Rapid Response Teams are a HAQAST initiative that work to solve health and air quality issues that require urgent attention. These collaborations between HAQAST members and public stakeholders leverage NASA data and products to solve pressing issues on year long time scales or less. Click to learn more about the Rapid Response Teams.
In recent years wildland fire smoke has increased in the United States, leading to health impacts and exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Clean Air Act allows approved smoke events to be omitted in determining NAAQS compliance – a process known as creating an Exceptional Event Demonstration (EED). Satellite data for EEDs represents the longest-standing application of Earth Observations to decision-needs in air quality management. To streamline EED efforts, the Western States Air Resources Council (WESTAR) is coordinating a project lead by staff at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to develop an online tool to help state, local, and tribal air agencies prepare documentation for proposed wildfire smoke exceptional events, called the EE Demo tool. This rapid response project will extend the capabilities of EE Demo by including satellite data using Google Earth Engine.
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FNR Tutorial #1 for Ozone Sensitivity
The use of satellite data for improving air quality is beneficial due to its continuous coverage at high resolutions to provide a broader scope of air pollutants. This document guides users in using formaldehyde (HCHO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with TROPOMI satellite data to help visualize ground-level ozone sensitivity. While stratospheric ozone benefits the Earth by protecting from the sun’s UV rays, tropospheric or ground-level ozone is considered a criteria air pollutant by the EPA. Tutorial #1 uses the Formaldehyde to Nitrogen dioxide Ratio (FNR) to better understand ground level ozone sensitivity and aid in determining mitigation strategies, therefore improving public health. This first tutorial by the Holloway Group instructs users through setting up the Google Search Engine, identifying the region of interest and datasets, calculating the average of HCHO and NO2, and plotting the FNR.
FNR Tutorial #2 for Ozone Sensitivity
The second, supporting FNR tutorial by the Holloway Group directs users to employ Google Earth Engine in identifying higher-ozone and lower-ozone days, plotting the average FNR based on these days, and finally downloading the images created. Tutorial #2 determines if days are higher or lower in ozone level by utilizing data by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This document varies from Tutorial #1 as it focuses on New York City to replicate imagery as shown in the Air and Waste Management EM Magazine December 2023 issue. Together, these tutorials aim to provide support to air quality managers in effectively applying satellite data for ozone assessment in support of public health endeavors.