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Article
Air pollution and visitation at U.S. national parks
Science Advances
  • David A. Keiser, Iowa State University
  • Gabriel E. Lade, Iowa State University
  • Ivan Rudik, Cornell University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
7-18-2018
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.aat1613
Abstract

Hundreds of millions of visitors travel to U.S. national parks every year to visit America’s iconic landscapes. Concerns about air quality in these areas have led to strict, yet controversial pollution control policies. We document pollution trends in U.S. national parks and estimate the relationship between pollution and park visitation. From 1990 to 2014, average ozone concentrations in national parks were statistically indistinguishable from the 20 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Further, relative to U.S. cities, national parks have seen only modest reductions in days with ozone concentrations exceeding levels deemed unhealthy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We find a robust, negative relationship between in-park ozone concentrations and park visitation. Still, 35% of all national park visits occur when ozone levels are elevated.

Comments

This article is published as D. Keiser, G. Lade, I. Rudik, Air pollution and visitation at U.S. national parks. Sci. Adv. 4, eaat1613 (2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat1613.

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Copyright Owner
The Author(s)
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
David A. Keiser, Gabriel E. Lade and Ivan Rudik. "Air pollution and visitation at U.S. national parks" Science Advances Vol. 4 Iss. 7 (2018) p. eaat 1613
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gabriel-lade/8/