United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Atmospheric Research and \
Exposure Assessment Laboratory ^
Research Triangle Park NC 27711 ^ Xi.-
Research and Development
EPA/600/S3-88/047 Feb. 1989
&EPA Project Summary
Guideline for Design,
Installation, Operation, and
Quality Assurance for Dry
Deposition Monitoring Networks
Linda F. Porter
This manual provides basic,
practical, field-tested guidance on
the installation, operation, mainte-
nance, calibration, and auditing of
dry deposition measurement sys-
tems. The information provided is
based primarily on EPA's experience
in installing, operating, maintaining,
and auditing the National Dry
Deposition Network. It has been
supplemented with information
gathered from personnel involved in
other acid deposition and some
non-acid deposition monitoring
networks, and by a review of present
research and development efforts.
The information presented is current
and correct as of August 1988. The
manual is a succinct presentation of
the essential information needed
from the time monitoring is planned
until the monitoring project and the
data assessment are completed. It is
intended for both experienced and
inexperienced monitoring personnel.
Each section of the manual first
describes the activities covered by
the topic area, then it describes the
quality control activities that apply,
and finally discusses the quality
assurance activities that can be done
to ensure the quality control
activities are being done.
Tft/s Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Atmospheric Research
and Exposure Assessment Laboratory,
Research Triangle Park, NC, to
announce key findings of the
research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the
same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
In response to public concern over the
possible adverse effects of acidic
deposition on natural environments,
materials, wildlife, and public health,
Congress passed the Acid Precipitation
Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-294 Title VII). This
act resulted in an explosion of monitoring
activity in the area of acid deposition.
Numerous research projects, sampling
networks, and studies, for example, the
National Dry Deposition Network (NDDN),
the Mountain Cloud Chemistry Program
(MGCP), the Forest Response Program
(FRP), the Operation Evaluation Network
(OEN), the Acid Model Operational
Diagnostic Evaluation Study (ACID
MODES), and the National Atmospheric
Deposition Program/National Trends
Network (NADP/NTN), were initiated to
monitor and study acid deposition.
Because it was a new area of research,
many of the organizations carrying out
these projects had little experience in
measuring acid gases, acid particulates,
and meteorological parameters under the
conditions encountered when measuring
acid deposition. Not surprisingly, most of
these projects are measuring many of the
same parameters.
This manual provides basic, practical,
field-tested guidance on the installation,
operation, maintenance, calibration, and
auditing of dry deposition measurement
systems. The information provided is
based primarily on EPA's experience in
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installing, operating, maintaining, and
auditing the National Dry Deposition
Network. It has been supplemented with
information gathered from personnel
involved in other acid deposition and
some non-acid deposition monitoring
networks, and by a review of present
research and development efforts. The
information presented is current and
correct as of August 1988. However,
because dry deposition monitoring is a
relatively new area of research, the
methodology is continually being
modified and improved in the areas of
data assessment, quality assurance and
measurement. Thus, this guidance
document is expected to be updated in
approximately three years as our
knowledge of acid deposition improves.
In the interim, it is hoped that the
widespread use of the guidance in this
manual will improve the comparability of
measurements across all acid deposition
monitoring projects. Users are encour-
aged to submit their comments
concerning additions, deletions, and
other modifications that will improve the
usefulness of this manual. This infor-
mation can be sent to the author.
The manual is a succinct presentation
of the essential information needed from
the time monitoring is planned until the
monitoring project and the data
assessment are completed. It is intended
for both experienced and inexperienced
monitoring personnel and is divided into
sections and appendices covering the
following topics:
1. Monitoring Project Design and
Implementation
2. Site Selection
3. Procurement and Testing of Materials
and Equipment
4. Site Installation
5. Site Operations
6. Training
7. Laboratory Operations
8. Data Management
Each section of the manual is
organized as follows. First, the activities
that are covered by the topic area are
described. Then, the types of quality
control procedures that apply to these
activities are described in detail. Finally,
quality assurance procedures that can be
used to assure that these quality control
activities are being done are presented.
Samples of practical, field-tested
auditing procedures are described in
detail in the appendices for illustrative
purposes.
Although the document addresses dry
deposition monitoring, the techniques
and information presented should also
prove helpful to those planning to
establish other monitoring networks in
such areas as global climate change,
stratospheric ozone, and greenhouse
effect assessment.
The manual contains 98 pages of text
and 17 Appendices. The titles of these
appendices are:
Appendix
Title
A Siting Criteria for Dry Deposition
Trends Monitoring Networks
B Siting Criteria for Regionally
Located Wet Deposition Col-
lection Sites
C Siting Criteria for Urban-Influ-
enced Wet Deposition Collection
Sites
D NDDN Site Suitability Evaluation
Form
E NDDN Site Acceptance Check-
list
F NDDN Field Performance Audit
Observables
G NDDN Field Systems Audit
Report Form
H NDDN Systems Audit Quest-
ionnaire ESE Chemistry
Laboratory
I Mountain Cloud Chemistry
Project (MCCP) Systems Audit
Questionnaire
J NADP/NTN Systems and Per-
formance Survey Questionnaire
K Standard Operating Procedure
for Performance Auditing
Meteorological Instruments at
Dry Deposition Monitoring Sites
L Standard Operating Procedure
for Performance Auditing Ozone
Analyzers at Dry Deposition
Monitoring Sites
M Standard Operating Procedure
for Performance Auditing SOa
Analyzers at Mountain Cloud
Chemistry Sites
N Analysis of Dry Deposition Filter
Extracts by Ion Chromatography
0 EPA Method 350.7 for the
Measurement of Ammonium in
Wet Deposition Samples by
Autoanalyzer
P Acronyms and Abbreviations
Q Glossary
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The EPA author, Linda F. Porter (see below), is with the Atmospheric Research
and Exposure Assessment Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711.
The complete report, entitled "Guideline for Design, Installaiton, Operation, and
Quality Assurance for Dry Deposition Monitoring Networks," (Order No. PB
89-127 492/AS; Cost: $36.95, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA author can be contacted at:
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S3-88/047
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CHICAGO IL 606CS4
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