Nitrogen Dioxide

Explore how gasoline, diesel, electric, and human-powered transportation affect air quality. Learn which travel options produce the least air pollution and what it means for healthier cities.

Learn how particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and carbon monoxide cross borders, impact health and climate, and why monitoring transboundary air pollution matters.

Air pollution disrupts sleep. Poor air quality affects respiratory health and the central nervous system, while global warming’s nighttime warmth additionally interferes with the body’s circadian thermoregulation.

In San Francisco, New York, and London, public transportation lowers greenhouse gases and other pollutants, improving urban air quality and supporting public health.

Air pollution has changed over time, with sources evolving from wood burning and smelting to widespread fossil fuel use, industrial emissions, and intensified wildfires.

LA battles air pollution driven by geography, traffic, and summer heat. Learn about its smog history, current challenges, and efforts to protect public health.

Air pollutants influence ecosystems, the water cycle, and global temperatures by driving acid rain, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, and changes in Earth's albedo.

Smog includes two main types: sulfurous smog, linked to coal burning and sulfur dioxide, and photochemical smog, formed by sunlight-driven reactions between nitrogen oxides and VOCs, producing ozone and particulate matter.

Natural sources such as wildfires, volcanoes, and sandstorms emit air pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, sometimes affecting human health and the climate.

Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are a group of pollutants formed from nitrogen and oxygen, primarily referring to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These gases have adverse health effects and contribute to smog, acid rain, and ozone formation.