LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Thursday, July 1, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission will host a communities of interest, or COI, virtual hearing to capture North Coast community specific data that will help the commissioners respect community boundaries when drawing district lines, as is mandated by California’s line drawing criteria.
The meeting will take place between noon and 8 p.m.
It can be watched live here. For information, visit the commission’s website.
The Thursday meeting will focus on Lake, Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Trinity counties.
When the commissioners begin drawing maps using census data, they will need to follow this set of criteria, in this order, as outlined in the California Constitution:
1. Districts must be of nearly equal population to comply with the U.S. Constitution. 2. Districts must comply with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. 3. Districts must be drawn contiguously, so that all parts of the district are connected to each other. 4. Districts must minimize the division of counties, cities, neighborhoods and communities of interest to the extent possible. 5. Districts should be geographically compact such that nearby areas of population are not bypassed for more distant populations. 6. Where practicable, each Senate District should consist of two complete and adjacent Assembly Districts, and Board of Equalization districts should consist of 10 complete and adjacent State Senate Districts. This is known as nesting.
The commission can obtain the city and county information from those jurisdictions, but it needs the neighborhood and communities of interest information from Californians directly.
During these input meetings, participants will be asked to describe their community and will be encouraged to consider highlighting the following: — Begin with your county or city. — Mention the street names and significant locations in your neighborhood to help us identify the parameters of your community. — What are your shared interests? — What brings you together? — What is important to your community? — Are there nearby areas you want to be in a district with? — Nearby areas you don't want to be in a district with? Why or why not? — Has your community come together to advocate for important services, better schools, roads, or health centers in your neighborhood?
Registration is not required to participate in these public input meetings. The call-in number for public input on the day of each event will be 877-853-5247.
Additionally, Californians can skip the line and provide their input online by visiting https://drawmycacommunity.org/. The online COI tool is available in 14 languages and includes tutorials.
Every 10 years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its electoral districts so that the state’s population is evenly allocated among the new districts.
In 2008, California voters passed the Voters First Act, authorizing the creation of the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district lines.
In 2010, the Voters First Act for Congress gave the Commission the responsibility of drawing new Congressional districts following every census.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Countywide Community Visioning Forum Planning Committee will meet for the second time via Zoom on Tuesday, June 29.
The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.
Join the meeting here. The meeting ID is 931 9035 7711, pass code is 072333. One tap mobile: +16699006833,,93190357711#,,,,*072333#.
From any mobile or landline phone, you may also dial 1-669-900-6833, and enter the meeting ID and passcode above, when prompted.
To contribute to this meeting from a phone, press *9 to raise your hand, and *6 to unmute, once you are recognized to speak.
The public is encouraged to attend and participate via Zoom. The full meeting agenda for this meeting and further resources can be accessed here.
What is the Community Visioning Forum Planning Committee?
Residents from Lake County’s richly diverse communities watched on Tuesday, Feb. 23, as the Lake County Board of Supervisors unanimously proclaimed “Promoting Tolerance, Respect, Equity and Inclusion” among their utmost priorities.
Board members affirmed their commitment to host a community visioning forum to unearth priorities in the following categories:
— Meaningful actions and activities that will build bridges where there may be walls; — Fostering tolerance, respect, understanding, equity and inclusion; — Promoting non-violence and non-violent conflict resolution; — Focusing resources on underlying causes and conditions that lead to inequitable resource and justice distribution; and — Relevant solutions for any social injustices, as they may come to light.
Community members and leaders from the county of Lake, cities of Lakeport and Clearlake and tribal governments that agreed with the board’s proclamation volunteered to be a part of this historic effort, by applying for a spot on the new Countywide Community Visioning Forum Planning Committee.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — For the first time, the Board of Supervisors has recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which members said they intend to add to their annual recognitions.
At the June 15 meeting, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier presented the proclamation, shown below.
The proclamation notes, “LGBTQ+ residents in Lake County represent our families, our friends, our neighbors, our teachers, our employees and our community leaders. Across all religions, races, and communities there are LGBTQ+ people helping our nation to become a more perfect union in reaching our ideals proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence that all ‘people’ are created equal and therefore deserve to be embraced and treated as equals.”
Sabatier said that, based on what he was told by county staff, this is the first time the county of Lake has offered such a proclamation, and he said he hopes it becomes an annual custom.
“I think it’s important to celebrate because of the changes that we’ve had in our country, in our state and in our communities,” he said.
Sabatier said he had a small pride flag to put on the supervisors’ dais for the month of June.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska thanked Sabatier for bringing forward the proclamation, adding she also hopes it’s done annually from now on.
She said she loved the small pride flag. “I think it’s a great gesture.”
However, she said she wanted to get a big pride flag to display on the outside of the courthouse where the board meets for next year.
Sabatier said there are policies on flags and lowering the flag and they should consider those before making any decision on what observances to add.
Pyska said she appreciated that. “We have a year to get that right.”
Supervisor Tina Scott agreed that they needed to look at their rules to see if they can fly the flag next year.
“A lot of progress has been made but more work needs to be done,” Scott said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With the Independence Day holiday rapidly approaching, Cal Fire is reminding all Californians and visitors to do their part to prevent fires caused by illegal fireworks or the misuse of “safe and sane” fireworks.
On Monday, “safe and sane” fireworks will go on sale in approximately 300 communities throughout California.
In Lake County, safe and sane fireworks are only allowed in the city of Lakeport, and can only be discharged from July 1 to 4, said Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
There are also legal ramifications when it comes to certain types of fireworks.
Possession or transportation of illegal fireworks such as sky-rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, aerial shells, firecrackers and other types that explode, go into the air, or move on the ground in an uncontrollable manner can lead to a possible fine of up to $50,000 as well as prison time or jail for up to one year.
Even safe and sane fireworks taken into a city or county where they are banned are considered Illegal.
All fireworks are banned in State Responsibility Area in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo and Solano counties.
In California, there is zero tolerance for the use and sale of illegal fireworks. It is your responsibility to check with your local ordinance regarding the use of fireworks.
Any person who causes a fire, including those started with safe and sane fireworks, can be held liable for the costs of its suppression and associated property damage. Often these costs are in the hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars.
Fireworks guidelines:
— First check if fireworks are allowed in your community. — Make sure the firework has the State Fire Marshal “Safe and Sane” seal. — Counterfeit labels do exist, only make purchases from trustworthy vendors. — Purchase only from legitimate organizations authorized to sell within California. — Have a bucket of water, sand or garden hose available at the firing site. — Read all instructions before use. — Never alter, modify or enhance fireworks — use only in the manner intended. — Make sure fireworks have proper clearance from flammable materials including dry grass and brush.
Throughout the gas tax’s controversial history, leaders have frequently called upon this revenue source when serious infrastructure investment is needed.
As he signed the Revenue Act of 1932 into law, President Herbert Hoover lauded “the willingness of our people to accept this added burden in these times in order impregnably to establish the credit of the federal government.”
In 1956 the levy rose once more, to 3 cents, when Americans were paying about 30 cents for a gallon of gas. At the same time, the government established the Highway Trust Fund to use the gas tax revenue to pay for building and maintaining the new interstates.
Gas tax revenue stopped keeping up with the expenses it was supposed to cover in the early 1970s following a severe bout of inflation and OPEC’s oil embargo. U.S. gas prices soared from about 36 cents per gallon in 1972 to $1.31 in 1981.
Responding to what members of both major political parties saw as a transportation infrastructure crisis, Congress more than doubled the tax to 9 cents per gallon as part of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982. The same law split the Highway Trust Fund and its revenue stream into two parts: The first 8 cents would finance roadwork while the other penny would finance mass transit projects.
This hike may have struck drivers as a sharp increase, but public spending on transportation infrastructure would continue to fall as a percentage of all outlays.
In 1984, Congress increased spending on highways by funneling proceeds from fines and other penalties that businesses pay for safety violations, such as failing to label hazardous materials or forcing drivers to work too many hours in a row.
Congress boosted the tax twice more in the 1990s but primarily to reduce the then-ballooning federal deficit. Only half of a 5-cent increase in 1990 went to highways and transit, while a 4.3-cent lift three years later went entirely to lowering the deficit.
Along the way, other federal fuel taxes arose, including a 24.4-cent-per-gallon diesel tax and taxes on methanol and compressed natural gas. And state fuel taxes, which in most cases began before the federal gas tax, range from as low as 8.95 cents per gallon in Alaska to as high as 57.6 cents per gallon in Pennsylvania.
Since 1993, when the federal gas tax was first parked at 18.4 cents, inflation and rising construction costs have eroded its effectiveness as a transportation-related revenue source. In addition, U.S. vehicles have grown more fuel-efficient overall – which means Americans use less fuel for every mile they drive.
As a result, highway and transit spending has significantly outpaced the revenue collected from the gas tax and other sources. Since 2008, the government has transferred over $80 billion to the fund that it had to take from other sources.
But it’s still not enough. The American Society of Civil Engineers, which gives U.S. infrastructure a C-minus, is calling on the government and private sector to increase spending on roads and bridges by at least $2.5 trillion within a decade.
While it’s true the gas tax may be regressive because lower-income people pay the same rate as those who earn higher incomes, there are still advantages to this tax.
For one thing, it follows the “user pays” principle of providing government services. Under this principle, the people using the roads are held responsible for paying for their upkeep. As the number of motorists using electric vehicles increases, however, this may become less true over time.
Finally, the government could always subsidize the tax for the poor, perhaps through annual lump-sum payments, making it less regressive.
Clearly, U.S. infrastructure is in dire need of upgrading and investment. At the end of the day, Americans will pay for it one way or another – whether in taxes or through costs of unsafe and inadequate infrastructure, including in lost lives. How the government pays for investment may matter less than that it finally does it.
This is an updated version of an article first published on Feb. 27, 2018.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Lake County Library’s Redbud Branch is returning to its weekly story time for children, hosting Clearlake Police officers at its Thursday event.
Sgt. Ryan Peterson, Officer Michael Perreault, Officer Jesus Loera and Officer Nathan Williams attended the Thursday morning story time reading program.
Peterson said the officers were able to participate with the children in the “Hokey Pokey” while the library staff read the associated book.
Officer Perreault also led the children on a tour of his traffic unit patrol vehicle, Peterson said.
The officers thanked the library staff and children for allowing them to participate.
The Lake County Library-Redbud Branch presents a story time every Thursday morning at 10:15 a.m.
The event is open to all children and is currently being held outside with state health guidelines.
The library is located at 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearake.
For further information, please contact the library in person or by calling 707-995-5115.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Clearlake will return to a full Independence Day celebration this year, including a carnival, concert, parade, a festival, fireworks and the famed worm races.
The Lakeshore Lions Club of Clearlake is sponsoring the 64th annual Redbud Parade and Festival on Saturday, July 3.
The festivities begin with the parade at 11 a.m.
The theme of this year's parade is “Stars and Stripes.”
The parade begins at Redbud Park and proceeds down Lakeshore Drive to Austin Park.
This year the parade will feature local marchers, a marching band, decorated floats, vintage cars, parade and show horses, fire and police vehicles, and much more.
At the festival in Austin Park, there will be arts and crafts vendors, games and entertainment for all.
The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the International Worm Races.
This year the city of Clearlake will host a concert in the new band shell in the park.
The Lakeshore Lions and Lakeshore Lioness will feature an assortment of food, cold drinks and beer.
The Lakeshore Lions Club also will sponsor the fireworks display at dark so community members are encouraged to stay and enjoy the day.
The Midway of Fun carnival is returning to Clearlake this year, and will take place from July 1 to 4. Presale tickets are available at Tatonka Land Mini Golf. For ticket information call 707-994-1661 or 707-972-8502.
Anyone who wishes to enter the parade can pick up an entry form at the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce office, Bob's Vacuum, Clearlake Automotive, Kevin Ness Jewelers and Tatonka Land Mini Golf.
Any and all course and crafts vendors interested in booths are asked to call Bob Kiel at 707-994-9752
The annual festival is the largest fundraiser for the Lakeshore Lions Club.
The group supports eyeglasses and vision care for the needy, high school sports, scholarships and many other school activities, fire and police departments, the senior center, South Shore Little League and many other very notable causes.
This young male Siamese mix has a short white coat.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-960.
Female Siamese mix
This female Siamese mix has a short coat and blue eyes.
She is 2 years old.
She is in cat room kennel No. 68, ID No. LCAC-A-963.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male yellow tabby kitten has a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 70b, ID No. LCAC-A-987.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male yellow tabby kitten has a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 70d, ID No. LCAC-A-989.
Male domestic shorthair
This male domestic shorthair has a gray and white coat.
He is 1-year-old and weighs nearly 6 pounds.
He is in cat room kennel No. 120, ID No. LCAC-A-874.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has a mix of big and little dogs waiting for homes.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, hound, husky, Labrador retriever, McNab, pit bull, Rottweiler, shepherd and Weimaraner.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
“Delilah” is a 1-year-old female Chihuahua with a short brown coat.
She is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-512.
Labrador-Weimaraner mix
This young female Labrador-Weimaraner mix has a short white coat and blue eyes.
She is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-1063.
Female Rottweiler-shepherd
This 2-year-old female Rottweiler-shepherd mix has a medium-length black and red coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-791.
‘Ren’
“Ren” is a 2-year-old male McNab-sheepdog mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-785.
Male pit bull
This young male American pit bull has a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-1028.
‘Boo’
“Boo” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua-dachshund mix.
He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-1039.
‘Koko’
“Koko” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-897.
Rottweiler-pit bull mix
This 1-year-old female Rottweiler-pit bull mix has a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-731.
‘Brutus’
“Brutus” is a 5-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short gray and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-670.
‘Apollo’
“Apollo” is a 2-year-old male husky mix with a medium-length red and white coat and blue eyes.
He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-783.
Male husky
This 2-year-old male husky has a medium-length red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-1024.
Female pit bull terrier puppy
This female pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 33b, ID No. LCAC-A-853.
Male pit bull terrier puppy
This male pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 33d, ID No. LCAC-A-855.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Saturday traffic enforcement special operation in the city of Clearlake led to authorities recovering a vehicle stolen from Lakeport, an arrest for driving under the influence, and numerous citations for speeding and other issues.
Sgt. Ryan Peterson said the Clearlake Police Department conducted the operation.
Peterson said officers conducted numerous traffic stops resulting in them issuing three citations for speed violations, four citations for moving violations and eight citations for mechanical violations.
Two people were arrested with active warrants for their arrest, two people were issued citations for driving on suspended driver's licenses and one person was cited for operating a motor vehicle without a license, Peterson said.
He said officers made one arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Another arrest was made after officers stopped and recovered a stolen vehicle out of Lakeport. That incident resulted in a brief closure of Highway 53, Peterson said.
With the summer months and vacations underway, Peterson said there tends to be an increase in traffic volume, traffic-related incidents, collisions and impaired driving.
In a recent local survey, Peterson said speeding and impaired driving were identified as top concerns from the public.
There is also an increased concern of speeding vehicles in the area commonly referred to as the “Avenues” due to the recent road improvements, Peterson said.
The Clearlake Police Department reminded drivers that speeding, not wearing seat belts and distracted driving can put you and others in danger.
“It is also important that if you plan on drinking alcohol, taking medication, or other substances which would impair your driving, plan for a sober driver or stay home,” said Peterson.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a new K-9 team working to protect Lake County’s natural resources.
The duo of Warden Wyatt Moore with K-9 Vern made their debut earlier this year.
“We’re really proud of our K-9s. They go through a huge amount of training to be a cohesive team so we’re excited about this,” said CDFW spokeswoman Janice Mackey.
Moore has been a warden for just over four years. He’s one of six Fish and Wildlife wardens assigned to Lake County. He is assigned to the Cannabis Enforcement Program while the other five are district wardens.
While Moore also does checks for fishing and hunting compliance, cannabis will be the focus for him and Vern.
“We investigate illegal cannabis cultivation with the associated environmental damage to the watersheds in Lake County,” said Moore.
Mackey added, “Poaching at illegal grows sites is very common.”
Vern, a 2-year-old German shepherd, is the only cannabis dog working in Lake County, Moore said.
Mackey said it’s been some time since the agency had a K-9 working in Lake County.
CDFW put out an interest list for officers interested in working with K-9s and Moore said he had to go through an interview and selection process.
Moore was chosen to be a K-9 handler, and then it was time to look at different dogs.
Vern, with his long sable coat, is a particularly handsome fellow.
“Vern really stood out,” said Moore.
Moore said Vern was imported from a breeder overseas and went through extensive training.
The two of them attended the CDFW K-9 Academy, which lasted a month and a half, in Novato, Moore said. CJ’s Police K-9s conducted the training.
“He’s what’s considered a dual purpose dog,” Moore said of Vern.
Vern is a detection dog who can smell for bear, deer and abalone parts, quagga mussels, and narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
He also is a protection and apprehension K-9, protecting Moore and other team members.
CDFW said its warden K-9s “must be comfortable in unusual environments such as barriers they don’t expect, the startling noise of running across old file cabinets, old desks that have slippery surfaces, or hunching down and making their way through passages where they can’t stand up straight. Only after passing those skill tests and other tests are they certified for patrol.”
At times during the training, the dogs would be put on a dog-powered treadmill to help deal with their excess energy, CDFW said.
The amount of time a K-9 remains in service will depend on the dog itself, Moore said.
Moore said Vern began his service around the start of March and has been settling in nicely.
“He’s learning the area and he’s liking it,” said Moore.
When not on duty, Vern makes his home with Moore.
In his off time, Moore said Vern likes to play tug with a ball and rope, and loves runs and walks.
“I try to get him out hiking with me, too,” Moore said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Early in the pandemic, it was expected that satellite imagery around the world would show cleaner air as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns.
But not all pollutants were taken out of circulation. For tiny airborne-particle pollution, known as PM 2.5, researchers using NASA data found that variability from meteorology obscured the lockdown signals when observed from space.
“Intuitively you would think if there is a major lockdown situation, that we would see dramatic changes, but we didn't,” said Melanie Hammer, a visiting research associate at Washington University in St. Louis who led the study. "It was kind of a surprise that the effects on PM 2.5 were modest.”
PM 2.5 describes the mass of nose-level particles, often produced anthropogenically, that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers, or roughly 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. PM 2.5 is small enough to linger in the atmosphere, and, when inhaled, is associated with increased risk of heart attack, cancer and a host of other implications for human health.
By combining NASA spacecraft data with ground-based monitoring and an innovative computer modeling system, the scientists mapped PM 2.5 levels across China, Europe and North America during the early months of the pandemic.
The researchers found seasonal differences in PM 2.5 between recent years were driven primarily by the natural variability of the meteorology, not by pandemic lockdowns.
Published June 23 in the journal Science Advances, the new research integrates data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as meteorological modeling input from the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office.
The meteorological effects analyzed in the study include changes in the sources of mineral dust, the way pollutants react to sunlight in the atmosphere, mixing and heat transfer, as well as the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere by precipitation.
PM 2.5 is among the most complicated pollutants to study because its particle size, composition and toxicity vary greatly depending on its source and environmental conditions.
A gas pollutant known as nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, did see dramatic declines during the lockdowns. A major byproduct of fuel burning by trucks, cars and other vehicles, the decline of nitrogen dioxide was visible from space and from the ground. Images of clear, blue skies where heavy smog had been the norm flooded popular news and social media, suggesting COVID-19 has drastically decreased all pollution in general.
When nitrogen dioxide is emitted, it can also interact with other chemicals in the atmosphere and form PM 2.5. However, the two pollutants do not have a linear relationship. Half as much nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere does not necessarily lead to half as much PM 2.5 produced by nitrogen dioxide.
Because PM 2.5 often comes from the same sources as NO2, the researchers also began to question whether the lockdowns resulted in a decline of PM 2.5.
Early pandemic studies of PM 2.5 changes analyzed data from ground monitoring sites, which test the surrounding air. But because those ground sites are few and far between, their data alone are unable to piece together the bigger picture of PM 2.5 concentrations in the air, Hammer said.
“We were most interested in looking at changes in PM 2.5 because PM 2.5 is the leading environmental risk factor for premature mortality globally,” Hammer said. “We decided to look again, using a more complete picture from satellite images.”
The study was co-led by Randall Martin at Washington University in St. Louis, who pioneered research integrating modeling and remote sensing to study atmospheric pollutants such as PM 2.5.
“Many countries in the world have no operational PM 2.5 monitoring at all,” Martin said. “These tools enable insight into ground level PM 2.5 at the global or regional scale.”
To ensure a comprehensive analysis, the team focused on regions with extensive ground monitoring systems in place and compared monthly estimates of PM 2.5 from January to April in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
When the researchers compared PM 2.5 levels over the three years during the months that coincided with each region's lockdown phases, there weren’t many clear signals over North America or Europe. The most significant lockdown-related differences were detected in China.
“We found the most clearly detectable signal was a significant reduction over the North China Plain, where the strictest lockdowns were concentrated,” Hammer said.
To figure out whether the lockdown was responsible for that signal, and several smaller ones dotted around the areas surveyed, the team ran different “sensitivity simulations” using GEOS-Chem, a chemical transport model to which Martin’s team helps lead.
They simulated a scenario where anthropogenic emissions of nitrogen dioxide were held constant and meteorological variability was solely responsible for year over year differences in PM 2.5 during the key lockdown months.
They also ran simulations in which they reduced transportation-related emissions and other anthropogenic sources of nitrogen dioxide, mirroring lockdown, when fewer people were driving and fewer industrial sites were operational.
They found the simulation where both meteorology and transportation effects were included most closely mirrored the real-world situation.
“Tackling PM 2.5 is a very complex issue, and you have to take into account its multiple sources, not just the fact that fewer people are on the road,” Hammer said. “Just decreasing transportation emissions would not be enough to account for the complexity of the problem.”
Most satellites sample the atmosphere through vertical columns spanning the ground to the edge of space. Identifying the concentrations of airborne particles near the surface, where they affect air quality, cannot be determined from these satellites alone.
The satellite data used in this study, referred to as aerosol optical depth, were related to surface PM 2.5 concentrations using GEOS-Chem, which simulates the composition of the atmosphere, the reactions and relationships among its different components, and the way they move horizontally as well as vertically through the air.
The model is a sophisticated tool that helps paint a more complete picture of air quality, said Ralph A. Kahn, senior research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and adjunct professor at University of Maryland in College Park.
“The bigger story is actually the global characterization of air quality, especially in places where there aren't surface monitors,” said Kahn, who was part of the study. “The satellites provide an important piece of it, the models provide an important piece of it, and the ground-based measurements make an important contribution as well.”
Hammer suspects the change in PM 2.5 levels over the North China Plain was more apparent because of the region’s higher pollution levels during “normal” times.
The new insights also highlight a relevant point that may not at first be intuitive: Average PM 2.5 levels have been dropping steadily in North America and Europe. Pollution concentrations that are already low are more difficult to change, Hammer said.
Brandie Jefferson works for Washington University in St. Louis.