObservingSystem(GEOS).ModelengineersatHarvardUniversitymanageandprovidesupportforGEOS-Chem,wherethemodelwasdeveloped.ItworksasaglobalversionofCAMxorCMAQ.GeostationaryOperationalEnvironmentalSatellite(GOES)–Asatellitethatobservesinformationregardingweatherforecasting,severestormtracking,andmeteorologyresearch.GOESisusedbytheNationalWeatherServiceaswellasAQAST.Geostationarysatellite(Alsogeosynchronoussatellite)–AsatellitethatorbitswiththeEarth,sothatitcanviewthesamepartoftheEarthatalltimes.So,thistypeofsatellitehasthesameorbitalperiodastheEarth.ThebenefitofthesesatellitesforAQASTisthattheycanseehowcertainregionschangeovertime.GoddardInstituteforSpaceStudies(GISS)–LocatedinNewYorkCity,GISSisacenterfortheresearchofnaturalandmanmadechangesthataffecttheglobalenvironment.GoddardSpaceFlightCenter(GSFC)–LocatedinMaryland,GSFCisacenterfortheresearchoftheEarth,sun,solarsystemandothergalaxies.Ground-baseddata–DatathatcomesfromsatellitesorotherinstrumentsbasedonEarth.TheseinstrumentsareconsideredSuborbitalPlatforms,ofwhichthereareseveralvarieties.Anexampleofanapplicationofground-baseddataistheAirQualitySystem(AQS),whichisanambientairqualitydatabasemanagedbytheEPA.Ground-levelOzone–SeeOzone.

I

Insitu–Airthathasnotbeentransportedbywindorchangedbynon-localemissions;initsoriginalposition.Forexample,whenNOxformsinatailpipe,measuringonlytheairinthetailpipewouldbeaninsitumeasurement.InitialConditions(IC)–Estimatedvaluesthatareinputtedintoamodelatthebeginningofasimulation.IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)–Aninternationalgroupofscientiststhatsummarizethestateofknowledgeonclimate,climatechangeimpacts,andclimatechangeadaptationstrategieseveryfiveyears.TheIPCCisnowworkingonitsfifthassessmentreport,calledAR5,duetobecompletedbytheendof2013.SeveralAQASTmembersserveasleadauthorsofthisreport.InvestigatorProjects(IP)–IndividualAQASTmembersusecorefundingforaproject.

L

LakeMichiganAirDirectorsConsortium(LADCO)–AregionalplanningorganizationthathelpsstatesintheupperMidwestwithairqualitymanagementactivities.Lead(Pb)–Achemicalelementthatcanbepoisonousifingested.Level1dataproducts–Rawsatelliteirradiancedata(howmuchasatellitecandetectofcertainpropertiesatdifferentwavelengths).Level2dataproducts–Swath-level(satellite’seyelevel)dataonderivedvariablesbasedonLevel1data.Level2dataproductsaremoreusableforairqualitymanagers,andareoftencalled“retrievals”becausetheydependontheinterpretationofLevel1products.Level3dataproducts–Aglobal,griddedversionofLevel2data.Low-levelOzone–SeeOzone.

M

Multi-angleImagingSpectroradiometer(MISR)–AsensoronboardtheTerrasatellitethatmeasuresEarthprocesses.ModelforOZoneAndRelatedchemicalTracers(MOZART)–Athree-dimensionalglobalatmosphericchemistrymodel.ItworksasaglobalversionofCAMxorCMAQ.TherearesomeAQASTmembersthatareglobalscientistsandothersthatstudysmallregions,sotheyusedifferentmodels.ModelofEmissionsofGasesandAerosolsfromNature(MEGAN)–Modelforcalculatinggas-phasechemicalsandparticlesreleasedfrombiogenicsources.Forexample,isoprenefromtrees.ThesemodelsarehelpfulforAQASTmembersstudyingemissionsfromnaturebecausetheycanvarydependingonthepresentvegetation,landcoverandclimate(seasonandtemperature),withhigheremissionsoftenoccurringonwarmer,sunnierdays.ModerateResolutionImagingSpectroradiometer(MODIS)–AninstrumentonboardtheTerraandAquasatellitesthatmeasuresmanyfactors;primarilyusedatAQASTforitsabilitytomeasureAerosolOpticalDepth.MeasurementsofPollutionintheTroposphere(MOPITT)–AsensoronboardtheTerrasatellitethatmeasuresEarthprocesses.

N

NationalAmbientAirQualityStandards(NAAQS)–StandardssetbytheEPAundertheCleanAirActtoregulatecertainpollutantsthatareconsideredtothreatenpublichealthandtheenvironment.Thesix“criteriapollutants”undertheNAAQSarecarbonmonoxide,lead,particlepollution,ozone,nitrogendioxideandsulfurdioxide.NASAGoddardInstituteforSpaceStudies(GISS)–SeeGISS.NASAGoddardSpaceFlightCenter(GSFC)–SeeGSFC.NationalParksService(NPS)–AfederaldepartmententrustedwithpreservingthenationalparksoftheUnitedStates(andapartnerofAQAST).NetworkCommonDataFormat(netCDF) –Awayofdigitallyorganizingatmosphericdata(orothertypesofdata).Itallowsforthebinarystorageofverylargedatasets,sothatinformationonvariablesandthetimeandspacethatthosevariablesrepresentmaybequicklystoredinaclear,organized,accessibleway.NitrogenDioxide(NO2)–Achemicalcompoundthatistoxicwheninhaled.NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)–Afederalgovernmentagencythatstudiestheoceansandatmosphere.Itprovidesweatherforecastsamongotherscientificpublicservices,andincludestheNationalWeatherService(NWS).NortheastStatesforCoordinatedAirUseManagement(NESCAUM)–Aregionalplanningorganization.

NOx–AblankettermthatincludesNOandNO2,bothofwhichareproducedfromnitrogenandoxygenreactingintheairfromcombustion.NOxcanbehigherinlargecitiesbecauseofthecombustionfrommotorvehicleengines.

O

Ozone(O3)–Alsocalledtrioxygen,ozoneisamoleculeformedfromultravioletlightandelectricityintheatmosphere.ItispresentinlowconcentrationsthroughouttheEarth’satmosphere,about.6partspermillion(ppm).Intheatmosphere,itfiltersoutsunlightandpreventshumans’DNAfromburningup—whateveramountofsunlightthatdoesmakeitthroughprovideshelpfulVitaminD.Ozoneisdifferentthanlow-levelozone(alsocalledground-levelozoneortroposphericozone),whichisapollutantintheatmospherethatcontributestosmog,healthproblemsanddamagetoplants.Low-levelozoneisnotemittedfromcarenginesorfactories;itcomesfromphotochemicalreactionsbetweenNOxandvolatileorganiccompounds(VOCs)inthepresenceofsunlight.OzoneMonitoringInstrument(OMI)–AninstrumentonboardtheAurasatellitethatmeasuresmanyfactors;primarilyusedatAQASTforitsabilitytomeasureNO2.Ozonesondes–Alightweight,airborneinstrumentthatmeasuresozoneinconjunctionwithaballoon(toliftitintotheatmosphere)andameteorologicalradiosonde(tomeasuretemperature,pressure,altitude,etc.intheatmosphere)andtransmitsinformationtoareceiverontheground.Theballoonwillascendtoaltitudesofabout115,000feetbeforeitbursts,accordingtoNOAA.Photosmaybefoundhere:http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/ozsondes/.

P

Particlepollution–seeParticulateMatterParticulateMatter(particlepollution,PM)–Similartoanaerosolbutdoesnotincludeliquidssuspendedingas.Partspermillion(ppm)–AunitofmeasurementexpressingaratioofXpartsperonemillionparts.Itcanrepresentvolumewhenwrittenas“ppmv.”PlanetaryBoundaryLayer(PBL)–ThelayeroftheatmosphereclosesttothesurfaceoftheEarth.AirwithinthePBLtendstobe“well-mixed”vertically,meaningthatchemicalsintheairarechurningandmovingaround.ThislayerismostrelevanttoAirQualityManagerssincestudyingthediurnalchanges(fromnighttoday)ofPBLheightisimportanttocontrollingsurfaceairpollution.PM10–Atypeofparticulatemattercontainingparticlesthathaveadiametersmallerthan10microns(one-millionthofameter).Usuallyblowingdust,sandorsmoke.ThedifferencebetweenPM10andPM2.5iscalledthecoarsefraction.TheEPAregulatesAmbientPM10(intheair).PM2.5–Atypeofparticulatemattercontainingparticlesthathaveadiametersmallerthan2.5microns(one-millionthofameter).AsmallerandlightersubsetofPM10,ittravelslongerdistancesintheatmosphereandisthereforehardertocontrol.Includesgassesthatreactintheatmosphereandformparticulatematter.TheEPAregulatesAmbientPM2.5(intheair).Polarorbitingsatellites–SatellitesthatorbittheEartharoundthepoles,sothattheymayseeeachsectionoftheEarthasitmoves(pictureaballofstring,wherethestringisbeingwoundaroundverticallyastheballcontinuestomovehorizontally).Duetothismotion,thesetypesofsatelliteswillseemoreinformationatthepolesthananywhereelseontheglobe.Aftereveryfewdays,apolarorbitingsatellitewillhaverecordedinformationfortheentireglobe.Primaryaerosols–Aerosolsthataredirectlyemitted,likewindbornedust,pollen,volcanicash,orsmokefromaforestfireordieselengine.

R

RealtimeAirQualityModelingSystem(RAQMS)–Anatmosphericchemistrymodel,developedandrunbyAQASTmemberBradPierceattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison.Region#–TheEPAdividestheU.S.into10differentregions.Viewamaphere:http://www.epa.gov/oust/regions/regmap.htm.RegionalPlanningOrganization(RPO)–Anorganizationthathelpsgroupsofstateswithairqualitymanagementactivities.Thesegroupsaresupportedbythestatesanddoscientificassessmentandpolicyanalysis.Retrievals–SeeLevel2dataproducts.

S

Secondaryaerosols–Aerosolsformedintheatmospherethroughchemicalreactions.Spin-upPeriod–Thelengthoftimeittakesamodeltofindactual,knownvalues,atwhichpointtheestimatedInitialConditionspluggedintoamodelatthestartwillbecomeirrelevantandbereplacedwiththeactualvalues.Aglobalmodelmaytakeoneyear,whilearegionalmodelmaytakeonlyafewdaysbecausethatistheamountoftimeittakesforairtomoveandreplacetheseestimatedICvalues.StateImplementationPlan(SIP)–Astate-levelplanonhowairqualitymanagerswillreduceemissionstoachieveacompliancewithEPAstandards.Statesnormallyworkwithhiredconsultantstoinformthisplan,andmodelingisamajorpartoftheSIPprocess.Stratosphere–Thelayeroftheatmosphereabovethetroposphere.Transcontinentalandtransoceanicairplanesflyattheverybottomofthestratosphere.Manychemicalprocessesandmixingoccurshere,makingthestratosphereinterestingforairqualityresearchers.Stratophericintrusion–Theprocessofstratosphericairentering,orintruding,intothetroposphere.Whenthishappens,stratosphericozonemaybeintroducedintothetroposphere,sothereisachanceitcouldaffectsurfaceozoneconcentrations.Suborbitaldata–DatacollectedfromplatformslikeplanesandstationaryremotesensorsonEarth’ssurfaceratherthansatellitesorbitingaroundtheEarthinspace.SulfurDioxide(SO2)–Achemicalcompoundcausedbycoalandfossilfuelburninginindustrialfactories.Itisalsoemittedfromvolcanoes.SO2isaprecursortoacidrainandisknowntohaveadverseeffectsonplantsandhumanhealthwheninhaled.SulfurTransportanddEpositionModel(STEM)–Athree-dimensionalatmosphericchemistrymodel,developedattheUniversityofIowabyAQASTmemberGregCarmichael’sgroup.

T

Terra–TheflagshipsatelliteofNASA’sEarthObservingSystem.ItisnamedfortheLatinwordforEarthandhasbeencollectingdataaboutEarth'sclimatesince1999.Terrahasfivesensorsonboard(ASTER,CERES,MISR,MODISandMOPITT)thatstudytheinteractionsbetweenland,oceansandthesun.TexasCommissiononEnvironmentalQuality(TCEQ)–Astate-levelplanningagency.TigerTeams–GroupsformedbyAQASTmemberstocollaborateskillsandresearchonanairqualitymanagementneed.MembersmustformulateaproposalforTigerTeamprojects,andmayusesupplementaryfundingtoaddresstheneed.Trioxygen(O3)–SeeOzone.Troposphere–ThelayeroftheatmosphereclosesttoEarth’ssurface,containingtheweatherthathumansexperience.Itis11milesatitsthickestpoints,andcontains99%oftheatmosphere’stotalwatervaporandaerosols.ThetropospherecontainsthePlanetaryBoundary

Layer.TroposphericEmissionSpectrometer(TES)–Pronounced“Tees,”TESisaninstrumentthatmeasuresmanycomponentsofthetropospherelikecarbonmonoxide,carbondioxideandozone.TESisaboardtheAurasatellite.TroposphericOzone–SeeOzone.Truecolorimage–AcompositeofimagestakenoftheEarthfromspacethatshowtrue-to-lifecoloring,ratherthanchangedtorepresentsomesetofinformation,suchastemperatureorpresenceofchemicals.

V

VolatileOrganicCompounds(VOCs)–Gassesemittedfromcertainliquidsorsolids(e.g.paint,glue,cleaningfluids,varnish,pesticides,ink,etc.)thatareharmfultohumanhealth.VOCscanbereleasedfromthesematerialswhileinuseorevenwhilesittinginstorage.Insunlight,VOCsreactwiththesuntoproducelow-levelozone(pollutantresponsibleforsmog).

W

Wavelength–Awavelengthisthedistancebetweentwocrestsortwotroughsinarecurringpatternofwaves.Wavesoccurindifferenttypesoflightandsound.WesternRegionalAirPartnership(WRAP)–AregionalplanningorganizationintheWesternU.S.WesternUnitedStates(WUS)–GenerallyconsideredtobethecontinentalUnitedStates,tothewestofabout100degreesWlatitude(mayvarybystudy).WisconsinDNR–Astate-levelplanningagency.WisconsinHorizontalInterpolationProgramforSatellites(WHIPS)–Apublicly-availablesoftwareforallocatingLevel2dataproductsontoacustomgrid;developedbyanundergraduateresearcherattheUniversityofWisconsin.WRF-Chem–Athree-dimensional,regionalatmosphericchemistrymodel.ItisuniqueamongthemodelsusedbyAQASTmembersinthatitnotonlymeasureshowweatherimpactschemicalpropertiesandtransportintheatmosphere,butalsoincludestheimpactofchemicalsintheatmosphereonweather.Forexample,onawindyday,particleswillmove(weatherimpactingchemicals).Thistheninfluenceswherecloudsform(chemicalsimpactingweather).

Sendchangesandsuggestionsfornewglossarytermstotaholloway@wisc.edu.