Air Quality
Poor air quality often interferes with hikers' ability to see the Trail’s famous vistas. Because visibility is influenced by the amount of dust, fossil fuel emissions and other pollutants floating in the air, it can be as useful an indicator as precise measurements of specific pollutants. In addition to reducing visibility of A.T. viewsheds, high ozone levels, greenhouse gas emissions, and other forms of air pollution have consequences for both ecosystem and human health. The airborne pollutants associated with bad air quality decrease growth and increase water usage of various species of trees and plants, acidify streams and lakes, and leach nutrients out of the soil. Air pollution can also cause or worsen respiratory problems. Hikers experience the short term effects of ozone in the form of coughing, shortness of breath, pain when breathing deeply, and aggravated asthma. The effect of ozone on lung tissues is akin to a sunburn, and scientists are also concerned that repeated short-term damage from ozone exposure may permanently injure the lung. Little of the air pollution experienced by hikers along the A.T. is generated in close proximity to the Trail. Concentrated industrial and electric power generation facilities, pollution from large cities and along major highways, and higher humidity levels than in the west all contribute to air pollution problems experienced on the Trail and by people who live in the eastern U.S. Because air knows no boundaries, pollutants released into the atmosphere are blown throughout the region. For this reason, air pollution along the A.T. can be considered an indicator of air pollution throughout much of the east. The National Park Service, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection agency and states, has been monitoring air quality in Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park since the early 1980s. Data shows slowly improving air quality that is not yet comparable to natural clean air conditions. A.T. thru-hikers are currently exposed to high levels of ozone 24 hours per day for weeks at a time, and backcountry rangers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are not allowed to go in the field on high ozone days. By continuing and expanding air quality monitoring along the Appalachian Trail, A.T. MEGA-Transect partners will be providing the American public and policy-makers with information necessary to protect human health, reach the goals of existing clean air legislation, and preserve our natural resources. Help monitor air quality on the A.T. by becoming a visibility volunteer.
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Air quality describes the level of pollutants in the air. Good air quality exists when ozone, dust, and other pollutant levels are near natural levels.
