While air quality is still looking good, this week’s winter ozone assessment indicates some warning signs that the Basin is at risk of high ozone in the future. Dr. Seth Lyman, Director of the USU Bingham Research Center, reports that there has been some buildup of ozone and other pollutants during stagnant periods over the past two weeks. While storms coming through have moved the pollution out, the fact that ozone is building up already means things will likely be worse later in the season when there is more sunlight. The snow cover also adds future potential for strong inversions that allow ozone to form. For now the stormy weather should keep the air quality good but that may not continue. “As we move into January, we will be watching closely for sustained high pressure and the stagnant, inverted conditions associated with it,” explains Dr. Lyman. “We could get lucky and have a very warm air mass move in that melts out a lot of the snow, but I think it is more likely that the snow will stick around into February, when ozone will form much more rapidly. It would be prudent, I think, to start planning now for all emissions reduction measures that can be taken.” Real time air quality data can be viewed at ubair.usu.edu. Sign up to receive winter ozone alerts at
