Determining Overwater Visibility and Mixing Height Using Satellite and In-Situ Measurements Over the Gulf of Mexico

In this study, the visibility data will be used primarily to study the effects of haze over the Gulf of Mexico. During 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced three regulatory plans to address the most serious air quality problems for the nation. This included a new National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone; new standards for particulate matter; and proposals for new haze regulations to protect and improve visibility in the national parks and wilderness areas (the National Haze Program). EPA regulations regarding the viewing of scenic vistas in locations such as the Breton Island National Wilderness Area (a Class I area) have focused new attention on visibility impacts of pollutant. At present, there are no visibility data available in the Gulf of Mexico. These data should also be useful for the Breton Island National Wilderness Area in addressing the EPA requirements for new haze regulations.

The objectives of this study are:

• to study visibility and haze characteristics over the Gulf of Mexico via satellite and in- situ measurements;
• to determine the mixing height which affects directly the visibility over the Gulf via better parameterization of air-sea interaction, in-situ atmospheric profiler's data, and satellite measurements; and 
• to obtain the hourly visibility data and archived on electronic media (such as diskette or CD).