Science needs data to solve problems. Climate change is making that harder
Sometimes science becomes too hot to handle. That’s what researchers at the University of Arizona found recently when they tried to test a new air pollution monitoring system around Tucson. The scientists set out to install new equipment and implement a standardized protocol for monitoring levels of NO2, NOx, PM-2.5 and PM-10, four common air pollutants, that is already being used in 16 European countries. By adopting the same method of air quality evaluation used in ongoing studies elsewhere, they hoped to be able to improve comparisons of Tucson’s air pollution with levels in other environments and to test the accuracy of data from existing instruments around Tucson that are operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.