NARSTO Supersite Transboundary Intensive Field Study (STIFS) Particulate Matter (PM) Inorganic Volatile Organic Compounds Data

A companion document describing the project in greater detail and showing monitoring locations is available. Data archived at this time are the mass and water soluble organics and inorganics, speciated volatile organic carbon gas phase measurements, PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 mass concentration, and elemental and organic carbon mass concentrations. It is known that U.S. sources contribute significantly to the regional particle levels during certain time periods and likely have a significant impact on the annual average.

However, sources within Ontario, Quebec and B.C. also play a role and better information on the relative importance of these sources vs U.S. sources is critical to policy development. Improved information on this issue can be obtained through more detailed ambient measurements in urban and rural areas and through the use of models. The study provided the measurements needed to infer more about the sources of particles in areas impacted by regional transport and to improve regional models (e.g., AURAMS and Models-3/CMAQ) for future application.

NARSTO, which has since disbanded, was a public/private partnership, whose membership spanned across government, utilities, industry, and academe throughout Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The primary mission was to coordinate and enhance policy-relevant scientific research and assessment of tropospheric pollution behavior; activities provide input for science-based decision-making and determination of workable, efficient, and effective strategies for local and regional air-pollution management.

Data products from local, regional, and international monitoring and research programs are still available.