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BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
Cleveland Multiple Air Pollutant Study (CMAPS)
What is CMAPS?
The Cleveland Multiple Air Pollutant Study
(CMAPS) is an air pollution research study
deploying state-of-the-science measurement and
modeling tools to investigate sources of air
pollution in Cleveland, Ohio, and the distribution
of the pollutants across the metropolitan area.
CMAPS also will provide data to evaluate the
relationship between air pollution sources, air
pollution exposures, and potential health impacts.
Why is EPA conducting CMAPS?
Air quality in the city of Cleveland is impacted
by numerous local and regional air pollutant
sources. Additionally, Cleveland has two air
monitoring sites that exceed current national air
quality standards for particulate matter. CMAPS
will provide important information to EPA and
state and local air quality managers regarding the
relative contributions that various sources make
to Cleveland's air pollutant concentrations.
Who is involved in CMAPS?
EPA scientists are partnering with local air
quality and public health professionals to
conduct CMAPS. Local partners include the
Cleveland Department of Public Health's
Division of Air Quality, Akron Regional Air
Quality Management District, and Ohio EPA.
How will the air pollution measurements be
conducted?
CMAPS will include a year-long air pollution
measurement period and two shorter air pollution
measurement periods. The focus of the year-long
effort will be to collect data on particulate matter
and mercury necessary for advanced air quality
modeling.
The two shorter measurement periods will be one
month in duration and will deploy monitoring
equipment to measure pollutants, including
particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide,
sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, mercury, black
carbon (soot), and ammonia. These continuous
measurements of key air pollutants will provide
researchers with detailed information about how
pollutant concentrations vary with time. The
shorter measurement periods will include the use
of new passive monitoring methods that do not
require electrical power, allowing them, easily, to
be placed at numerous locations across the study
area. These methods will provide information
about how air pollutant concentrations vary
across Cleveland and surrounding areas. In
addition to pollutant measurements,
meteorological measurements, including
temperature, wind speed and direction, and
rainfall will be conducted during the shorter
measurement periods.
Where will the air pollution measurements be
conducted?
CMAPS monitoring sites were selected to
provide researchers with accurate representation
of air quality in Cleveland and surrounding areas.
The year-long measurements will be conducted
at two urban sites and one regional background
site. The urban sites will be located at the
George T. Craig Monitoring Station and at
MetroHealth Medical Center. The background
site will provide information about air pollution
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
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transported from regional sources and will be
located at Chippewa Lake in Medina County.
The locations for the shorter measurement
periods will be the same as the year-long
measurements, plus an additional site at Fire
Station 13 in Cleveland. In addition, the shorter
measurement periods will also include the
placement of passive monitoring devices at
Cuyahoga Valley National Park and
approximately 20 fire stations throughout
Cleveland.
How will the air pollutant measurements be
used?
Modeling tools will be used to analyze the air
pollutant measurements to provide information
about the distribution of air pollutants throughout
the study area, and the sources contributing to air
pollution in Cleveland. The measurement data
will be used to conduct modeling analyses to
evaluate how pollutant sources impact people's
exposures. CMAPS measurements also will be
used to evaluate and improve advanced modeling
tools that can be used in future air quality
modeling analyses in Cleveland and other areas
of the United States.
When will CMAPS occur?
The year-long air pollutant measurements for
CMAPS will begin in July 2009. The two
shorter measurement periods will occur in
August 2009 and February 2010. Data and
modeling analyses using the measurement data
will continue through 2011.
EPA Technical Contact:
Gary Norris, Ph.D., CMAPS Principal
Investigator
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
919-541-1519 or norris. gary(a),epa. gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
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