Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay

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Area Source. CBP 1/6/00. CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM. Mobile Sources ... Area of NOx Emissions that contribute Nitrogen Deposition to the Bay and its Watershed ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay


1
Air Pollutants and the Chesapeake Bay
2
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!
3
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.
4
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

5
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.

6
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.
7
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)

8
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)

9
Where Air Pollutants Come From
What goes up
Stationary and area sources Mobile
sources Agricultural sources Natural sources
must come down
10
Stationary Sources
  • Stationary Sources
  • do not move
  • are thought of as large point sources
  • release relatively consistent quantities of
    pollutants.

Stationary Source
11
Area Sources
  • Area sources
  • smaller clustered stationary sources
  • individual emissions may be low
  • collective emissions can be significant.

Area Source
12
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
13
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
14
Natural Sources
  • Natural sources of air pollutants include
  • lightning
  • erupting volcano
  • weather-caused forest prairie fires
  • unconfined wild animals

Nature
15
Atmospheric Deposition
16
IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
Nitrogen
  • Acid rain
  • Smog (ozone and visibility)
  • Eutrophication
  • Accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems and in
    drinking water

17
IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
Chemical Contaminants
  • Bioaccumulate
  • Persist
  • Bind to sediments
  • Affect biological processes

18
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.

19
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.

20
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.

21
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
22
So What Have We Learned About the Bay and
Atmospheric Deposition?
23
(No Transcript)
24
Area of NOx Emissions that contribute Nitrogen
Deposition to the Bay and its Watershed
25
(No Transcript)
26
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
27
SO WHAT?
28
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.

29
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.

30
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.

31
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
32
  • OPTIONAL SLIDES

33
Chesapeake Bay ProgramOrganizational Chart
34
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.

35
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.
36
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....

37
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.

38
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

39
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

40
Sources of Nitrogen Loads to the Bay



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