June 6, 2012
Moderate Ozone in Southwest, Rocky Mountain, Plains States; Smoke over Plains States
Ozone concentrations reached Code Yellow AQI levels, as shown in EPA's Airnow animation, in Arizona, California, Rocky Mountain, and Plains States. The highest tropospheric NO2 concentrations reported over these locations, according to KNMI OMI Google Earth image, are coincidental with locations that experienced the higher ozone measurements. When NO2 is photolysed in the atmosphere, it gives out an atomic oxygen that reacts with O2 to produce ozone.
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NOAA's Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product reported the presence of smoke over Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and Missouri (left image below). This smoke is from the wildfires in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Canada. Smoke was observed as well over most of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and northern Mexico. Regarding the Whitewater/Baldy Complex fires in New Mexico, a total of 263,589 acres have burnt with 30% of the fires contained, according to INCIWEB. Burn scars from these fires are shown in the "false color" image below.
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