National Atmospheric Deposition Program

What National Atmospheric Deposition Program does

The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), established in 1978, is a publicly-funded scientific monitoring consortium that operates six specialized atmospheric deposition networks across more than 350 sites in the United States and Canada. Headquartered at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, NADP is operated under the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and funded through federal appropriations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program's core networks include the National Trends Network (NTN, ~250 sites) for acids, nutrients, and base cations in precipitation; the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN, ~80 sites) and Atmospheric Mercury Network (AMNet) for mercury tracking; the Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN); the Mercury Litterfall Network (MLN); and the newly launched Passive Mercury Pilot Network (2025) and PFAS Sub-Network.

NADP's underlying technology stack relies on automated precipitation collectors with weekly sampling, centralized laboratory analysis via ion chromatography, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, and flow injection analysis, plus passive samplers (Tekran MerPAS, Radiello, ALPHA). The program processes approximately 250 samples weekly and disseminates all data free of charge through its website (nadp.slh.wisc.edu) in the form of individual data points, seasonal and annual averages, trend plots, gradient maps, and reports. With only 7 program office employees, NADP operates as a highly leveraged public infrastructure coordinated through a committee governance structure that includes federal agencies, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the National Park Service, and academic researchers.

NADP does not operate a commercial business model. There is no pricing for data, no sales motion, and no revenue from data monetization; funding flows from federal and state government appropriations. End-users — federal and state environmental agencies, academic researchers, and environmental policymakers — access NADP data at no cost for Clean Air Act regulatory development, air quality management, ecosystem health assessment, mercury deposition tracking, and policy formulation. The program's primary commercial-adjacent value proposition is its 45+ year continuous, standardized data record and its role as a primary data source for federal environmental regulation under the Clean Air Act.

Name

National Atmospheric Deposition Program

Legal name

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP)

Website

https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) is a publicly-funded scientific consortium, established in 1978, that operates 350+ atmospheric deposition monitoring sites across the U.S. and Canada, providing free, standardized environmental data on acids, mercury, ammonia, and nutrients to federal and state agencies, academic researchers, and environmental policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Data Dissemination: NADP disseminates all monitoring data through its website at no charge to users. The program appears to be funded through federal and state government appropriations, with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at University of Wisconsin-Madison serving as the Program Office.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NADP operates a coordinated system of atmospheric deposition monitoring networks across North America, collecting and chemically analyzing precipitation samples at more than 350 sites to produce long-term records of acids, nutrients, base cations, mercury, ammonia, and other airborne pollutants. The program disseminates all monitoring data free of charge through its website for use by federal and state agencies, academic researchers, and policymakers. It is administered by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funded primarily through federal and state government appropriations.

Product overview

The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) operates as a unified environmental monitoring platform consisting of multiple specialized networks that track atmospheric deposition across North America. The core product portfolio includes six monitoring networks: the National Trends Network (NTN) for acid rain and nutrients in precipitation, the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) and Atmospheric Mercury Network (AMNet) for mercury tracking, the Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN) for atmospheric ammonia, the Mercury Litterfall Network (MLN) for forest mercury deposition, and the Passive Mercury Pilot Network for cost-effective GEM measurements. These networks are complemented by the PFAS Sub-Network (PFN) under NTN. NADP also supports research through science committees (TDep, CLAD, MELD, AMSC) and advisory groups (DMAG, QAAG) that ensure data quality and advance deposition science. The networks collectively span over 350 monitoring sites across the U.S. and Canada, with weekly sample collection and analysis providing long-term data on precipitation chemistry, air quality, and environmental deposition trends since 1978.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Trends Network (NTN): Provides a long-term record of the acids, nutrients, and base cations in U.S. precipitation
• Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)
• Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN)
• Atmospheric Mercury Network (AMNet)
• Mercury Litterfall Network (MLN)
• NADP Precipitation Network
• PFAS Sub-Network (PFN)

Products and services

• National Trends Network (NTN) Provides a long-term record of the acids, nutrients, and base cations in U.S. precipitation through approximately 250 sites located away from point sources of pollution, using automated precipitation collectors and weekly sample collection. Used by federal and state environmental agencies, academic researchers, and air quality managers for tracking acid rain and nutrient deposition trends.
• Mercury Deposition Network (MDN)

Quantifiable outcome

• Wet sulfate deposition decreased 30 percent since early 1990s in eastern United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EPA provides funding, co-leads the MELD science committee, and uses NADP data for Clean Air Act regulatory development. EPA staff participate in network operations and quality assurance programs.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison (Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene hosts the NADP Program Office and serves as the central coordinating body for all NADP networks, providing administrative, technical, and data management support since 1978.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGS participates in external QA programs and provides technical review of analytical laboratories. USGS staff are members of various NADP committees including QAAG.
• National Park ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPS collaborates with NADP on field studies including the SNiPiT TN/TP add-on study and uses NADP data for park resource management.
• Colorado State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU serves as a laboratory comparison site for the National Park Service's SNiPiT Total Nitrogen/Total Phosphorous study, collaborating with EPA and USFS.
• State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAES representatives participate in NADP Executive Committee, providing input on network operations and serving as site operators.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): USGS is a core federal partner of NADP, providing external QA programs and technical review of analytical laboratories. USGS scientists also use NADP data for hydrogeological and ecosystem research, making it a closely aligned public-sector collaborator.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): EPA both funds NADP and operates its own atmospheric monitoring programs (CASTNET, AirNow). As the primary regulatory customer and co-lead of multiple NADP committees, EPA is closely tied to NADP's mission and operations.
• Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW): WMO's Global Atmosphere Watch program coordinates worldwide atmospheric composition monitoring including deposition. Operates at a broader international scale than NADP with overlapping pollutants (sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, aerosols) and methodologies.
• AirNow (EPA / NOAA / NPS / tribal / state / local air quality reporting): AirNow is the U.S. national real-time air quality reporting program for criteria pollutants (ozone, PM2.5). While focused on ambient concentrations rather than deposition, AirNow is a complementary federal air quality monitoring program frequently used alongside NADP data.

Emerging players

• Aclima: Aclima operates a dense mobile and stationary air quality sensor network producing hyperlocal pollution data. Represents an emerging private-sector alternative to traditional deposition monitoring that could complement or compete with NADP's static-site approach over time.
• Pace Analytical Services: Pace Analytical is a major U.S. environmental testing laboratory network that performs analytical services for environmental monitoring including atmospheric deposition. While commercial, its analytical capabilities and quality frameworks are comparable to NADP's laboratory operations.

Direct peers

• European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP): EMEP is the European equivalent of NADP under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, operating continental-scale atmospheric deposition and pollution monitoring networks. Directly comparable in mission, scope, and methodology to NADP.
• Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP): AMAP monitors Arctic pollution including atmospheric deposition of mercury and persistent organic pollutants, working with NADP and equivalent networks. Comparable scientific mission with regional focus on atmospheric contaminant pathways.
• Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET): EPA's Clean Air Status and Trends Network is the federal counterpart for dry deposition monitoring, providing complementary atmospheric air quality and deposition data. Operates in the same regulatory and scientific space as NADP and is sometimes jointly cited for emissions trend analysis.

Regional players

• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Air Quality Monitoring: Canada's federal air quality monitoring program operates CAPMoN (Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network), which is directly comparable to NADP and contributes data alongside the Mercury Deposition Network's Canadian sites.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalAtmosphericDepositionProgram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-atmospheric-deposition-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/nadp1978

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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