Legacy heavy metals from past industrial activity combine with traffic paint; asphalt; and bits of tires, brakes, and car parts to create toxic dust on our roadways.
Pollution: urban and regional
Posted inNews
Algorithm Spots Climate-Altering Ship Tracks in Satellite Data
Tens of thousands of ship tracks—cloud structures created when ships’ exhaust plumes interact with the atmosphere—are pinpointed automatically, furthering study of these climate-altering features.
Posted inNews
Contrails’ Climate Impact Could Triple by 2050
Contrail cirrus clouds have warmed the atmosphere more than all the carbon dioxide from planes since the dawn of aviation and will do so even more in the future.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Night of the Killer Smog
In the latest episode of its Centennial series, AGU’s Third Pod from the Sun tells the story of two air quality disasters that served as catalysts for clean air regulations in the mid-20th century.
Posted inNews
Hiroshima Bomb Created Asteroid Impact–Like Glass
The glass rained from the sky as the bomb annihilated the Japanese city.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A New Look at Winter Air Quality in the Northeastern U.S.
Past studies underestimated a major pollution source, particularly in rural areas.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
How Brown Carbon and Coatings on Black Carbon Affect Absorption
While ambient black carbon absorption is shown largely independent of coatings, distinct types of atmospheric brown carbon coexist, deriving from primary emissions and secondary processing.
Posted inOpinions
Lessons from President George H. W. Bush for the Present Political Environment
The “White House effect” can compel support for science and protect the environment—or damage both.
Posted inNews
Stroke Deaths Rise, Life Expectancy Falls with Polluted Air
The connection between poor air quality and higher stroke mortality was strongest in southern states across a region known as the “stroke belt.”
Posted inNews
Heavy Air Pollution May Lower Cognitive Test Scores
A new study found that verbal and math test scores in China dropped with reduced air quality. The effects were especially pronounced for men and elderly populations.