| Abstract: | Snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park has increased substantially in the past three decades. In areas of greatest snowmobile use, elevated levels of by-products of gasoline combustion such as ammonium and benzene have been detected in snowpack samples. Annual snowpacks and snow-covered roadways trap deposition from local and regional atmospheric emissions.
Snowpack samples representing most of the winter precipitation were collected at about the time of maximum annual snow accumulation at a variety of locations in the park to observe effects of a range of snowmobile traffic levels. Concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds in snow samples from pairs of sites located directly in and off snow-packed roadways used by snowmobiles were compared to concentrations in samples collected at nearby off-road sites. Concentrations of ammonium were 2 to 5 times higher for the in-road snow compared to off-road snow for each pair of sites. Thus, concentrations decreased rapidly with distance from roadways. In addition, concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, sulfate, benzene, and toluene in snow were positively correlated with snowmobile use. |
| Genre: | USGS Numbered Series |
| ProdID: | 27831 |
| Citation Author: | Ingersoll, George P. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | - |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | |
| Citation Issue: | |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | ENGLISH |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | iv, 23 p. :col. ill., col. map ;28 cm. |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey :
Information Services [distributor], |
| Citation Series: | Water-Resources Investigations Report |
| Citation Series Code: | WRI |
| Citation Series Number: | 99-4148 |
| Citation Search Results Text: | Effects of snowmobile use on snowpack chemistry in Yellowstone National Park, 1998; 1999; WRI; 99-4148; Ingersoll, George P. |
| Citation Start Page: | |
| Citation Volume: | |
| Citation Year: | 1999 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Effects of snowmobile use on snowpack chemistry in Yellowstone National Park, 1998; 1999; WRI; 99-4148; Ingersoll, George P. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/usgs_thumb.jpg |
| URL (INDEX PAGE): | http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/wri994148 |
| Date Other: | Thu, 1 Feb 2001 00:00 -0600 |
| Publisher: | U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey :
Information Services [distributor], |
