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PROPOSAL:

Recognize and Appropriate Funds, and Execute Contract with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to Provide Upper-Air Wind and Temperature Monitoring Services

SYNOPSIS:

During the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided supplemental upper air wind and temperature monitoring services for the Basin. The data provide additional valuable information on pollution transport through the region. This action proposes to execute a contract with NOAA to maintain a network of four upper-air radar profilers in the Basin for a one-year period. The data will provide technical support for the MATES-II study as well as fine particulate monitoring for the Technical Enhancement Program for the 2000 AQMP. This action is to recognize $175,000 from ARB and appropriate their funds to the FY 1998-99 Budget and execute a contract at a cost not to exceed $350,000.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, September 18, 1998, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Recognize $175,000 in revenue upon receipt from ARB and appropriate $175,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Planning and Policy FY 1998-99 Services and Supplies Major Object/Professional and Special Services Account.

2. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with ARB to receive $175,000 for the upper-air wind and temperature monitoring services.

3. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, using AQMD co-funding of $175,000 for a total cost not to exceed $350,000, to provide upper-air wind and temperature monitoring services.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Acting Executive Officer

Background

Upper-air wind and temperature monitoring is critical to the determination of daily transport patterns and the capacity to disperse regional smog. The AQMD maintains upper air monitoring sites at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Ontario International Airport (ONT). The instrumentation used to monitor the upper air winds is a 915 MHz radar wind profiler (RWP). Profiles of vertical temperature are determined using the radar and a radio acoustic sounding system (RASS). The upper-air sites were funded by EPA pass-through monies for the Photochemical Air Monitoring Stations (PAMS) program. Similar upper-air monitoring sites have been established in the San Diego Air Basin and South Central Coast Air Basin via a similar funding mechanism. This network of upper-air sites (six in Southern California) provides significantly more information than balloon-borne sounding programs of the past. However, even this enhanced real-time continuous data acquisition network is limited in scope to provide the extent of information needed for the regional scale modeling and transport analyses needed for the 2000 AQMP revision and the MATES-II study.

During the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study (SCOS97), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was contracted by ARB to provide supplemental upper-air wind and temperature monitoring services for the Basin. Nine additional profiler sites were established by NOAA under the terms of the contact. These nine sites in conjunction with the existing network and six additional upper-air monitoring sites provided by ARB comprised the most extensive upper-air characterization of Southern California to date. The data obtained from this network was of high quality and clearly met the objectives outlined in EPA’s guideline requirements for regional modeling analyses.

Following SCOS97, and continuing through this summer, NOAA has maintained a limited network of RWP and RASS sites, primarily for NOAA research interests investigating the El Niņo impact on West Coast weather. With the return of more typical weather patterns this summer, elevated observed ozone concentrations have returned. Considering this and the existing need to acquire additional data to address the 2000 AQMP and MATES-II modeling, the ARB and AQMD are jointly proposing to continue an enhanced upper-air monitoring program in the Basin. The data would also provide technical support to the fine particulate monitoring program and the MATES-II toxic monitoring program. ARB has provided in-kind support by siting two of its mobile RWP/RASS systems in the Basin this past summer. To maintain a level of data acquisition comparable to that of SCOS97, ARB and the AQMD are jointly recommending to execute a contract with NOAA to continue operation and maintenance of their profiler network in the Basin through the fall of 1999. Data from a total of four sites would be provided under the terms of the agreement.

Proposal

The proposed project would be performed by the Meteorological Applications and Assessment Division (MAAD) of NOAA’s Environmental Technology Lab (ETL). The four sites selected for profiler operation are: the campus of the University of Southern California, Irwindale, Santa Catalina Island, and San Clemente Island. The equipment to be deployed includes four 915 MHz radar wind profilers with RASS to provide the vertical hourly wind and virtual temperature structure. In addition, four surface 10-meter tower meteorological monitoring systems will be co-located at the profile sites to provide hourly measurements of wind, temperature, pressure, relative humidity, solar and net radiation. The real-time data will be available to the AQMD and ARB via the internet and anonymous file transfer protocol (FTP). Edited and postprocessed data will be provided to the AQMD and ARB within six months of the end of each phase of the project. Final edited data will be provided to the ARB and AQMD no later than the end of March 2000.

The proposed sole source contract with NOAA, "Radar Wind Profiler Support for Southern California Ozone Studies: 1998-1999" (see Attachment) will provide upper-air RWP/RASS monitoring at four sites in the Basin for a 1-year period beginning around November 1998. The project is proposed for two phases: 1) the AQMD will fund the first 6-month period; and 2) a second 6-month period will follow immediately contingent upon receipt and recognition of funding from ARB. The total funds for this project are not to exceed $350,000 to be funded jointly by ARB ($175,000) and AQMD ($175,000) from PAMS pass-through monies approved by the Governing Board at its August 14, 1998 meeting.

Benefits to AQMD

The proposed contract with NOAA will provide supplemental upper-air meteorological data acquisition critical to the characterization of ozone and particulate episodes in the Basin. The proposed program is consistent with the scope and focus of the PAMS program objectives to develop enhanced data for regional modeling and assessment of ongoing air quality and emissions trends. The data will provide critical technical support for the 2000 AQMP regional air quality modeling analyses as well as providing an enhanced weather profile for characterizing toxic compounds monitored by the Mates-II study. The proposed enhanced RWP/RASS network, including the two ARB and four NOAA profilers, will enable the AQMD to analyze meteorological air quality episodes with a level of data acquisition comparable to the SCOS97 field monitoring program.

The enhanced data acquisition will also provide valuable real-time information for the daily air quality forecast, special monitoring programs and hazardous response programs.

Sole Source Justification

Four RWP/RASS systems are currently operated in the Basin by NOAA. In anticipation of a contract award, NOAA has agreed to begin making arrangements to extend agreements to operate the systems at the four sites through the fall of 1999.

Section VIII(B) of the Procurement Policy Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for sole source award is made under provisions B.2.c. and B.2.d(1).

Section B.2.c. states: The desired services are available from only the sole source based upon one or more of the following reasons: (1) The unique experience and capabilities of the proposed contractor or contractor team; (2) The project involves the use of proprietary technology; or (3) The contractor has ownership of key assets required for project performance. NOAA is the developer of the RWP/RASS systems and certain elements of the system are proprietary. Other potential bidders would be contracting with NOAA to provide similar services. In addition, NOAA has provided this service to the AQMD and other governmental agencies in the past.

Section B.2.d(1) states: Other circumstances exist which in the determination of the Executive Officer require such waiver in the best interests of the AQMD. Specifically, the reason is B.2.d(1) projects involves cost-sharing by multiple sponsors. The proposed project is being funded jointly with costs equally shared by AQMD and ARB. Both ARB and AQMD technical staff have been involved in the review of the NWS proposal.

Resource Impacts

Following is the expected cost-share for the proposed upper-air wind and temperature monitoring program:

Cost to the AQMD for the proposed upper-air wind and temperature monitoring program will not exceed $175,000. Sufficient funds are available in the FY 1998-99 Budget from EPA pass-through funding to AQMD from the PAMS program as approved by the Governing Board at its August 14, 1998 meeting.

Attachment
Proposed Statement of Work and Budget

Attachment

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Proposed Statement of Work and Budget

"Radar Wind Profiler Support for Southern California

Proposed

Statement of Work and Budget

10 August 1998

Radar Wind Profiler Support for Southern California
Ozone Studies: 1998-1999

Williams D. Neff
Clark W. King
Allen B. White

Meteorological Applications and Assessment Division
Environmental Technology Laboratory
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Attn: R/E/ET7
325 Broadway
Boulder Colorado 80303

Statement of Work

The Meteorological Applications and Assessment Division (MAAD) of NOAA’S Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL) proposes to provide processed and quality controlled data from its wind profilers currently located in southern California and to continue their operation through at least 31 October 1999. Currently operating sites include San Clemente Island, Santa Catalina Island, University of Southern California, and Goleta (see http://www7.etl.noaa.gov/data/ for current data availability). It is our expectation that the Goleta site will continue to operate with support from the local air quality district through 1999. Data from these four sites will be provided for the period 1 June – 31 October 1998. Under this proposed SOW, four sites would be operated from 1 November 1998 through 31 October 1999. These include San Clemente Island, Santa Catalina Island, and the University of Southern California. A fourth site will be added near Azusa by 1 November 1998. If Goleta continue to operate, its data will also be supplied as part of the final database.

Budget: Profiler Operations and Data Processing 1998-1999

Observing System Support (These cost represent our usual one-time and recurring costs in developing, constructing, repairing, and upgrading our profiler network including advances in signal processing and analysis methods, supporting meteorological instrumentation, and data support system):

*Includes labor and parts.

Field Support Costs:

Travel:

Data Processing and Editing:

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