OZONE MONITORING IN NON-URBAN REGIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND EFFECTS OF OZONE ON VEGETATION

The US EPA reviews current research and air monitoring data every 5 years for inclusion within the Air Quality Criteria Documents, in order to establish secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Ozone datasets obtained from the proposed monitoring efforts in rural parts of Pennsylvania, as well as the biological effects research, can be used as input when establishing the levels of NAAQS for ozone, which can then be incorporated into federal datasets for other uses. The ambient air data obtained from these non-urban areas will also be used to increase public awareness of the importance of ozone in rural areas, through outreach and educational activities related directly to the proposed monitoring effort. The project will have three main objectives: 1) to monitor ambient ground-level ozone in rural agricultural or forested areas (non-urban areas), 2) to study the biological effects of ozone on vegetation, and 3) through outreach activities, to inform the public as to the adverse effects of ground-level ozone on agriculture and forestry.