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Atmospheric haze: Its sources and effects on visibility in rural areas of the continental United States

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Abstract

Spatial and temporal trends in visibility are examined at a national level. It is shown that visibility is impaired in all antional parks approximately 90% of the time, and that eastern visibilities are about 10 times lower than western visibilities. Measurement of atmospheric particulates that affect visibility shows that sulfates associated with man-made emissions of sulfur dioxide are the single largest contributor to visibility reduction, except in the northwestern United States, where organic aerosols contribute significantly. In the East, coal fired power plants along the Ohio River Vallery contribute the most SO2, while oil refining activities and other industrial sources in southern California, copper smelters in southern Arizona, and industrial activity along the Gulf Coast of Mexico contribute most of the SO2, and thus sulfates, in the West.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Quality Division, National Park Service, CIRA Foothills Campus, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    William C. Malm

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  1. William C. Malm
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Additional information

Contribution from ‘Fourth World Wilderness Congress-Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado”, September 11–18, 1987.

The assumptions, findings, conclusions, judgments and views presented herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing official National Park Service policies.

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Malm, W.C. Atmospheric haze: Its sources and effects on visibility in rural areas of the continental United States. Environ Monit Assess 12, 203–225 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394801

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