Atmospheric Science Research at Whiteface Mountain, NY: Site Description and History

Abstract

Whiteface Mountain, with an elevation of 1483 m above sea level, is a relatively low mountain by global standards. At the same time, the summit is some 90 m above the tree line and it is the fifth highest peak in the Adirondack Mountain Range of New York State. Whiteface Mountain is set apart from the other Adirondack High Peaks, providing an ideal location for many types of atmospheric measurements. The geographical location in the northeastern U.S., the lone massif character of the mountain, and the fact that the summit is very often enveloped in cloud has made the observatory an attractive place for scientific research. A four story building specifically for the purposes of scientific research and fire monitoring was built on the summit in 1971. The headquarters of the Whiteface Mountain facility, the Marble Mountain Lodge, is perched on the shoulder of the massif at an elevation of 604 m a.s.l. In some cases the same measurements are made at the two locations to explore the two different but geographically close environments. A summary of past and current measurement activity at both locations is presented in the paper along with selected examples of data sets, analyses, and applications. Important research in the areas of forest ecology, cloud water chemistry, precipitation chemistry, reactive trace gases, and airborne particulate matter are reviewed. Collected data sets for temperature and ozone at the summit are presented, as well as research linking the measured gaseous SO 2 to acid deposition at this location. In addition, an example is given using this long-term data for both gases and particulate matter that helps to establish the accountability of air pollution regulations in the control of sulfur oxides.

Biogenic, urban, and wildfire influences on the molecular composition of dissolved organic compounds in cloud water

“…Identified high molecular weight compounds were compared to lists of molecular tracers of aqueous-phase reactions, identified in previous laboratory studies, to gain further insights into the aqueous-phase processing of biogenic, urban, and wildfire-influenced air masses. (Schwab et al, 2016b). Sampling times are provided in Table 1.…”

Atmospheric Chemistry Measurements at Whiteface Mountain, NY: Cloud Water Chemistry, Precipitation Chemistry, and Particulate Matter

“…As noted by Schwab et al (2016) the summit is frequently in cloud, and cloud collection has been an important activity at the Whiteface summit beginning in the 1970s. Due to high and erratic winds, the summit is not an appropriate site for precipitation collection.…”

Overview of the Special Issue “Selected Papers from the 2nd Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics at Mountain Sites Symposium”

“…Schwab et al (2016a, b) and Brandt et al (2016) are three companion papers describing measurements at Whiteface Mountain in the Andirondack Mountain region in northern New York. Schwab et al (2016a) presents a historical overview of the site and its measurements, making the case for the utility of long-term monitoring while the other two papers provide more detailed findings about the aerosol, cloud, and precipitation measurements (Schwab et al, 2016b) and ozone and trace gases (Brandt et al, 2016). In particular, both the aerosol and gas phase measurements collected over a period of 40 years at Whiteface Mountain highlight the past success of air pollution regulation under the U.S. Clean Air Act and Amendments and pave the way for future progress in reducing air pollution.…”