Ozone

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.

Carbon Monoxide, formed by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, is invisible, odorless, and poisonous. It contributes indirectly to climate change and is regulated globally.

The summer season can impact air quality due to its high temperatures and weather patterns, which can not only increase the concentration of harmful air pollutants such as ground-level ozone but also degrade air quality and threaten human health through air stagnation, heat waves, drought, and an increased risk of wildfire.

Many air pollutants — beyond just CO2 — also have an impact on climate change and atmospheric warming, opening the door for further climate change mitigation opportunities.

Our webinar panelists recap the ways that ground-level ozone monitoring is important for improving air quality amidst Clarity's recent release of our Ozone Module.

Because air pollution is a complex and dynamic phenomenon, measuring a wide array of air pollutants is an important part of understanding a complete view of air quality.