This time the main culprits were not the forest fires in Canada, but summer pollution, gasoline smoke and vehicle exhaust.
Brian K Sullivan
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
New York air quality dropped to unhealthy levels on Wednesday morning, but this time the main culprits weren’t the wildfires in Canada.
The conditions are largely due to typical summer pollution from ground-level ozone, gasoline smoke and car exhaust trapped under a layer of still air. Other big cities, from Chicago to Washington, will also start the day with polluted skies.
The air in New York is worse than in Mexico City
“Anywhere in the east, there doesn’t seem to be much of a contribution from wildfiressaid Marc Chenard, a senior forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center.
Although ozone shields the earth’s surface from the sun’s harmful rays, when it accumulates near the surface can cause problems for the elderly and people with certain medical conditions. Air quality watches have been issued from southern Connecticut to northern Virginia, as well as for Chicago and parts of Michigan.
How dangerous is the smoke that covers New York
Ozone is produced by chemical reactions of hydrocarbons and other gases in the atmosphere, especially in urban areas, and can build up when winds are calm, according to the National Weather Service. This usually happens in the morning and at night.because the ground cools faster than the atmosphere, creating an inversion that traps air near the surface.
As the surface warms during the day, pollution can decreaseChenard said. The temperature is forecast to hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Manhattan on Wednesday.
2023-07-05 21:44:00
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