The Smog Days of Summer (and Spring, and Fall)

EPA says climate change could worsen smog levels, extend smog season

Posted at 8:38 AM on 11 Jul 2008

In a draft report released Thursday, the U.S. EPA said smog levels could increase significantly in many areas of the United States due to climate change, especially in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Smog is mainly a summer phenomenon in most places, caused by sunlight reacting with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. However, climate change could expand the smog season into spring and fall as well. Climate change could cause more smoggy days and increased smog levels by prompting plants to release more VOCs and by increasing the frequency of lightning storms, which are natural sources of nitrogen oxides. "These findings also indicate, that, where climate-change-induced increases in [smog] do occur, damaging effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and health will be especially pronounced, due to increases in the frequency of extreme pollution events," the analysis said.

sources: Associated Press, Reuters

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Comments: (6 comments)

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Can't...breath...must...escape....

I live in Kent.

It's real close to Seatac Airport.

And several major highways.

And a lot of people drive.

Today's air quality?

Great: http://www.pscleanair.org/airq/pmtrend/default.aspx?area= ...

by jabailo at 10:26 AM on 11 Jul 2008

The funny thing

The funny, and tragic, thing about this is that particulate pollution actually masks global warming and cools the Earth. The forcing for warming still happens in the background, though.

The more we clean up sooty particulate pollution, the more global warming comes to reveal itself, all other factors being equal. But of course we have to mitigate both.

There is an excellent PBS NOVA episode about this. It was not a popular episode and is only available via WGBH if you say you are an "educator". The episode title is "Dimming the Sun".

by christophersj at 11:21 AM on 11 Jul 2008

Jabailo

You also live where there is an airflow from offshore. And Tacoma is a lightweight in the pollution world. You should come to L.A. where the mountains trap it.

by christophersj at 11:23 AM on 11 Jul 2008

congratulations...

...but not every location is fortunate enough to have topography and weather patterns that inhibit smog, like the PS area does.

A good source for air quality readings for every metro area in the country is the EPA AirNow site:

http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.fcsummary

This time of year, Houston is usually the worst, but fires are hitting California and North Carolina air quality hard at the moment.

by wendigo at 11:27 AM on 11 Jul 2008
[ Parent ]

Higher Temps = Less Smog

The higher temperatures will allow the smog to rise higher and waft over the mountains.

by jabailo at 11:31 AM on 11 Jul 2008

Alternate reality check

John, do you base any of your predictions for an awesome climate change future in reality? You're like the Savvy Traveler for some weird Bizarro Earth.

Smog is created by heat, not ameliorated by it, and if you had ever been to LA in the middle of summer, you wouldn't say such patently homicidal nonsense about southern California thriving in higher temperatures. If LA gets any hotter, the smog will be the least of people's worries.

by PBrazelton at 11:57 AM on 11 Jul 2008

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