2008 Alaska Park Science Symposium
October 14, 2008
Atmospheric Input of Contaminants Stemming from Ship Emissions in Southwest Alaska National Parks
Stacy E. Porter1, Nicole Molders2
1Department of Atmospheric Science, Geophysical Institute & College of Natural Science and Mathematics, USA, Phone 907-474-5606, seporter@gi.alaska.edu
2Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks , Fairbanks, AK, USA
The national parks of coastal southwest Alaska are seemingly untouched by anthropogenic pollutants; however, most of these parks are in close vicinity of major shipping lanes. The emissions from these ships can be transformed and transported over relatively long distances especially during the photochemically active summer tourist season. With the exception of a few local stipulations, shipping emissions are for the most part unregulated, which allows for huge amounts of pollutants, such as SO2, NOx, etc., to be released into the atmosphere. These pollutants can have severe impacts on air quality and cause significant damage through wet and dry deposition into coastal waters and ecosystems. Model simulations for a typical summer tourist season will be presented without and with the inclusion of ship emissions for comparison in order to identify the impact on the coastal landscapes of Alaska, including several national parks and preserves.
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