air inversions / pollution ? (Portland, Eugene: live in, moving to, air pollution)

[joe_obody999]

Does portland suffer from the air inversions and resulting poor air quality that is down in Eugene? I am considering a move to Oregon, was excited about Eugene but then learned of the air inversions that cause the city air pollution to hand in the valley there; I am wondering is this is the case with Portland? I could see moving to a suburb of Portland if the air quality was okay, because everything else about Oregon looks nice (to add-- i am retired so i would not be taking away any jobs, only infusing into the economy).

[AndyAMG]

Where have you heard this? The willamette valley can be foggy and the air stagnant but thats natural. Seldomly are there any air quality advisories. Anywhere that is in a valley can have a temperature inversion or fog/low clouds. Not really sure what the premise of your post is based on. Can we get some context?

[joe_obody999]

came across that here:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/eugen...r-quality.html
believe me, i wish/hope it is NOT true; i actually have been VERY jazzed about moving to Eugene, then came across the air pollution/inversion thread at the link, caused me to become quite bummed and thus thinking perhaps Portland instead of Eugene; because I am a Minnesotan, Oregon appeals to me because of a similar biome (forests, lakes, rivers, boreal ecosystems) but without the brutal cold and snowy long winters we have here.

Originally Posted by AndyAMG

Where have you heard this? The willamette valley can be foggy and the air stagnant but thats natural. Seldomly are there any air quality advisories. Anywhere that is in a valley can have a temperature inversion or fog/low clouds. Not really sure what the premise of your post is based on. Can we get some context?

[VTHokieFan]

Isn't Eugene's poor air quality caused by the huge grass seed industry around there and not necessarily "air pollution"?

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Isn't Eugene's poor air quality caused by the huge grass seed industry around there and not necessarily "air pollution"?

I think a lot of it is wood burning for heat.

[AndyAMG]

Hmm I don't live in Eugene but there maybe something to this. Looking at NWS records it appears eugene does in fact have more fog and stagnant air than Portland. For the last 3 months winds have been much lower, fog has occurred 54% more often as a matter of fact its foggy there right now, but just some high clouds and sun to the south here in Portland.

Portland, does better probably for a few reasons.

1. Portland is in a wide broad valley, Eugene is at the end of a valley and is effectively closed in on 3 sides.
2. Portland has a direct route down the columbia river for air to either come in from the ocean or push out from the gorge.
3. Eugene has a lot more moist forested areas around it. Portland is mostly urban with fields and swampy lowlands.

If your in Portland and you look toward the west hills you can see how just a little bit of forest breeds cloudy conditions. You see a high cloud deck every where but the west hills, pill hill is covered in thick fog but the rest of the area has a much higher ceiling. Here is a photo.




The forest and the ridge cause that, and that probably happens in Eugene on a larger scale. The air in this photo wouldn't be all that stagnant, probably a light breeze and light rain mist.

Portland proper dosen't experience air stagnation all that often, but it can get pretty smoggy with poor air on 90+ degree days in the summer. In the winter the gorge winds tend to clear us out, but then we have a brutally cold 40 mph wind.