Minneaposmog
I just got back from a week in NYC (where the wind chill was near zero, thank you very much).
On the way to the airport yesterday, I was struck by the vibrant sunset over the city as the sun’s last rays illuminated the perpetual smog cloud drifting amongst the skyscrapers. Pretty, but definitely not good for you.
So I arrive home to beautiful Minneapolis/St. Paul (#19 and #4 from the Top 10 Green Cities in the U.S. list) - with clean air, vast forests, 10,000 freshwater lakes and abundant liberal green freaks — to find this AP bulletin:
Air pollution health advisories are still in effect for the Twin Cities, Rochester and Marshall, Minn., through this morning, because of the buildup of fine airborne particles.People are being encouraged to reduce driving and idling, postpone fires and using snowblowers, and cut back on electricity use.
High pressure over the Great Lakes, mixed with an approaching low pressure system, will produce moderate southerly winds in the Twin Cities region, bringing pollutants and moisture into the metro, according to ww.airnow.gov.
I know we’re the home of Golden Smog, but this is ridiculous. That’s a lot of snowblower exhaust, people.
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Everyone that bought a brand new heavy duty snowblower after the last big snow LAST year has been itching to use theirs this year.
are “fine airborne particles” different from phoenix or la-like smog? i never actually notice “smog” when these warnings hit…
I’m always a little skeptical of these air pollution alerts. As if modifying behavior on one day, or one afternoon, can actually make a wholesale difference in the pollutant level. Seems of dubious scientific value to me.