AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
California air quality map2/18/2024 ![]() ![]() In 2019, Rohnert Park saw many months of relatively good air quality well below the WHO and EPA thresholds for acceptable air quality. 5 However, historic wildfire seasons in the Bay Area during 2017, 2018, and 2020, including the 2020 Lightning Complex fires and the Kincade Fire, Carr Fire, and Mendocino Complex fires in previous years, have exposed both Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park to weeks of hazardous air quality. Air quality throughout California has generally improved in the past two decades. Like Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park air quality has also been greatly impacted by increasingly severe wildfires in the Bay Area and the state of California. ![]() Like Santa Rosa, air quality in Rohnert Park is generally “good”, with a 2019 annual average PM2.5 concentration of 8.5 µg/m 3 (US AQI measurement of 35, slightly higher than Santa Rosa but still well below the WHO’s annual fine particle concentration average threshold of 10 µg/m 3 and within the “good” range of the US AQI scale). How does Santa Rosa air quality compare with the air quality in Rohnert Park?Īir quality in Rohnert Park, a suburb in the greater Santa Rosa area with a population of around 43,000, experiences similar air quality to Santa Rosa. These populations include the elderly, young children, and people with respiratory or cardiovascular disease. When the Santa Rosa AQI rises higher than 50 (“good”), air pollution levels may increase the risk of health effects in vulnerable populations. Follow our Santa Rosa air quality map and see the Santa Rosa air quality forecast here on the IQAir website and on the IQAir AirVisual mobile app. Kincade fire: burned 77,758 acres in Sonoma County and prompted the evacuation of thousands in the area, including a significant part of the population of Santa Rosa, and which was the biggest fire in Sonoma County history at the time 4Īlthough the increases in PM2.5 from wildfires in 2019 did not appear to make a significant impact on the overall AQI for the city during the 2019 monitoring period, long-term air quality averages can often smooth over the dangerous, long-lasting health impacts of brief but extreme fluctuations in air quality.Īir quality can also change quickly even in a matter of hours or days due to weather conditions as well as events like increased commuter traffic or wildfires.Getty fire: burned 745 acres in a dense area of western Los Angeles near Brentwood, CA, resulting in the displacement of thousands of residents and the destruction or damage of 25 residences 3.In the fall of 2019, the air quality index in Santa Rosa experienced noticeable increases, in some cases more than doubling from the monthly average of 6.8 µg/m 3 to as high as 12.6 µg/m 3 (US AQI measurement of 52, “moderate”) as a result of several major wildfires in the Bay Area and beyond, including: The Santa Rosa AQI has also been subject to drastic spikes in concentrations of dangerous air pollutants like PM2.5 due to the increasing prevalence of wildfires in California and, in particular, around the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. 2 Even lower concentrations of air pollution, especially PM2.5 particles that are small enough to be breathed into the lung and penetrate into the bloodstream, have been linked to long-term health effects such as lung disease, heart disease, and premature death. However, the WHO, a leading global health organization, along with researchers from The Lancet, have stated that no level of air pollution is ultimately safe. According to the US AQI developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any AQI measurement between 0 and 50 is considered “good” and is defined as posing little to no risk to any individuals in the general population. This is well below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual mean threshold of 10 µg/m 3 and well within the “good” range of US AQI measurements. In 2019, Santa Rosa air quality averaged an annual concentration of fine particles ( PM2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter) of 6.8 µg/m 3 (equivalent to a US AQI measurement of 28). As a result, Santa Rosa generally does not experience a high volume of air pollution from industry and vehicle traffic that is typical of the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Rosa also has a comparatively small population of about 177,000 (about 328,000 in the greater Santa Rosa area) in relation to much larger Northern California cities like San Francisco and Oakland. Santa Rosa is relatively remote in comparison to nearby major metropolitan areas, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Rosa air quality index (AQI) readings are generally considered to be “good” according the US air quality index (AQI) scale. Santa Rosa is a city in Sonoma County considered to be one of the world capitals of wine production. How is the air quality in Santa Rosa, CA? ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |