LOCALadk Magazine

Winter 2016 LOCALadk Magazine 48 LOCALadk observation deck that was enclosed as part of a comprehensive renovation project in 2012. The summit and observatory has paved road access via the Veterans Memorial Highway, AC pow- er, and fiber optic internet service. To allow comparisons between low and high elevation atmo- spheric conditions, the same trace gas, particulate and weather measurements are made at the Whiteface summit as the Lodge site. But what makes the Whiteface summit observatory unique and unparalleled in the Adirondacks is the ability to study the clouds themselves. Analysis of cloud water provides the most reliable information on the amount of pollution being transport- ed to the Adirondacks from other regions. The Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation collects cloud water in the warm months of June through September. They use a custom-designed appara- tus that automatically measures changes in liquid water content. The ASRC cloud collector was developed at the Whiteface Moun- tain Field Station by Ray Falconer and other scientists to better understand the role clouds play in the deposition of pollutants in high elevation ecosystems. The collection and chemical analysis of cloud water from the summit of Whiteface Mountain began in 1976 and continues to this day. The data collected from these cloud water samples has played a major role in quantifying the deposition rates of acid rain precursors on the summit of White- face. The ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station is ideally suited to conduct environmental monitoring programs and to support a range of ecological research studies. One of the primary reasons for tracking atmospheric trace gases and particulates at White- face is to gauge the effectiveness of pollution controls. Acid rain research and monitoring programs have been very successful here for over forty years. While much scientific work remains to be done, the ASRC has played a vital role in researching the impact of pollution in the Adirondack Park. Recent reductions in pollution emissions that cause acid rain have been largely attributed to the Clean Air Act amendments, which were based in part on environmental mon- itoring and research programs conducted in the Adirondack region (including ASRC). In amending legislation to strengthen emissions caps and incentives, policy-makers and regulators re- quired a metric to determine if air pollution controls were having the intended effect and were cost-effective. In the case of acidic deposition, the mandated pollution control has led to a remark- able decrease of acidic precipitation precursors and an increase in precipitation pH. The success of these acid rain research and monitoring programs can be built upon to address other areas of environmental concern. Paul Casson Anne Brewer Paul Casson

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