AQAST News Articles
New national standard drives cutting-edge research in characterizing ground-level ozone | January 11, 2016
In October 2015, the U.S. EPA lowered the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) by 5 parts per billion. To characterize ground-level ozone, researchers are turning to resources provided by NASA.
AQAST members use satellite data to tease out ozone patterns in Wisconsin | November 25, 2015
Located right on the shores of Lake Michigan, the small town of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is a popular tourist destination. Surprisingly, though, Sheboygan County is also the site of one of the state’s biggest air quality concerns: ozone pollution.
Holloway brings AQAST themes home at 2015 Energy Summit | October 13, 2015
Tracey Holloway, deputy leader of AQAST, chaired the 2015 Energy Summit at UW-Madison, an annual conference organized and hosted by the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI).
Video: AQAST, building a legacy | July 29, 2015
Watch this video to learn more about AQAST members in the final year of this program.
Study Quantifies Global Mortality Risk from PM2.5 | April 7, 2015
How does energy use affect global health? A new study led by Dalhousie University quantifies the response of global premature mortality rates to reduced emissions of SO2, NOx, ammonia, and carbonaceous aerosols worldwide.
AQAST co-sponsors transboundary ozone conference | March 20, 2015
AQAST partnered with the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District (SJAPCD) to sponsor the first Transboundary Ozone Pollution Conference, hosted at the Tenaya Lodge near Yosemite National Park.
AQAST assists ambitious WINTER air quality study | March 13, 2015
Several AQAST members are supporting an intensive study aimed at improving scientific understanding of winter air quality along the east coast.
New research links smoke to tornado intensity | February 2, 2015
Can smoke from fires intensify tornadoes? “Yes,” according to a study led by Gregory Carmichael, AQAST member and professor at the University of Iowa.
Geostationary satellites will enhance air quality forecasting | January 28, 2015
Satellites planned for launch during the next several years could greatly improve air quality forecasting worldwide, according to a new study led by Gregory Carmichael, a professor at the University of Iowa and AQAST member.
SLU Ozone Garden sets national example | October 17, 2014
The Ozone Garden established by Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Center for Environmental Sciences in 2012 has set an example for science education that is being replicated in other cities around the country.
AQAST work featured in September issue of EM | October 17, 2014
Work by several AQAST members was featured in the September issue of Environmental Manager (EM) magazine with a special focus on their role in supporting the DISCOVER-AQ aircraft campaigns.
Public, media show interest in FRAPPE campaign | September 22, 2014
Several AQAST members played integral roles in supporting a groundbreaking campaign aimed at improving scientific understanding of the factors that affect air quality in Colorado’s Front Range region.
Tiger Team supports oil and gas emissions research | August 15, 2014
Members of NASA’s Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST) are using satellites to monitor emissions of methane, formaldehyde and NO2 from oil and natural gas extraction and distribution to help air quality managers in regions that have experienced rapid growth in those industries.
Ozone garden taking root in Colorado | July 24, 2014
Ozone gardens at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Museum of Natural History and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Laboratory are illustrating the harmful effects of air pollution on human and plant health.
FRAPPE research project to launch July 16 | July 7, 2014
The Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE) is designed to measure pollution that accumulates in the Rocky Mountain’s Front Range region that prevents the area from complying with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) established by the U.S. EPA.
AQAST to hold seventh biannual meeting | June 16, 2014
AQAST will hold its seventh biannual meeting next week in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with presentations from leading experts with direct applications for air quality managers and other stakeholders.
AQAST air quality user’s guide published in Atmospheric Environment | June 2, 2014
A team of several AQAST members produced a comprehensive guide for air quality managers that has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Atmospheric Environment.
AQAST members collaborate with regional air quality organizations | April 22, 2014
AQAST members will meet with air quality managers from midwestern and central U.S. states next week in St. Louis, Missouri, to share research on a variety of research projects and air quality issues.
U.S. clean air efforts stay on target | March 27, 2014
National efforts in the last decade to clear the air of dangerous particulate matter have been so successful that most urban areas have already attained the next benchmark, according to new research by Rice University.
AQAST members to present research at international satellite conference | March 11, 2014
Several members of NASA’s Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST) will be presenting research during an international conference hosted by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) from March 11-13.
AQAST research improves background ozone estimates | February 17, 2014
Recent work by AQAST members seeks to understand the variability and major sources of uncertainty in using models to estimate the role of foreign and natural sources that raise U.S. ozone smog levels in surface air.
SLU Ozone Garden expands during second year | February 10, 2014
The Saint Louis University (SLU) ozone garden enjoyed its second year of successful outreach and education by showing how ozone pollution affects plant life, while expanding to two additional locations.
Ammonia emissions from U.S. agriculture carry high social cost | February 3, 2014
New air quality modeling techniques developed by NASA’s Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST) reveal the high public health costs associated with ammonia emissions from U.S. agricultural exports.
Models show variability in background ozone levels | January 27, 2014
The total amount of ground-level ozone pollution that affects human health can vary widely depending on geography, seasonality and meteorological conditions.
Results of Houston DISCOVER-AQ project revealed | January 20, 2014
Preliminary results of a comprehensive study of air quality in the Houston metro area known as DISCOVER-AQ were revealed last week during the sixth biannual AQAST meeting.
AQAST team develops satellite-based visibility tool | January 15, 2014
AQAST has developed a tool aimed at helping air quality managers measure and predict ground level visibility using satellite data to compliment surface measurements.
AQAST to hold sixth biannual meeting | January 9, 2014
AQAST will hold its sixth biannual meeting next week in Houston, Texas, with presentations from leading experts with direct applications for air quality managers and other stakeholders.
NASA satellite sees increase of India’s sulfur dioxide emissions | December 19, 2013
Power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide – an atmospheric pollutant with both health and climate impacts – have increased across India in recent years, according to a new analysis of data from a NASA satellite.
Scientists join forces to tackle air quality problems | November 5, 2013
After countless hours of work and a lengthy revision process, the NASA AQAST “Tiger Teams” can now get to work on implementing the proposals they submitted to help solve problems in the air quality management community.
Unchecked ammonia threatens national parks’ ecology | October 10, 2013
Thirty-eight U.S. national parks are experiencing “accidental fertilization” at or above a critical threshold for ecological damage, according to a study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
Wildfires projected to worsen with climate change | August 28, 2013
Research by environmental scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) brings bad news to the western United States, where firefighters are currently battling dozens of fires.
Ozone Garden network grows nationwide | July 30, 2013
As the sun sets on July’s last remaining days, the founders of the St. Louis Ozone Garden look back on several successes from the garden’s second season.
AQAST researchers weigh in on satellite capabilities | July 19, 2013
Today, nine members of NASA Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST) and other researchers release a paper that reviews the ability of satellites to estimate U.S. air pollution emissions.
Transport key in meeting clean air standards | June 17, 2013
The House Science Subcommittee on Environment looks forward to hearing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposal for a new ozone standard later this year
Maryland meeting advances AQAST mission | June 7, 2013
NASA Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (AQAST) celebrates the completion of its fifth biannual meeting, AQAST5, which took place last week, June 4-6, at the University of Maryland.
AQAST supports Wyoming exceptional event demonstration | May 28, 2013
This week kicks off the public comment period for a document concerning an air quality exceptional event that took place last summer.
NASA AQAST invites feedback on 2013 Tiger Team proposals | May 24, 2013
As AQAST members continue to think up new ways to address pressing air quality research problems, they are reaching out to air quality managers to help decide which topics are most deserving of funding.
St. Louis Ozone Garden gears up for its second year | April 30, 2013
Nearly a year has gone by since St. Louis witnessed the completion of its first-ever ozone indicator garden, and now the project’s organizers are looking forward to the start of a new growing season.
A better way to see fires from space | February 28, 2013
Tackling big issues like climate change, air pollution, and forest fires is hard enough without unsightly pixels clouding your view.
NASA ozone study may benefit air standards, climate | January 22, 2013
Reducing the impacts of climate change, long seen as a daunting task, may be more manageable than ever with insight from a new study led by two American researchers.
AQAST Spotlights
U.S. air pollution: Domestic or imported? (Arlene Fiore, U.S. EPA) | March 2015
AQAST brings satellite data into local orbit (Pius Lee, Connecticut DEEP) | March 2015
The AQAST Legacy: Science to support decision-making (Daniel Jacob, U.S. EPA) | March 2015
FRAPPE campaign brews up excitement in Colorado (Gabriele Pfister, Colorado CDPHE) | March 2015
Recipe for ozone reductions cooks up in Maryland (Russ Dickerson, MDE) | November 2014
AQAST helps regulators tackle Texas-sized ozone problems (Daniel Cohan, TCEQ) | November 2015
Engaging stakeholders to advance Earth science (Tracey Holloway, LADCO/DNR) | December 2015