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Air Quality Blog An image from a satelllie showing smoke transport from the September 2017 wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. Hazy brown smoke is being carried by the jet stream from coast to coast across the United States.Actively burning areas are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC

Atmospheric Dispersion and Pollution Transport

 By Heather Wylie In our forecast discussion, we will occasionally mention things like “limited dispersion” or “low mixing heights” – have you ever wondered what that means? It … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2021/06/06/atmospheric-dispersion-and-pollution-transport/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog Text from image: Air Quality Alert Message Relayed by National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 1035 AM EDT Sat May 22 2021 NCZ071-082-231445- Mecklenburg-Union NC- Including the cities of Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Monroe, Trinity, Indian Trail, and Weddington 1035 AM EDT Sat May 22 2021 ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in Raleigh NC has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ground Level Ozone for Mecklenburg and Union Counties, until 8 PM EDT this evening. An Air Quality Action Day means that Ground Level Ozone concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. For additional information, please visit the North Carolina Division of Air Quality Web site at https://xapps.ncdenr.org/aq/ForecastCenterEnvista.

Air Quality Alerts

 By Heather Wylie Occasionally, meteorologists at the Division of Air Quality will send out an Air Quality Alert – What does that mean? In our typical day to … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2021/05/28/air-quality-alerts/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog

All About the Air Quality Index

 By Heather Wylie The Air Quality Index The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is a way to convey the state of air quality to the population. It is … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2021/05/14/all-about-the-air-quality-index/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog A diagram of ozone formation due to emissions and sunlight

Ground-Level Ozone

 By Heather Wylie Tropospheric vs Stratospheric Ozone While many have heard of the ozone layer high up in the atmosphere that helps to shield the planet from solar … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2021/04/29/ground-level-ozone/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog

PM2.5 and Pollen

 By Heather Wylie What is PM2.5? Have you ever wondered what fine particle pollution is, or why we forecast a PM2.5 AQI? Fine particle pollution is made of … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2021/04/14/pm2-5-and-pollen/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog Chart showing recognizable weather observations versus a comprehensive list of variables considered by air quality forecasters. (Courtesy of the “It’s Our Air” Curriculum for students)

Clearing the Air: A Discussion with Air Quality Forecasters

 By Bradley McLamb, Elliot Tardif, Nick Witcraft and Rebecca Wiegand This post originally appeared on the State Climate Office’s Climate Blog in October 2018 as a guest post written by NC DAQ forecasters. Our final post in this year’s … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2018/10/30/clearing-the-air-a-discussion-with-air-quality-forecasters/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog DAQ forecasters Elliot Tardif (left) and Bradley McLamb working on a forecast.

Beyond a Number: Making and Verifying an Air Quality Forecast

 By Bradley McLamb, Elliot Tardif and Nick Witcraft This post originally appeared on the State Climate Office’s Climate Blog in October 2018 as a guest post written by NC DAQ forecasters. Previously, we discussed the significant improvements … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2018/10/25/beyond-a-number-making-and-verifying-an-air-quality-forecast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog Chart showing statewide exceedance days measured against the EPA’s most recent ozone standard.

Improving Air Quality Comes with a Forecasting Twist

 By Bradley McLamb, Elliot Tardif and Nick Witcraft This post originally appeared on the State Climate Office’s Climate Blog in October 2018 as a guest post written by NC DAQ forecasters. North Carolina’s air quality has improved … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2018/10/23/improving-air-quality-comes-with-a-forecasting-twist/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog Map showing the maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations on June 29, 2012.

Air Quality Forecasting: A Case Study

 By Bradley McLamb This post originally appeared on the State Climate Office’s Climate Blog in August 2014 as a guest post written by NC DAQ forecasters. For many locations in the Tar … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2014/08/14/air-quality-forecasting-a-case-study/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
Air Quality Blog Diagram showing the size of fine particulate compared to a strand of hair and sand.

An Introduction to Air Quality Forecasting

 By Bradley McLamb This post originally appeared on the State Climate Office’s Climate Blog in August 2014 as a guest post written by NC DAQ forecasters. Air pollution can … <a href="https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu/2014/08/12/an-introduction-to-air-quality-forecasting/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read more</a>
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