Air Pollution

Mean 10-min PM 2.5 levels for each 48-hour scenario at the Salt Lake County schools during a clean, moderate winter persistent air pool (PCAP, inversion) and major PCAP event. The bigger the blue dot, the higher the concentration of PM 2.5 particles. In all three scenarios, the lowest PM 2.5…

Not what you want to see in May.Gif: Earth Wind MapThe last thing anyone wants to deal with right now is severe weather, but here we are. The first tropical storm of the year is likely to form this weekend, two weeks ahead of Atlantic hurricane season’s official start date.A…

Improved air quality in China during the coronavirus quarantine significantly improved the country’s air quality and, in tuen, prevented thousands of pollution-related deaths. Credit: Dreamstime Soon after coronavirus appeared, an all-encompassing quarantine put into effect by the Chinese government slowed the spread of the disease and saved lives, but the…

Daily averages of observed and weather-normalised concentrations of NO₂ in Wuhan, China, between January 2013 and February 2020. Author provided The COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China, resulted in a 63% reduction in nitrogen dioxide concentrations, according to our new research. We have calculated that this drop in air pollution may…

When the Amazon Rainforest burns, illegal loggers and miners are typically to blame. In the past, indigenous communities would patrol their lands every week or fortnight to find criminals looking to loot the forest. These patrols—usually made up of two to six men—deterred illegal land-grabbers from deforesting indigenous territories, which…

Host: Shamini BundellWelcome back to the Nature Podcast. This week, Elisabeth Bik, the scientific image detective…Host: Nick HoweAnd how air pollution can form in cities. I’m Nick Howe.Host: Shamini BundellAnd I’m Shamini Bundell.Host: Shamini BundellFirst up, reporter Adam Levy has made contact with a scientific sleuth.Interviewer: Adam LevyElisabeth Bik spends…

With many economies locked down to slow the spread of coronavirus, people from Beijing to Los Angeles have noticed bluer skies and less smog. Photos from Punjab and Nairobi reveal mountains that had been shrouded in haze for years. Satellites show cleaner air extending across broad swaths of Asia, Europe…

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited vehicle scrappage policy would help in curbing air pollution, reducing fuel consumption and curtailing fatalities in road accidents, while generating demand for new vehicles in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry sources said. The proposed scrappage policy requires support from both the central and state…

Factories in China have ramped up production after the lifting of lockdowns and strict travel restrictions The coronavirus pandemic had cleared smog from China's skies for months, but air pollution has returned with a vengeance as factories rush to ramp up output after going idle during the outbreak. Levels of…

In these figures, Louisiana State University meterologist Paul Miller shows the marked differences in nitrogen dioxide levels, aerosol optical depth and surface temperatures between January and February 2020 in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Paul Miller, LSU. The change in air pollution in China from January to February as…