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The new research from UHF measured air quality by "the average person's exposure level to airborne particulate matter (PM)." In particular, it measured how much PM is present in a cubic meter of air. The study indicates the United States has an overall average of nearly 9.5 micrograms of PM per cubic meter, but Idaho's average public exposure to particulate matter is 11.7 micrograms. California topped the list at 12.5, followed by Idaho, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois. Nearby Montana, Wyoming and Oregon had some of the lowest PM exposure in the U.S.
Frankly, I don't see how this is the case. While I may be accused of being overly pessimistic, it just doesn't square with me and my experience of Idaho. At the same time, I'm not a scientist, and the study is what it is.
I was very surprised too.
But when one thinks about it, our farms, forests, prairies, and cities all contribute a lot of particulates into the atmosphere than we realize. I've watched pollen from trees sweep up in great orange clouds during the early morning, when the light catches everything at a slant and the morning breeze stirs the trees, and the same with sagebrush. Farming is a dusty business as well, all season long, even in mid-season when all the sprinklers are going.
Our wildfires add tons and tons of particulates, and it can take months for them to finally settle out of the atmosphere. And we get particulates from fires close to the coast from Cali, Oregon and Montana and Wyoming.
I guess we all just get used to all of it, but our air is almost always clear. I guess we also get used to seeing a very light haze?
Our dryness must keep the particulates up in the atmosphere longer than in most states, especially those with more rain.
There has to be a "yeah, but..." although I'm not seeing any yet.
I actually argued about this with my SO the other day before she showed me the UHF link and I read through it. I then thought it must be driven by wildfire season, but I'm not sure that's the case either.
There has to be a "yeah, but..." although I'm not seeing any yet.
I actually argued about this with my SO the other day before she showed me the UHF link and I read through it. I then thought it must be driven by wildfire season, but I'm not sure that's the case either.
A lot depends on how long the tracking record goes back, I think. Wildfires have come in several bad seasons ever since 1988, about every 3-4 years, and this drought hasn't lifted yet. Enough crap goes into the air in one fire to possibly present a picture that is not accurate.
But I'm not a science denier, and I don't think as much of our pollution is man made as in other places.
For sure, a lot of the dirt kicked up by agriculture comes from bad farming practices in a drought.
I've noticed increasingly more no-till farming going on all over the Snake River valley; that practice, where the soil isn't tilled to a fine mulch, originally began as a way to cut down on fuel costs, but it's also good for keeping the dust down.
Now that water is more of a problem than fuel costs, it could be possible that our air quality problems may be increasingly self-corrected as this century goes on.
And once the forests are thinned out by wildfire, the air quality problems in them may also be self-correcting as well.
I think part of the problem is the tendency for inversions to form in some of the valleys and basins, which traps what particulates are there instead of allowing them to disperse.
Certainly Ag areas can have pollution problems, both from the dust as Mike points out, and also from some of the chemicals that are used for fertilizer and pest control. That would only affect a part of the state though.
If you travel through the central valley in CA it's very obvious that there is a pollution problem in that agricultural area.
I think part of the problem is the tendency for inversions to form in some of the valleys and basins, which traps what particulates are there instead of allowing them to disperse.
Certainly Ag areas can have pollution problems, both from the dust as Mike points out, and also from some of the chemicals that are used for fertilizer and pest control. That would only affect a part of the state though.
If you travel through the central valley in CA it's very obvious that there is a pollution problem in that agricultural area.
Dave
Some of those valleys just seems to not get the winds. Which would help to disrupt and to get rid of the dust and particals. Just a thought?
My family lived for many years in Modesto Ca, brother still does! One dusty town during the summer!!!
Scott
Just wondering were they are getting their information. If you look at the information from the American Lung Association most of the counties do not collect data. Now if you look at Ada county they get a C rating on ozone and a F on particle. Now I am not saying that the source linked has an agenda but........
That video is real, for you scientists and liberal man made climate change theorists you might want to look at his type of crap we do to engineer the weather, seems rather invasive and potentially harmful... Man made global warming is bull, but this is the kind of stupid thing Scientists do that effect the whole as a part of man's stupid idea we can control things we cannot control... Be careful what you Scientists take on with your decades of knowledge on a planet that is at least millions of years old in theory...
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