NORTH CAROLINA'S INTEGRATED AIR QUALITY AND METEOROLOGICAL MONITORING NETWORKS

摘要

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) developed the NC Air Awareness program in the spring of 1997. The key components of the program include: (1) educational outreach, media exposure, and a citizen awareness campaign, and (2) the production of a daily air quality forecast. Initially, the program provided air quality forecasts in the Charlotte metropolitan area based on the Federal 1-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone. The program transitioned to air quality forecasts based on the 8-hour ozone NAAQS in 1998, and the program has now expanded to include five metropolitan areas in North Carolina. During this five-year period, NCDAQ has identified and established a unique air quality and meteorological monitoring infrastructure that is fundamental to a credible air quality forecasting program.