Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Topic: Air quality

Air pollution in the form of brown smog envelops downtown Los Angeles, California. 2015.

Warming influence of greenhouse gases continues to rise

May 28, 2020

Focus areas:

Topics:

greenhouse gases

Air pollution in the form of brown smog envelops downtown Los Angeles, California. 2015.

An undated stock image of the sky above the cloud line.

NOAA polar-orbiting satellites see drop in U.S. air pollution in March

May 4, 2020

Focus areas:

Topics:

polar-orbiting satellite (POES)

An undated stock image of the sky above the cloud line.

A huge column of smoke rises from a 2017 “prescribed burn” in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah. Forest managers will intentionally and carefully set fires in some sections of forests to restore them to natural conditions.[Photo slightly cropped for size.]

Where there’s fire, there’s smoke — and secrets for science to uncover

July 22, 2019

Focus areas:

Topics:

A huge column of smoke rises from a 2017 “prescribed burn” in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah. Forest managers will intentionally and carefully set fires in some sections of forests to restore them to natural conditions.[Photo slightly cropped for size.]

Pioneer Fire in Boise National Forest, Idaho, 2016.

To help forecast air quality and issue warnings, NOAA aims to answer what fires emit

September 11, 2018

Focus areas:

Topics:

Pioneer Fire in Boise National Forest, Idaho, 2016.

Emissions from volatile chemical products like perfumes, paints and other scented consumer items now rival vehicles as a pollution source in greater Los Angeles, according to a surprising new NOAA-led study. This photo shows smog over downtown Los Angeles from the perspective of behind the famed Hollywood sign.

Those scented products you love? NOAA study finds they can cause air pollution

February 15, 2018

Focus areas:

Topics:

Emissions from volatile chemical products like perfumes, paints and other scented consumer items now rival vehicles as a pollution source in greater Los Angeles, according to a surprising new NOAA-led study. This photo shows smog over downtown Los Angeles from the perspective of behind the famed Hollywood sign.

Ground-level ozone in the form of smog, shown here in Denver, Colorado, is a growing problem in the western United States and elsewhere around the world.

Study: People in parts of U.S. and beyond breathe unhealthy ozone pollution more than 2 weeks a year

February 5, 2018

Focus areas:

Topics:

Ground-level ozone in the form of smog, shown here in Denver, Colorado, is a growing problem in the western United States and elsewhere around the world.

Subscribe to air quality