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Ozone Trends in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Over the Past Two Decades:
Evidence that the Clean Air Act Works
Howard S. NeufeldDepartment of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
Howard S. NeufeldDepartment of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
NC Breathe Conference, Charlotte, NC April 8, 2016
From U.S. EPA
Timeline of Important Actions Mandated by the Clean Air Act and Individual State Actions
2000:• EPA establishes regulations requiring more than 90 percent
cleaner heavy duty highway diesel engines and fuel • Sources must meet SO2 budgets established in CAA as part of
Title IV program.
2001:• NC EMC adopted rules to reduce ozone‐forming NOx emissions from
coal‐fired power plants and other large industrial sources by 68% between 2000 and 2006 in response to the Federal NOx SIP call
2002:• North Carolina General Assembly passed Session law 2002‐4
(Senate Bill 1078) called “The Clean Smokestacks Act”
Timeline of Important Actions Mandated by the Clean Air Act and Individual State Actions
2005:• EPA issues the Clean Air Act Interstate Rule (CAIR) to achieve the
largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade, by permanently capping SO₂ and NOx emissions in the eastern US
2006:• North Carolina 1998 Clean Air Plan low sulfur gasoline requirements
go in place statewide
2007:• North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act requires Duke Energy to limit
NOx emissions to 35,000 tons per year and Progress Energy to 25,000 tons per year for certain coal fired units
• New heavy duty engine standards phased‐in and 90‐95% lower emissions expected
Timeline of Important Actions Mandated by the Clean Air Act and Individual State Actions
2009:• EPA approved NC’s Clean Air Interstate Rules into the State
Implementation Plan in which NOx and SO2 emissions allowances for NC utilities are even lower than those set by the CSA
2011:• EPA promulgates the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). Twenty‐
three states are required to reduce their annual NOx and S02emissions and 20 states are required to reduce ozone season NOxemissions
Timeline of Important Actions Mandated by the Clean Air Act and Individual State Actions
2011:• North Carolina, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and several other
parties agreed to a comprehensive settlement consisting of (1) requiring all TVA coal‐fired facilities to system‐wide caps that decline on an annual basis to permanent levels of 110,000 tons of SO2 in 2019 and 52,000 tons of NOx in 2018, (2) requiring TVA to install modern pollution controls or shutdown several its coal fired units, and (3) requiring TVA to pay for mitigation project in North Carolina
2013: • North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act requires Duke Energy to limit
SO2 emissions to 80,000 tons per year and Progress Energy to 50,000 tons per year for certain coal fired units
Progress Energy
Asheville Plant
8
1990 2005 2012 2014
75% Reduction
GSMNP
TVABull Run Plant
71% Reduction
GSMNP
Improvement in Haze at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
19989 mile Visual Range
33 deciviews
200924 mile Visual Range
23 deciviews
Examples of Ozone Injury in the field
Blackberry
White PineYellow poplar
Ozone Injury in Coneflowers – Great Smokies
Open‐top Chamber Facility(Active from 1988 – 1992)
Twin Creeks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near Gatlinburg, TN
Ozone Injury on Winged Sumac
Ozone Injury on Black‐eyed Susan
Ozone Injury on Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Leaf from CF treatment Leaf from 2X ambient treatment
Ozone Injury on Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Ozone Injury on Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
CF 1.0X 1.5X 2X
Ozone Exposure Response Functions for Trees exposed in the Open Top Chambers
Most Sensitive Tree TestedRequires Low Amounts of Ozone to Cause Growth
Reductions
Moderately SensitiveRequires More Ozone to Cause Growth Reductions
Relatively InsensitiveRequires High Amounts of Ozone to Cause Growth
Reductions
Air Quality and Climate Monitoring StationsAir Quality Climate
Look Rock, TN• Pine‐Oak Ridgetop• 823 m• Since 1984• Year‐round• NPS, TVA, TDEC
Clingmans Dome, TN/NC
• Highest Point in Park
• 2030 m• Since 1993• Seasonal• NPS, TVA,
EPA, TDEC
Cove Mountain, TN
• High elevation mountaintop• Hardwood forest• 1265 m• Monitored since 1988• Year‐round• NPS, TDEC, TVA
Cades Cove, TN
• Low elevation open valley
• 564 m• Monitored since 1994
• Year‐round• NPS, TDEC
Purchase Knob, NC
• High elevation ridgetop• Northern hardwoods• Since 1995• Year‐round• NPS, NCDENR, NOAA
Bryson City, NC
• High elevation ridgetop• Northern hardwoods• Since 1995• Year‐round• NPS, NCDENR, NOAA
Low Elevation Sites Have Very Different Diurnal Patterns than High Elevation Sites
Clingmans DomeLook Rock
1999
2012
1999
2012
Clingmans Dome
Cove Mountain
Look Rock
1999
2012
1999
2012
1999
2012
Purchase Knob
1999
2012
Clingmans Dome
Cove Mountain
Look Rock
Cades Cove Bryson City
1999
2012
1999
2012
1999
2012
1999
2012
1999
2012
Purchase Knob
1999
2012
Bryson City 1999
2012
Average Ozone Concentration, July‐August 2000Passive Sensor Study in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Ozone scale(ppb)
Purchase Knob
Data for 2001, Courtesy of Dr. John Ray, ARD, NPS
Bryson City
Cades Cove
Clingman’s Dome
Look Rock
Cove Mountain
co‐kriged with 30m DEM elevation
SUM06 Exposures Increase up to ~1100 m and Then They Plateau
CC
LRCM CD
PK
1999
SUM06 exposures increase up to ~1100 m then they plateau
CC
LRCM CD
PK
1999
CC
LRCM CD
PK
1999
2012
Frequency Distributions for Ozone at Low and High Elevations in GRSM
r = ‐0.421 (p = 0.064) r = ‐0.345 (p = 0.107)
r = ‐0.307 (p = 0.189) r = ‐0.186 (p = 0.460)
r = ‐0.307 (p = 0.201) r = ‐0.277 (p = 0.265)
SUM06 24 HR Exposures for the months Jun‐Aug Predicted to Cause 10% Biomass Losses
Red MapleSweetgum
Yellow PoplarSycamore
Winged SumacBlack Cherry
413
1820
2020
SUM06 24 HR Exposures for the months Jun‐Aug Predicted to Cause 10% Biomass Losses
Red MapleSweetgum
Yellow PoplarSycamore
Winged SumacBlack Cherry
Averages (ppm*hrs)
• Before 2003: 20.3 + 2.1
• After 2002: 8.4 + 1.2
59% Reduction
• Ozone generally higher in Smokies than Shenandoah NP
• Correlation of W126 values very high between the two Parks
• Suggests similar responses to weather and also long‐range transport processes
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