U.S. Air Quality

Poor air quality in the midwest and Utah

Air quality continued to be poor in Salt Lake City and northern Utah. Adding to that, the residents of Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and points east) are also experiencing increased concentrations of fine particles (AIRNow image, left). These locations correspond generally with high levels of tropospheric NO2 as seen by the OMI instrument (right). Based on this, I suspect that the high levels of particles are likely from local sources of biomass burning (e.g., fireplaces, earth stoves) as well as the usual industrial sources. The same areas are covered in clouds and snow (MODIS image below), so the haze is not visible. It must be cold since you can see some ice on Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.