IMPROVE Overview

(Interagency Monitoring for Protected Visual Environments)

The Air Quality Group operates the national IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring for Protected Visual Environments) particulate monitoring network. The Clean Air Act protects visibility at 156 mandatory federal Class I areas. These areas include most National Parks and Wilderness areas.

The IMPROVE network was established in 1987 by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Land Managers (the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management). CNL has been the only contractor for this network.

Since 1999, the IMPROVE network has been expanding to cover 155 of the Class I areas using 110 sampling sites. An additional 53 sites have been installed or will be installed at other sites for EPA, the Federal Land Managers, states, and tribes.

The Air Quality Group periodically conducts special studies for the various IMPROVE agencies.

The VIEWS website is the main portal for information about IMPROVE and other major monitoring programs.  IMPROVE data can be downloaded from the VIEWS website.

For more information about IMPROVE at UC Davis, contact Chuck McDade, the Principal Investigator.