Air, Climate, and Energy Research News ^ SrEPA September 2013 Update Up in smoke: climate change predicted to increase wildfires Research by EPA-supported scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences suggests that by the year 2050 wildfire seasons will be about three weeks longer, up to twice as smoky and will burn a wider area in the western states. The findings are based on a set of internationally recognized climate scenarios, decades of historical meteorological data and records of past fire activity. Follow the latest EPA climate change research on the It All Starts with Science blog. The study, supported by EPA research grants, is published in Atmospheric Environment. The research is also featured in National Geographic News and New Scientist. ------- What's causing the warming hole? The continental U.S. is warming except for the middle area (central and south central) where a pocket of cooling air resides—a "hole" inside the warming, thus a "warming hole." EPA researchers, along with partners in China and Japan, are trying to better understand this cooling phenomenon and are using different methods to study this so-called "warming hole" including temperature data and global climate models. Preliminary results show that daily summertime maximum temperatures over the region have cooled over the past century. The reason? Researchers estimate that it is the air pollutant sulfate, a derivative of sulfur dioxide. Between 1950 and about 1990, sulfate increased over most of the U.S., and especially over the "hole" area. Scientists found when sulfate particles were at their highest levels in the "warming hole" area, average temperatures were a couple of degrees cooler. Read the blog EPA-NASA tap student citizen scientist to study air quality monitoring EPA scientists are collaborating with NASA, citizen scientists and other partners in a study called DISCOVER-AQ to improve the ability to measure air pollution using satellites. During September, EPA researchers are taking ground measurements using established and new air quality monitoring technology in coordination with a NASA aircraft flown over the Houston, Texas, area. Researchers are partnering with eight schools in Houston to test new sensor technologies that automatically measure ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Teachers, trained to operate the sensors, enlisted their students to take measurements. Read the blog Galveston County The Daily News ------- Investigating interaction of atmospheric chemistry in Southeast From June 1 to July 15, 2013, EPA researchers and partners collected data on atmospheric chemistry in Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina for the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), a component of the Southeast Atmosphere Study—one the largest studies of the North American atmosphere in decades. Some 60 organizations are participating in SOAS to learn more about how organic aerosols, which contribute to fine particulate matter, are formed and how they interact with volatile organic compounds from trees and plants to affect air quality and climate. As part of the SOAS study, EPA awarded more than $4.3 mill ion in grants to 13 academic and research institutions to compliment EPA research. Learn more about the study Birmingham CBS News: The link between Alabama's air quality and weather Village Green Project ------- EPA researchers are successfully receiving data from their prototype air quality monitoring system built into a park bench in a study called the Village Green Project. The system is being tested at a library in Durham, N.C. Read their recent blog. Green heart A healthier environment for healthier hearts Air pollution and heart health EPA and other researchers have made important discoveries about the links between air pollution and heart health. An article published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing by EPA researcher and cardiologists provides information on how nurses can help educate patients about potential air pollution risks. ------- |