Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The NADP provides fundamental measurements that support informed decisions on environmental and agricultural issues related to precipitation and deposition chemistry, as well as atmospheric mercury and ammonia. NADP data are relevant to a wide audience and available to all. We have three general target audiences for our data: researchers, policy professionals; and educators and students. Data from our monitoring effort are used by a wide range of scientists for a number of research topic areas, principally for atmospheric and environmental pollution research. This would include many ecologists studying the input of compounds to forest, soils and biota. Our data are used by policymakers to make informed decisions on agriculturally important topics. Our data are also used in many different educational areas including chemical, agricultural, and environmental sciences; are used at many different educational levels including elementary, secondary and post-secondary; and are used for many different theses and dissertations. All data are available free of charge via the NADP website (http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/), and to be used by our target audience as they wish. Changes/Problems:No other major changes to our normal network or systems are planned. But, we have recently added a new network (Mercury Litterfall Network, noted above). Additionally, a new PFAS subnetwork to the NTN will be put into initial operation at 14 sites this year. Also,we have recently begun testing two new analytes for the NTN network: total nitrogen and total phosphorus (discussed above). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The NADP is constantly training operators on our equipment and methods, through a variety of means. NADP holds online video meetings, has video presentations, and provides onsite and training over the phone of our operators. This basic training is for approximately 60-70 operators per year, and is constantly being repeated. The NADP also, at times, holds special meetings that provide professional development on topics not covered at our two annual meetings. One example was the Spring 2022 Meeting, where the Mercury in the Environment and Links to Deposition (MELD) ad hoc Scientific Committee held an organizational meeting (minutes and attendees online). During this project period, no other professional development meetings were held. Additionally, we have hired a series (currently 4) Association of Public Health Laboratories interns that were employed over the past year to assist (and learn) the various analytical as well as data management activities of the NADP. We have found them to be quite engaged and good students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary route of data dissemination for the NADP is through its website. NADP provides data access and availability for all; scientists, policymakers, educators, students, and others are encouraged to access data at no charge from the NADP website (nadp.slh.wisc.edu). Internet disbursement of precipitation chemistry and atmospheric data is the primary route of dissemination for the NADP project. Data for distribution (quality assured) is currently available on the web through February 1, 2023 for NTN, MDN and AMON, and through August 1, 2023 for MLN. All network databases (and web availability) should be updated with data through the summer months of 2023 in the next few weeks. Again, all of this data is available to the public for download going back to the beginning of sampling at each particular network site. Additionally, the complete AIRMoN dataset is also available. In addition, the NADP annual map series of atmospheric concentrations, wet deposition fluxes, and the last completed report was developed in the fall of 2023 for the 2022 calendar year of data (https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/ntn-gradient-maps/ for after this project period). At this time of writing, the 2022 Map Summary is also completed and both are on the web. The NADP produces a series of 23 national maps of wet deposition concentration and flux maps for all of our analytes, and summary figures for each of the gaseous networks. These maps are used widely and are one of the major NADP products. Individual maps are filed by network, year, and constituent, and can be downloaded in several formats. Individual maps are compiled into Annual Map Summary reports, and the summaries are available for download. NADP printed the 2021 report, and has now, at the direction of the Executive Committee, offers the Annual Summaries in both pdf format and in an online reading format. As noted above, the 2022 summary is now available online in both formats. NADP data were used in 183 articles during 2022, and the count for 2023 will begin in late December of this year. A comprehensive bibliography since 2007 is listed on the NADP website (https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/pubs/nadp-bibliography/). Finally, the Fall NADP Scientific Symposium, in addition to other conferences, fosters the dissemination of NADP data to key stakeholders. In 2022 (hybrid), the meetings included a total of 41 oral presentations and approximately 20 posters. Details of the meeting are here (https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/conferences/). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The NADP is a monitoring cooperative, and strive to make the same measurements year in and year out with the same methods in a consistent way. No substantive changes are planned for operation of the network, except for possible new analytes as discussed above. We are also considering several efficiency improvements to increase the throughput of samples and reduce the costs of laboratory services, including an improved mercury collection vessel (plastic bags), automation of several laboratory steps, and improved data review system. More of these efforts will be reported in forthcoming year reports. Consider adding ongoing initiatives to improve field (e.g. MDN collection), laboratory (e.g. automation), and data management (e.g. data review) efficiencies and lower operating costs.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
NRSP-3 provides a framework for cooperation among SAES, the USDA-NIFA, and other cooperating governmental and non-governmental organizations. The NADP provides quality-assured data and information on the exposure of managed and natural ecosystems and cultural resources to acidic compounds, nutrients, base cations, and mercury in precipitation. Specifically, researchers use NADP data to investigate the impacts of atmospheric deposition. As of August 2023, NADP continued to support sample collection in almost all of the US States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, several sites in Canada, Bermuda, and conducted scientific outreach and monitoring support in Mexico and Southeast Asia. Operational support included 258 NTN, 82 MDN, 11 AMNet, 24 MLN, and 93 AMoN locations across North America. The NADP's principal output is the collection of samples from its networks for analysis of precipitation and atmospheric chemistry. During this period (approximately ending 8/31/2023), analytical data was reported for 13,400 NTN samples, 4,250 MDN samples, 2,400 AMON samples, and 100 MLN samples. AMNet sites operate very differently from these networks, using semi-continuous onsite instruments. Each NTN samples has ten separate analytes. All analytical results undergo an extensive quality assurance review prior to public release, so some data may not yet be available. NADP laboratories and Program Office (PO) typically undergo external review annually in rotation to identify systemic problems, improve performance, and provide external checks to the program. During the project period, the PO was audited in early October, and several recommendations (consider for implementation) and a couple of findings (requiring response) were identified. Our written response was delivered on Nov 11, 2022, and the necessary changes are ongoing. These documents may be made public, but this is an Executive Committee decision. NADP standard operating procedures are continually being reviewed and updated. All current SOPs and recent updates were recently added into an access controlled searchable database (OnBase) that is available to everyone upon request (https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/quality-assurance/). The NADP has established best practice methods over the 45 years of NADP existence. These methods (https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/siteops/) also comply with overarching WSLH laboratory program certification and compliance procedures. The NADP continually evaluates and updates the standard methods and procedures through guidance of the NADP Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS), which provides a forum for discussion and evaluation of any issues pertaining to station siting, equipment, sampling methods, and chemical analysis in all NADP networks. The NOS meets at least twice a year to formalize and review network operations procedures. Additionally we have quality assurance staff (1.3 FTEs) that continually review methods and data to ensure quality, and ongoing performance. NADP provides data access and availability to everyone at no charge (http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu). This website offers online retrieval of all individual data points (weekly and biweekly), seasonal and annual averages, trend plots, concentration and deposition maps, reports, manuals, etc. Internet availability of precipitation chemistry and atmospheric data is the primary dissemination route. The NADP website redesign is now essentially complete. Downloads of data have remained strong year in and year out. We estimate that ~20,000 comma-delineated data file downloads (12,000 from the NTN), and about 50,000 pdf map images downloads occurred during the past year. Additionally, 183 publications used our data during 2022. During this year, the Executive Committee made a decision to release precipitation measurements as a data set on its own (without chemistry). The steps to complete this task have begun, and should be completed during 2024. The NADP annual map series of atmospheric concentrations, wet deposition fluxes, and report was developed and compiled in the fall of 2022 for the 2021 data and maps. The 2021 summary was completed and printed in October 2022. For each summary, NADP produces a series of 23 national maps of wet deposition concentration and flux for all analytes, and summary figures for each gaseous network. Individual maps are filed by network, year, and constituent, and can be downloaded in several formats (http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/data/annualmaps.aspx). Maps are compiled into the annual Map Summary (http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/lib/dataReports.aspx). Most of the printed 2021 summaries (1,500) have been distributed. The NADP hosted and organized three meetings during this period where NADP operations data quality, and data impacts were discussed: the Fall Scientific meeting, the Spring Business meeting, and the Summer Budget meeting (see above). These meetings were attended by a diverse group of participants from NIFA, a variety of federal agencies (EPA, USGS, NPS, Forest Service, FWS, BLM, and NOAA), many state government organizations, and Native American tribes. In addition, meetings include representatives from industry, research institutions, educators, and international data users and researchers. Finally, here are specific program highlights for this project period. PFAS Subnetwork: at the Fall 2023 Meeting, a new pilot network was approved for the monitoring of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in NTN samples and precipitation. Planning and discussion for this network has occurred over the last several project periods, building on several years of PFAS initiatives. The network is currently designed to be run much like an additional analyte of the NTN network, and 32 PFAS compounds will be measured in each sample. Detailed planning will follow, with periodic reports at the NADP meetings. This network will be of particular interest to USDA since atmospheric loading of PFAS to agricultural lands can be substantial (e.g., Lesmeister et al., 2021, Science of the Total Environment 766: 142640). New MDN Collection Bag: initial work has begun on a redesign of the MDN sampling equipment. Currently, samples for mercury are collected in clean glassware (weekly re-cleaning is required), but this is expensive. The goal is to evaluate whether MDN samples can be collected in an entirely plastic sampling train, that will be easier, much less expensive, and potentially even "cleaner"(lower blanks) than the current glass sampling train. Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus Sampler (TNTP): the effort continues to add total nitrogen and total Phosphorus capability (and by subtraction, organic nitrogen (ON)) to the regular NTN analyses. This required the development of a supplemental precipitation sampler that is affixed to the side of a standard NTN sampler. The parallel development of (TN) analytical method is on-going, slowed by a bias sourced from the acid preservative used in the sampler. A TN/ON analysis in precipitation should be of interest to agricultural scientists, since many of the ON sources are thought to be of atmospheric origin. The NTN does not currently measure TP, instead having historically quantified ortho-phosphate, which represents only a small fraction of Total P. TP measurements are important to those interested in the increase of algal blooms in lakes and rivers. The NADP testing of a measure for Black Carbon (BC) in precipitation continues. BC in the atmosphere is connected to wildfires and in urban airsheds, diesel emissions and has important climate forcing, as well as public health, implications. During November 2022, all NTN samples from 14 sites were analyzed for BC, along with basic QA testing. A journal article on these findings will be forthcoming. This project will be used to measure the basic variability of BC over time and space of the samples, and be used to estimate the cost of the sampling and analysis for possible network operation.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
The NADP tracks the number of journal and report publications for each calendar year that use NADP data in research. As a National Research Support Project (NRSP #3), one of our principal goals/responsibilities is to produce data that the research community uses (research support). So we annually collect and count the use of NADP data used in research articles and reports. During calendar year 2022, we found 183 publications (including many dissertations and theses) that used NADP data in some important way to further their research. For CY2023, counting will start in January 2024, when publications are complete. These publication tracking will continue over the life of the program and reported every year. The complete list of journal articles can be found here: https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/pubs/nadp-bibliography/. Recently, we added a searchable database of the 2022 publications, and this year will add all of the previous years into this searchable database.
The following are a subset of journal articles from 2022 using NADP data that are of particular interest to USDA and agricultural researchers, and not previously used in our 2022 reporting.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
3. Heindel, R.C., Murphy, S.F., Repert, D.A., Wetherbee, G.A., Liethen, A.E., Clow, D.W. and Halamka, T.A., 2022. Elevated Nitrogen Deposition to Fire?Prone Forests Adjacent to Urban and Agricultural Areas, Colorado Front Range, USA. Earth's Future 10(7): e2021EF002373.
The authors studied the impact of urban and agricultural emission of reduced nitrogen compounds (Nr, primarily ammonia) in the Colorado Front Range during 2018 and 2019. They maintain that urban/ag. emissions are not fully accounted for by modeling, due to the still unexplained heavy deposition in adjacent lands. The authors measured a deposition gradient from Denver/ag. lands into the front range mountains. The found elevated Nr depositions in the lowlands, and decreasing deposition up into the mountain regions. This deposition was dominated by NH3 (70%), which was highest in the spring months as winds blow from the Front Range up into the mountains.
The authors used 5 NTN and AMoN NADP sites during the two year study period.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
4. Ren, D., Engel, B., Mercado, J. A. V., Guo, T., Liu, Y., & Huang, G., 2022. Modeling and assessing water and nutrient balances in a tile-drained agricultural watershed in the US Corn Belt. Water Research 210: 117976.
The authors (from Ag. Engineering, Purdue U.) used the SWAT model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) in a 2000 sq. mile watershed dominated by tile drainage agriculture of corn and soybeans. Their goal was to study the impact from agriculture to nutrient loss from agricultural activities. They attempted to account for nutrient loss through all water movement, and included multiple nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. Results showed excellent agreement in stream flow, suspended solids and evapotranspiration. The authors found Surface runoff, tile drainage and percolation each contributed about 30% of total N losses to water, with surface runoff being dominated by organic nitrogen while tile drainage and percolation were dominated by nitrate N. Phosphorus losses were primarily through surface runoff. Agricultural runoff dominated all N losses in the watershed.
The authors used several NTN sites for N and P deposition rates, with atmospheric N deposition estimated to be about 18% of the total nitrogen loading, along with the major fertilizer sources.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
5. Stops, M.W., Sullivan, P.L., Peltier, E., Young, B. and Brookfield, A.E., 2022. Tracking the hydrologic response of agricultural tile outlet terraces to storm events. Agricultural Water Management 263: 107382.
The authors investigated the management practice of Tile-Outlet-Terraces (TOT) management practice, and the chemical behavior of agricultural flow for three agrosystems in Kansas during 2016-2018. One principal result was that the chemical activity was constant between the three systems, even with different tile densities. The storm event size and other conditions still dominate the chemical response to storm events.
The authors used 3 years of several NADP site wet deposition data of all of our analytes to define the wet deposition of all of these compounds.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
1. Hagedorn, J., 2022. Examination of Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes and Denitrification to Assess Pollution Swapping in Agricultural Drainage Water Management. Doctoral Dissertation, Department Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science, University of Maryland, College Park.
Hagedorn used the nitrogen input from fertilizer, atmospheric deposition and several other sources to estimate increases in nitrate (NO3) soil emissions due to fertilizer addition. This work occurred in rural Maryland and evaluated N input to the Chesapeake Bay. Drainage water management was tested as a N control. Denitrification reduced river concentrations, but also increased production of N gases in corn/soybean rotation. Soil N2O emissions at this particular farm was very important.
Hagedorn used estimates of N deposition from several sites over many years near the Chesapeake Bay.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
2. Guo, X. 2022. Ammonia Emissions, Deposition, and Variability through In Situ, Ground-Based, and Remote Sensing Observations. Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University.
Guo, X., Pan, D., Daly, R.W., Chen, X., Walker, J.T., Tao, L., McSpiritt, J. and Zondlo, M.A., 2022. Spatial heterogeneity of ammonia fluxes in a deciduous forest and adjacent grassland. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 326: 109128.
Guo et al. undertook the development of a fast response ammonia sensor based on laser adsorption to measure both emission and deposition of gaseous ammonia, which is an important atmospheric emission from agricultural fertilizer application and animal feeding operations. They deployed the new instrument to a forest and a grassland location in North Carolina. The developed sensor proved to be quite fast in measurement, with very low detection levels (sub part per billion). Using the instrument, they measured net deposition to the forest canopy and net emission from the grassland (3.2 ng NH3-N/m2 sec).The methodology was able to detect diurnal patterns, and important exchanges from incoming ammonia gases.
The authors used several of NADPs Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN) locations (principally NC30) and measurements over the time period of the study.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
6. Vira, J., Hess, P., Ossohou, M., & Galy-Lacaux, C., 2022. Evaluation of interactive and prescribed agricultural ammonia emissions for simulating atmospheric composition in CAM-chem. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22(3): 1883-1904.
The authors took a global approach to accounting for global atmospheric ammonia concentrations, with the largest contribution being from agricultural fertilizer and animal feeding operations. They attempt to estimate agricultural emissions using a modeling approach and comparison to global observations. They determined that more realistic emissions due to fertilizer applications are needed, and that emissions in Africa need vast improvement. Here in the U.S., timing of the emissions seems to be the largest error associated with agricultural emissions.
The authors used all of the NTN and AMON sites from NADP in their model simulations. They used these for a six-year period, along with other continental networks for a global approach.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
7. Benish, S. E., Bash, J. O., Foley, K. M., Appel, K. W., Hogrefe, C., Gilliam, R., & Pouliot, G., 2022. Long-term Regional Trends of Nitrogen and Sulfur Deposition in the United States from 2002 to 2017. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22: 1274912767.
The authors determine both nitrogen and sulfur deposition trends (wet and dry deposition) for the continental United States, using a host of NADP and CASTNET observations of wet and atmospheric concentration measurements. These trend estimates were made of many years, and compared the results to CMAQ modeling calculations of the same. The study found underestimates of ambient concentrations by the model, and that they did not agree well for wet deposition (due to precipitation rate error) in the Western US. They noted widespread increases in reduced nitrogen deposition (agricultural sources) in the Midwest and West. These increases were usually masked by strong reductions in oxidized N. They also estimated that dry deposition has been reduced to approximately equal to that of wet deposition (52% of total), but that total S deposition remains dominated by wet deposition.
The authors used all of NADPs observations for all of our observational years for sulfate, nitrate and ammonium, and also our AMON measurements of ammonia from the beginning of the network.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
8. Cochran, C., 2022. Honey as a Biomonitor for Air Pollutant Deposition in the Eastern United States using Ion Chromatography and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Undergraduate Honors Theses, Department of Geology, William & Mary. Paper 1844, https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1844.
Cochran (in his undergraduate thesis) studied the ability of honey to be a bio-record of deposition of atmospheric pollutants. He compared eastern U.S. honey concentrations of pollutants to those in the NADP NTN network, specifically using honey concentrations of sulfate and chloride to those measured by NADP. He found good correlation for sulfate, particularly at greater elevation and higher latitude, and that the spatial trends in chloride was consistent with the spatial trend defined by NADP measurements and the typical high coastal concentrations. Finally, the chemical nature of sulfate (iron sulfate) was consistent with deposition.
Cochran used both annual averages of sulfate and chloride from the Eastern U.S. NADP measurements for the years 2017-2021 over about 12 states in the Northeast and East.
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