Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay

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Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay
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TODAYS MESSAGE

• The air pollution we create also pollutes our
  land and water.

Therefore
In order to clean up our water, we must also
clean up our air!
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Why are we concerned about air pollution?
Air quality effects- air pollution can contribute
to human health problems and degrade
visibility. Land effects- nitrogen deposition
saturates systems and overloads vegetation Water
quality effects- eutrophication caused by the
over-fertilization of coastal/fresh waters and
acidification of streams and lakes.
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Organization of the presentation (in case all of
this air talk goes to your head)

• Vocabulary for Airheads

• Air Pollutants of Water Quality Concern

• Where air pollutants come from and their
  impacts

• What Has Been Done to Date

• What Still Needs to be Done

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Vocabulary for Airheads

• Volatilization to pass off in vapor.
• Emissions pollution being released into the air
  from sources.
• Particulate matter includes dust, soot and bits
  of solid materials released into and move around
  in the air.
• Atmospheric Transport air pollutants
  traveling short or long distances.

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Vocabulary for Airheads
Atmospheric Deposition the process whereby
airborne particles and gases settle to the
Earth's surface. - Wet Deposition pollutants
deposited in rain, fog, and snow). - Dry
Deposition pollutants deposited with out rain,
fog or snow but in the form of airborne
particles. Atmospheric load total amount of an
air pollutant that a water body receives.
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Air Pollutants of Water Quality Concern
Nitrogen is a nutrient which all things need to
grow. However, human activities contribute more
nitrogen than an ecosystem needs.

• Nitrogen Compounds
• Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
• Ammonia/Ammonium (NH3/NH4)
• Organic Nitrogen (Org-N)

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Air Pollutants of Water Quality Concern
continued...
Chemical contaminants are natural or manmade
compounds that have the potential to become toxic

• Chemical contaminants
• Metals (lead, cadmium, copper)
• Mercury
• Organic Contaminants
• (pesticides, PCBs, PAHs)

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Where Air Pollutants Come From
What goes up
Stationary and area sources Mobile
sources Agricultural sources Natural sources
must come down
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Stationary Sources

• Stationary Sources
• do not move
• are thought of as large point sources
• release relatively consistent quantities of
  pollutants.

Stationary Source
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Area Sources

• Area sources
• smaller clustered stationary sources
• individual emissions may be low
• collective emissions can be significant.

Area Source
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Mobile Sources

• Mobile sources
• are capable of moving.
• can be an on-road category.
• can be non-road or off-road category.

On Road Mobile Sources
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Agricultural Sources

• Agricultural operations can generate emissions of
  gases, particulate matter, and chemical
  compounds.
• These emissions come from
• animal housing
• storage of animal waste
• land-applied animal waste
• crop production

Crops
Livestock
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Natural Sources

• Natural sources of air pollutants include
• lightning
• erupting volcano
• weather-caused forest prairie fires
• unconfined wild animals

Nature
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Atmospheric Deposition
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IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
Nitrogen

• Acid rain
• Smog (ozone and visibility)
• Eutrophication
• Accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems and in
  drinking water

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IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
Chemical Contaminants

• Bioaccumulate
• Persist
• Bind to sediments
• Affect biological processes

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What Has Been Done to Date to Reduce Air
Pollution

• A Historical Perspective
• Clean Air Act (1970) and Amendments
• To ensure that all Americans have air that is
  safe to breathe.

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What Has Been Done to Date to Reduce Air
Pollution

• Clean Water Act (1972) and Amendments
• - To restore maintain the chemical, physical,
  biological integrity of the nations waters.

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What Has Been Done to Date to Reduce Air
Pollution

• 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
• Great Waters Program
• Calls for a program to identify and assess
  the extent of atmospheric deposition of
  hazardous air pollutants to water bodies such
  as the Chesapeake Bay.

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What Has Been Done to Date to Reduce Air
Pollution
OVER 20 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
STATE/DISTRICT GOVERNMENT MD, PA, VA, DC
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
CHESAPEAKE BAY CLEANUP
PRIVATE INDUSTRY
ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
UNIVERSITIES RESEARCHERS
CONCERNED CITIZENS
The Bay Cleanup Involves Partners at All Levels
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So What Have We Learned About the Bay and
Atmospheric Deposition?
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(No Transcript)
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Area of NOx Emissions that contribute Nitrogen
Deposition to the Bay and its Watershed
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(No Transcript)
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Status of Chemical Contaminant Effects on Living
Resources in the Chesapeake Bays Tidal Rivers
3 HOT SPOTS 10 WARM SPOTS 8 HEALTHY SPOTS 20
UNKNOWN 21 areas with fish consumption
advisories due to chemical contaminants
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SO WHAT?
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What can you do to reduce air pollution? As an
individual, as a group or as a community

• Help YOUR community put
• the pieces of the puzzle together...
• Communicate concerns to your community
• representatives.
• Attend town meetings
• Educate others to make good decisions.
• Raise awareness.

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What you do daily makes a difference

• Conserve electricity.
• Recycle AND purchase recycled products.
• Use electric lawn mowers and tools instead of
  gas-
• powered ones.
• Reduce amounts and types of chemicals you use.
• Instead of charcoal lighter fluid use a
  charcoal
• chimney, electric starter, or propane grill.
• Reduce the amount of miles you drive.
• Carpool, telecommute, or use public
  transportation.
• Purchase fuel efficient automobiles.
• Follow state guidelines on emissions testing
  
• maintain any pollution-control devices.

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What you do daily makes a difference
continued...

• Plan car trips carefully.
• Turn off your engine when waiting.
• Take alternate routes to eliminate idling.
• Accelerate gently and evenly, and use your cruise
  control.
• Use vehicles flow-through vents instead of air
  conditioning or open a window.
• Check a cars cooling system thermostat.
• Keep car tuned and properly inflate align tires
  to save gas to reduce wear on tires over time.

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In conclusion...

• The Air pollution we create also pollutes our
  land and water.
• Therefore in order to clean up the Chesapeake
  Bay, we must also clean up the air.

THANK YOU
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• OPTIONAL SLIDES

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Chesapeake Bay ProgramOrganizational Chart
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Airs Role in Bay Program Commitments

• 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement- a commitment to
  reduce annual nutrient loads. Water Quality Goal
  Quantify the impacts and identify the sources of
  atmospheric inputs on the Bay system."
• 1992 Amendments "... incorporate into the
  Nutrient Reduction Strategies an air deposition
  component which builds upon the federal Clean Air
  Act and explores additional implementation
  opportunities to further reduce airborne sources
  of nitrogen entering Chesapeake Bay and its
  tributaries.

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Airs Role in Bay Program Commitments continued...
1994 Basinwide Toxics Reduction Prevention
Strategy ... establish more complete loadings
baselines and source identification for...
atmospheric deposition... and set reduction
targets from those baselines to be achieved over
the next decade. 1997 Chesapeake Executive
Council Directive Work toward additional
reductions of airborne nitrogen delivered to the
Bay and its watershed from all sources including
states outside the watershed, and seek improved
understanding of how airborne nitrogen affects
the Bay and its watershed.
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Airs Role in Bay Program Commitments continued...

• Chesapeake 2000 Agreement
• By 2003, assess the effects of airborne nitrogen
  compounds and chemical contaminants on the Bay
  ecosystem and help establish reduction goals for
  these contaminants. AND
• By Fall of 2000, reevaluate and revise, as
  necessary, the Chesapeake Bay Basinwide Toxics
  Reduction and Prevention Strategy focusing on
  Complementing state and federal regulatory
  programs to go beyond traditional point source
  controls, including nonpoint sources such as
  groundwater discharge and atmospheric deposition,
  by using a watershed-based approach....

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Airs Role in Bay Program Commitments continued...

• Toxics 2000 Strategy
• By 2002 develop and begin implementing
  strategies to prevent or reduce chemical
  contaminants responsible for fish consumption
  advisories.
• By 2005, in impacted areas and areas at risk,
  reduce by 15 chemicals of concern from 1998
  levels by working with publicly and privately
  owned treatment works and industries (including
  air sources).
• By 2006,in impacted areas and areas at risk,
  reduce by 50 chemicals of concern from 2001
  levels from priority federal facilities.

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Airs Role in Bay Program Commitments continued...

• By 2006, in impacted areas and areas at risk,
  reduce by 50 chemicals of concern from 2001
  levels from priority federal facilities.
• By 2010, reduce nonpoint sources of chemicals of
  concern to the Regions of Concern by at least
  30, through implementation of pollution
  prevention means and other voluntary nonpoint
  source programs and through accounting of
  reductions achieved through regulatory

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Air Subcommittee Supports

• Research
• economic studies, environmental effects studies,
  nitrogen and chemical contaminant studies
• Monitoring
• Smith Island Wet deposition monitoring site
  (began in 1995- current)
• Outreach
• Informative publications, workshops, literature
  syntheses, web site http//www.chesapeakebay.net/s
  tressor1.htm
• Modeling
• Atmospheric deposition and loadings

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Sources of Nitrogen Loads to the Bay