Northern Contaminants Program - Air Quality Monitoring (NCP-AQM)

The atmospheric monitoring subcomponent of the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) studies long-range transport of anthropogenic organic pollutants in air (AOPA), mercury, and chemicals of emerging arctic concern from around the globe. This subcomponent includes three NCP Core Monitoring Projects, namely “Northern Contaminants Air Monitoring: Organic Pollutant Measurements”, “Mercury Measurements at Alert and Little Fox Lake”, and “Passive Air Sampling Network for Organic Pollutants and Mercury”. Long-term air measurements of contaminants are collected continuously throughout the year. In addition, there are several passive air sampling stations across the Arctic. The data are used to assess the effectiveness of national and international chemical control initiatives. This program is associated with the Chemical Management Plan, the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the Stockholm Convention on POPs, the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Aarhus Protocol on POPs, and the Minimata Convention on Mercury.