We study the variability of the warm absorber and the gas responsible for the emission lines in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, in order to constrain the location and physical properties of these components. Using X-ray spectra taken with the textit{Chandra}$-$LETGS in 2002 and 2005, we study variability in the ionic column densities and line intensities. We find a lower ion{O}{vii} forbidden emission line flux in 2005, while the Fe K$alpha$ line flux stays constant. The warm absorber is less ionized in 2005, allowing us to constrain its location to within 7 pc of the central source. Using both the observed variability and the limit on the FWHM of the ion{O}{vii} f line, we have constrained the location of the narrow line region to a distance of 1 pc from the central source. The apparent lack of variability of the Fe K$ alpha$ line flux does not allow for a unique explanation.
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