[Paddlewise] jetskis and air pollution

I just discovered an interesting report on air quality in national parks.
The report is interesting in that it points the finger at snowmobiles as
being a main contributer to air quality problems. "When compared to 
automobile emissions, snowmobiles can emit 100 times more carbon monoxide 
and 300 times more hydrocarbons," the report states.

The report notes a study that was conducted at Yellowstone to monitor
personal exposure for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. 
"The maximum time-weighted concentration of particulate matter on the 
13th and 14th of February showed concentrations of 116 and 122 particulate 
matter, respectively; the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for 
acceptable particulate matter concentrations is 60.  To put this in 
perspective, the maximum 24-hour particulate matter concentration in 
the Los Angeles suburb of Azusa in 1997 was 68." 

The National Park Service summary of the report is available at:

http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/msg00384.html

It's down toward the end of the page. Read the full summary -- it's
interesting. A bit dry, but brutal.

OK, so what does this have to do with kayaking? Simple -- jetskis use the
same two-stroke engines as snowmobiles. I've commented that you can smell
a jetski whether you can hear it or not, and there are a lot of two-stroke
outboards out there as well that even stinkier cusses.

There have been recent attempts to ban two-stroke engines for marine use
in several areas, and they've met with a fair amount of success. While
jetskis and their users can often be a pest, they do have some ground to 
stand on from a fair-use viewpoint, at least to some degree. Air pollution
issues, however, are different, and jetskis are vulnerable to them.

-- Wes

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