U.S. Air Quality

Ozone Levels Creeping Up Across Eastern U.S. -- Adios Amigos

The AIRNow time-lapse image of ozone levels (below left) shows Code Yellow (Moderate) ozone levels developing about noon local time, then spreading, until they peak about 5:00 pm local time and pretty quickly decrease. This expected diurnal pattern of ozone stretches from Texas and New Mexico, to the Upper Midwest, and across to the Northeast. Today’s OMI tropospheric NO2 image (below right) also shows relatively elevated NO2 levels across much of the Eastern U.S.

AIRNow also shows us that PM2.5 was at Code Yellow (moderate) levels in the Midwest and Southern California. Terra AOD only picked up elevated aerosol levels in Southern California and Nevada (below right).

Despite the Red Flag Warnings for fires that Amy mentioned yesterday, fairly few fires were picked up today by NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product in the U.S today.

For regular readers, this will be my last blog for awhile... Thanks to Ray, Jill, Amy, Ruben, Nikisa, and Ana for including me, and teaching me how to blog! Please also keep an eye on the “sister” Mesoamerican and Caribbean Smog Blog that UMBC and NASA kindly helped us launch, which is now operated by our partners at CATHALAC and University of Panama.

Posted by Erica Zell at May 20, 2009 7:26 PM