Overview
Medicine Lake is an IMPROVE air monitoring station in Sheridan County, Montana, operated by the National Park Service. It provides data on visibility and particulate matter for the region.
Medicine Lake is an air monitoring station located in Sheridan County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network, which focuses on visibility and particulate matter monitoring. The station is operated by the National Park Service and contributes to the national air quality monitoring infrastructure. The station operates under the regulatory framework of the US EPA Air Quality System (AQS), which sets standards for criteria pollutants and visibility. As an IMPROVE site, it specializes in measuring fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and other parameters relevant to haze and visibility, supporting the Regional Haze Rule. The station provides continuous data with recent sampling as of February 2025. Medicine Lake's location in rural Montana provides representative background air quality data for the Northern Great Plains. The data supports understanding of regional haze, long-range transport of pollutants, and compliance with visibility goals. This monitoring is essential for assessing the effectiveness of air quality management programs in the region.
Environmental context
The Medicine Lake station monitors visibility and particulate matter in a rural area of Montana, contributing to the IMPROVE network's goal of tracking regional haze. The site's location in Sheridan County provides baseline data for the Northern Great Plains, away from major urban sources. The monitoring supports the EPA's Regional Haze Rule and helps assess the impact of transported pollutants on visibility in Class I areas.
Frequently asked questions
Medicine Lake air monitoring station is located in Sheridan County, Montana, United States, near the town of Medicine Lake.
As part of the IMPROVE network, Medicine Lake measures fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and other parameters related to visibility and haze.
The station is operated by the National Park Service under the IMPROVE program.
The station operates under the US EPA Air Quality System (AQS) and supports the Regional Haze Rule, which aims to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.
Rural monitoring stations like Medicine Lake provide baseline data on background air quality, helping to assess long-range transport of pollutants and the effectiveness of regional air quality management.
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