LOCALadk Magazine

47 Winter 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Perched high atop one of the iconic summits of the Adirondack Mountains, nestled among the krummholz and alpine tundra, and carved from the granite of the mountain itself is a historical- ly unique, state-of-the-art scientific research station. Known to locals as the Whiteface Observatory, the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) and Whiteface Mountain Field Station were established on February 16, 1961 by the State University of New York NY) as a University-wide center for the purpose of pro- moting and encouraging programs in basic and applied sciences related to the atmosphere. Located high in the clouds, the mission of ASRC is to enhance our fundamental understanding of the chemical and physical na- ture of the atmosphere, and to apply that knowledge to study the interactions of chemical, physical, geological and biological processes impacting our environment. Situated on Whiteface Mountain, where air masses approaching from the west first en- counter the highlands of New York and New England, there is no other site in the Adirondacks that offers researchers the oppor- tunity to directly study the air masses that shape our weather and transport the pollutants which result in acid rain. The two scientific research facilities which comprise the White- face Mountain Field Station serve the ASRC in fulfilling its mis- sion. The main facility of the Field Station is located at the Mar- ble Mountain Lodge, 110 Marble Mountain Lane in Wilmington, and is perched on the shoulder of the Whiteface massif at an ele- vation of 604 meters (1982'). The Lodge has a large lecture hall, a research laboratory and an office. An annex building houses dry and wet laboratories, offices and storage facilities for refrig- erated and frozen samples. At the Marble Mountain location, ASRC researchers sample the chemical content of the atmosphere, including pollutants and particulates, and continuously monitor weather conditions. At- mospheric trace gases, particulates, and meteorological mea- surements are made at a monitoring site located 30m, or 90' above the lodge. Monitored gases include carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Pollutants measured include sulfates and nitrates that result in acid rain, as well as black carbon sampling, which provide a mea- sure of airborne smoke and combustion-related particulates. These measurements at the Lodge, located at a relatively low el- evation on the mountainside, represent conditions experienced by most of the ecosystems and communities in the Adirondacks. By contrast and by design, The Whiteface Mountain summit ob- servatory makes many of the same measurements and weather observations, but is situated at 1483 meters (4867') elevation. The silo-shaped observatory is three storeys tall. It features an Anne Brewer

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