The Importance Of Quality Assured Field And Analysis Data Supporting The NADP Mercury Deposition Network For Policy Makers, Modelers, And Research Scientist And Other End Users

Ambient Air Measurements
Oral Presentation

Prepared by

Contact Information: RobertBrunette@EurofinsUS.com; 425 686 3556


ABSTRACT

As part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP (http://nadp.sws.illinois.edu/) the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) provides an ongoing, long-term (20+ year) monitoring record of mercury in wet deposition (precipitation) that today includes more than 100 active monitoring stations across the United States and Canada.

The importance of Quality Assurance for both Field and Analysis Data for the Mercury Deposition Network is critical due to the many applications and uses of the data. The MDN data is used in a number of applications including as reported before, monitoring the potential effect of recent National and International initiatives aimed at reducing mercury emissions, including the Mercury Air Toxics Standard (MATS) and Minamata protocol. The MDN is poised to potentially offer an important tool in measuring trends (increasing or decreasing) in Mercury Deposition and therefore assess the effect of these mercury regulations. The Mercury Deposition Network Data is also used worldwide by Policy Makers, Research Scientists, Modelers and a host of additional end users which again emphasizes how critical it is for this data to be Quality Assured, standardized and reliable.

Presented here is an overview of the Mercury Deposition Network Key Quality Assurance features and includes the following:

> MDN High Level Data Use
> End User Applications Of MDN Data
> Critical Role Of MDN Quality Assurance
> MDN Quality Assurance Project Plan Governs All Aspects Of MDN
-Data Completeness Criteria
-Field Site Selection Criteria And Standardization
-Field Quality Assurance
> Field Monitoring Equipment Selection – Monitor And Rain Gauge Approval
> Capture Efficiency
> Ongoing Field Quality Assurance Data
> External Field And Laboratory Quality Assurance Program
> MDN Laboratory Quality Assurance
-ISO-1725 Certified Methods
-Laboratory Intercomparison Studies
-Data Quality Rating Codes