U.S. Air Quality

Smoke, Haze, and some Dust…

Very unhealthy air quality (EPA AirNow) remains in Northern California. The rest of the nation is experiencing mostly moderate (code yellow) conditions. Smoke is apparent in most of the Country. More specifically, in the Northwest, smoke is likely from California fires. Refer to the MODIS AOD map (left; NOAA-UMBC GASP IDEA) for intensity. The true color MODIS image (UW MODIS Today) is on the right. Aerosol is also present over the Great Plains region; most of it is likely from fires in Canada. I may receive some images related to the fire events in Canada from a colleague. High AOD over the Northeast is likely due to regional haze, which we are familiar with this time of year. However, smoke aerosols from Canadian fires may also be contributing to that load. See Ruben’s LIDAR post; apparently some of this smoke is aloft over Maryland. Lastly, the AOD is high over the Gulf region. Again, this is probably due to lingering dust.