Air quality, as a phenomenon, refers to the physicochemical state of the atmosphere with respect to the presence, concentration, and reactivity of gaseous and particulate constituents, including criteria pollutants (e.g., ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter) and numerous hazardous air pollutants. It emerges from dynamic interactions among emission sources, atmospheric transport, dispersion, chemical transformation, and removal processes such as deposition and scavenging. Quantification of air quality relies on continuous or episodic monitoring, expressed through pollutant concentrations and composite indices, and is central to studying atmospheric chemistry, exposure assessment, and the impacts of atmospheric composition on biological, ecological, and material systems.
Each day, we breathe more than 7,000 liters of air. Unsurprisingly, the quality of this air really matters. And given most of us spend a significant part of the day inside, clean indoor air is essential.
Environment
Oct 2, 2025
0
21
Wildfire smoke causes more air pollution than current atmospheric models can predict. A new study by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences explains why ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 1, 2025
0
31
Air quality in America's largest cities has steadily improved thanks to tighter regulations on key sources of particulate pollution. However, increased heat, wildfire smoke and other emerging global drivers of urban aerosol ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 30, 2025
0
27
A recent report from the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index found that wildfires are worsening air quality in Canada. The report found that in 2023, wildfires caused concentrations of particulate matter to rise ...
Environment
Sep 30, 2025
0
17
Researchers at Georgia Tech have analyzed the seasonal differences of sulfate aerosols—a major pollutant in the United States—to examine the long-term impact from sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission reductions since the enactment ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 29, 2025
0
86
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) technology now makes it possible to monitor ammonia (NH3)—a key contributor to harmful fine dust particles—with unprecedented precision and spatial detail, addressing longstanding gaps ...
Environment
Sep 26, 2025
1
38
Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track dangerous soot pollution in their neighborhoods—and where it comes from—in a way not so different from monitoring approaching storms ...
Environment
Sep 24, 2025
0
26
Even before an Elon Musk-owned artificial intelligence company opened a data center in southwest Memphis, Tennessee, air pollution was so bad that residents of a nearby neighborhood were far more likely to get cancer from ...
Environment
Sep 23, 2025
0
37
Indoor surfaces have an unexpectedly strong ability to absorb and hold harmful chemical compounds that can threaten human health for as long as a year, according to air chemistry researchers at the University of California, ...
Environment
Sep 22, 2025
0
150
Heat and air pollution affect millions in cities. Manchester researchers use AI and open data to build tools helping cities track risks and respond more effectively to climate and environmental challenges.
Environment
Sep 22, 2025
0
22
