Climate Resilience Dashboard
EIP Project Tracker
Lake Clarity Tracker
Monitoring Dashboard
Parcel Tracker
Threshold Dashboard
Transportation Tracker
This indicator estimates daily emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) based on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission inventory for the California portion of the Tahoe Region. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of a group of highly reactive gasses known as “nitrogen oxides.” In addition to contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution, NO2 is linked with regional haze, global warming, water quality degradation, and a number of adverse effects on the respiratory system. The primary sources of NOX in the Tahoe Basin include on-road motor vehicles, residential fuel combustion, motorized watercraft, off-road equipment, solvent, and fuel evaporation, and off-road recreational vehicles. Regional programs such as reducing automobile use through transit and bike paths and cleaner-burning wood stoves aim to reduce NOX. Annual NOX emission estimates are made by CARB.
Annual estimated nitrogen oxide emissions (tons/day) for the California portion of the Lake Tahoe Region. While the TRPA 1982 Threshold Study Report estimated 1981 NOx daily emissions to be 9.4 tons, CARB estimated 1980 levels to be 5.6 tons/day (black line). Because consistent CARB data exists, CARB estimates are used as the threshold standard. Source: CARB (2015) emission inventory for the California portion of the Lake Tahoe Air Basin and TRPA.
CARB (2015) emission inventory for the California portion of the Lake Tahoe Air Basin and TRPA.
- Status
- Considerably Better Than Target
- Trend
- Moderate Improvement
- Confidence
- High
• Nitrogen emissions from mobile sources in the Basin have declined by more than 66 percent over the last 20 years.
• NOX emissions are likely to continue to decline even further as a result of increasingly strict tailpipe emissions standards.
A map displaying current air quality monitoring stations within the Tahoe Basin.
- This indicator estimates daily emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) based on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission inventory for the California portion of the Lake Tahoe Region and the recently installed monitoring at the TRPA offices in Stateline, Nevada. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of a group of highly reactive gasses known as “nitrogen oxides.” Other nitrogen oxides include nitrous acid and nitric acid. While federal standards cover the entire group of NOx. NO2 is the component of greatest interest and the indicator for the larger group of NOx. In addition to contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution, NO2 is linked with regional haze, global warming, water quality degradation, and a number of adverse effects on the respiratory system. Current scientific evidence links short-term NO2 exposure ranging from 30 minutes to 24-hours with adverse respiratory effects, including airway inflammation in healthy people, and increased respiratory symptoms in people with asthma.
- Ozone is considered a secondary pollutant, created by photochemical reactions between hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in sunlight. The sources of HC and NOx include mobile sources (cars, trucks, boats, aircraft, off-road vehicles, etc.), biomass burning (wood stoves, wildfires, prescribed burning), and consumer products such as solvents. Ozone is transported from populated areas around the Lake Tahoe Region into the basin, and the ambient concentration of O3 is highly dependent on meteorological conditions such as sunlight, temperature, wind speed and mixing conditions.
EIP Indicators
-
Miles of Pedestrian and Bicycle Routes Improved or Constructed
Since 1997 EIP partners have collectively constructed or improved 193 miles of pedestrian and bicycle routes reducing the number of vehicle trips.
-
Non-Compliant Wood Stoves Removed or Retrofitted
This EIP performance measure tracks removal of polluting wood stoves to reduce local air pollution for human and ecosystem health.
Example EIP Projects
-
El Dorado Beach to Ski Run Boulevard Bike Trail
This project completed in 2017 provided a critical 0.75 mile missing link trail within the City of South Lake Tahoe's bike trail network.
- In the most current year data is available, 2020, the estimated NOX emissions are 2.2 tons / day for the Tahoe Region. This is 39% of the 5.6 tons / day standard. Therefore, the current status is considerably better than the target.
- There is a strong decreasing trend in NOX emissions, decreasing at an average rate of 1.8% per year. Therefore, the trend is considered moderate improvement.
- High. NOXxemissions are estimated by CARB using best available science.
- High. NOx emissions have been estimated similarly by CARB through the years and there is a strong decreasing trend.
- High.
No photos available.
No documents available.