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Review of the NARSTO Draft Report An Assessment of Tropospheric Ozone Pollution--A North American Perspective (2000) / Chapter Skim
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3 Review of the Draft NARSTO Assessment Document
Pages 12-18

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From page 12...
... However, to facilitate discussions in this report, the committee presents its recommendations as if the revised assessment document were intended to have the fullest policy-relevant perspective. The strengths of the NARSTO assessment document as a scientific review are mirrored by its weakness as a document appropriate for an audience of "decision makers and other stakeholders tasked with managing air quality in North America" (Preface to the document)
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From page 13...
... The NARSTO objective concerning ozone-precursor chemistry and its integration with related-pollutant issues, is not discussed in context except for a brief discussion in the document of fine particulate formation and growth. In summary, the NARSTO assessment document is a scientific assessment addressed to scientists, and succeeds for the most part in meeting this objective.
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From page 14...
... As stated in the document, the 8-fur ozone standard will be harder to meet than the 1-fur standard, because, relative to the 1-fur standard, the 8-fur standard is closer to background concentrations and to concentrations commonly found in rural locations in eastern North America in summer. Regarding the "Key Findings in the Science of Ozone Pollution," Section Ill of the NARSTO assessment document focuses almost exclusively on the situation in the United States, with little discussion about Canada, except in the context of observed trends; the unique case of the aggregation of urban communities into Mexico City receives scant attention.
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From page 15...
... For example, this could be done in the Executive Summary of the document under the scientific question that asks, "What role does meteorology play in regional and urban ozone pollution episodes? " The single finding states simplistically that "both stationary and transported air masses contribute to the ozone pollution problem." Figure Ill.22 of the NARSTO assessment document states, "Note that the transport regimes shown here represent upper level large scale flow." Does "upper level" refer to 850 mb, 700 mb, or 500 mb?
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From page 16...
... That objective could be met by using Los Angeles as an example for ozonecontrof strategies, because this airshed has had more ambient measurements, more inventory work, and more air-quality modeling than other regions of the United States. A quantitative investigation is needed of whether estimated emissions reductions in NOx and VOCs are consistent with observations, and whether the observed reduction in ozone in Los Angeles is consistent with expectation of air-qua~ity models; information that is lacking could be noted.
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From page 17...
... In Chapter 4 of this report, the committee suggests, for the NARSTO assessment document authors' consideration, unmet needs to be addressed by policy-relevant tropospheric ozone research in the hope of aiding NARSTO in this critical task. The NARSTO assessment document would be further strengthened by explicit consideration of how the implications of recent advances in scientific understanding could apply to new approaches to reducing ambient ozone concentrations.
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From page 18...
... Specifically, page x of the Executive Summary of the document includes a key finding that "Feasible changes and additions to network operations could improve national ozone monitoring systems. " Unlike most of the rest of the document, that section goes on to recommend what feasible improvements to network operation would make national monitoring networks more effective.
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Key Terms

  • narsto assessment
  • ozone pollution
  • control strategies
  • tropospheric ozone
  • ozone concentrations

  • emissions reductions
  • ozone precursors
  • regional ozone
  • scientific issues
  • previous assessments

  • emissions inventories
  • scientific review
  • devise control
  • revised assessment
  • observed trends

  • empirical findings
  • ozone standards
  • background concentrations
  • feasible improvements
  • similarly stressed

  • technical manner
  • address policy
  • mean summer
  • explicit consideration
  • scale flow

  • quantitative investigation
  • specific insights
  • represent upper
  • orderly presentation
  • pollution episodes


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