U.S. Air Quality

Unhealthy Air Quality in California due to Wildfires

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles County , as wildfires continue to blaze in southern California. The smoke of this fires is visible in today's MODIS Terra RGB true color image (top right, source UW MODIS TODAY). Ground based lidar measurements (image courtesy of Pavel Ionov, Aerospace Corporation), in El Segundo , CA show that the smoke is confined within the boundary layer which and affecting the air quality of this area. Air Quality reached UNHEALTHY levels as smoke settled into the valleys of Los Angeles County. Ground concentrations as high as 120 ppb and 50 ug/m3 for ozone (below left) and PM2.5 (below right), respectively, were recorded by the monitors of the South Coast Air Quality Management District according to Airnowtech.