Compared to a nearby wildfire that primarily burned vegetation, the smoke plume from the urban Eaton Fire contained 3 times as much arsenic and 50 times as much lead.
air quality
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Zero In on Tiny Particles to Improve Weather and Air Quality Forecasts
A new method for handling satellite aerosol observations boosts simulation accuracy, with potential benefits for weather and climate forecasting.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Where Fire Ends, Chemistry Begins
Once smoke is generated, chemical reactions reshape its gaseous and particulate constituents, altering what travels downwind and what people, ecosystems, and the climate are exposed to.
Posted inFeatures
Chemical Conversations Between Forests and the Sky Affect Air Quality, Clouds, and More
Trees release invisible gases that can create clouds, trap heat, and worsen pollution. Scientists are busy trying to unravel forests’ complex atmospheric contributions in a changing climate.
Posted inScience Updates
The Ozone Paradox: A Growing Cost of a Warmer Atmosphere
Mexico City’s air is getting cleaner, but ozone levels near the ground aren’t decreasing as fast as expected. Climate change is partly to blame.
Posted inScience Updates
Lessons from Linking Great Salt Lake Desiccation and Depression
By melding different expertise and merging disparate datasets, researchers revealed how lake bed dust may be affecting mental health outcomes across Utah.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Which Countries Are Paying the Highest Price for Particulate Air Pollution?
Reducing the effects of air pollution requires estimations of where it costs the most—in both money and lives.
Posted inReport
The State of the Science 1 Year On: Health and Safety
The Trump administration has holistically reevaluated the government’s relationship—and how it responds to threats— to the health and welfare of its citizens.
Posted inReport
The State of the Science 1 Year On: Environment
Administration policies have eliminated funding sources, review processes, and pollution limits designed to protect the nation’s land, water, and air.