October 12, 2012
Good air quality with exception of Northwest and Southeast
Air quality was mostly good in most of the US (bottom, right). Ozone levels were within the good range throughout the country and throughout the day.
Fires in the Northwest continue to cause moderate to unhealthy levels of PM2.5 in Idaho and Washington. Many fires were reported over Eastern North Dakota as well, but air quality did not seem to be affected.
Below are the MODIS Aqua AOD retrievals over that region, showing elevated AOD values (left), and the HMS fire and smoke product over that same region (right).
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Moderate levels of PM2.5 were also observed in the Southeastern portion of the US. HMS reported fires and some smoke over the region (left). AOD values were mostly low, but some elevated values were observed over Mississippi and Alabama. However, extensive cloud coverage in the area hindered most of the satellite observations in that area.
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