June 17, 2008
Great air quality in most of the Northeast; Southeastern Haze/Smoke, and poor air quality in California
For the last week or so we’ve been experience hot, humid conditions in the Northeast. Skies were also quite hazy due to favorable weather conditions and pollution from nearby sources. Today, however, is a different story it seems as though spring has sprung back. We are experiencing wonderful weather in Maryland today. The air quality (shown below; EPA AIRNow) is good (code green) and skies are haze free. This was indeed a fact for most of the Northeast, except for southeast Pennsylvania where some surface monitors measured moderate PM2.5 concentrations.
Haze/smoke still lingers over the Southeast, which is clearly seen in today’s Terra MODIS image (left; source: UW MODIS Today). Also, refer to the HMS map which suggests that smoke is likely present over California and North Central United States. The California smoke plume is visible here (source: UW MODIS Today). Air quality (EPA AIRNow) is mostly moderate in the Southeast (also shown above) and California. This is likely due to the local haze (AOD on right; NOAA UMBC GASP IDEA) seen in the satellite imagery.
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