A chemical compound discovered in 2019 in Fairbanks’ wintertime air accounts for a significant portion of the community’s fine particulate pollution, according to new research that seeks to better understand the causes and makeup of the dirty air.
A chemical compound discovered in 2019 in Fairbanks’ wintertime air accounts for a significant portion of the community’s fine particulate pollution, according to new research that seeks to better understand the causes and makeup of the dirty air.
The finding is the first measurement of how much hydroxymethanesulfonate, or HMS, is in Fairbanks’ air.
The compound constituted 3% to 7% of the total amount of particles less than 2.5 micrometers, or PM 2.5, during pollution episodes. That amount is substantially higher than observed elsewhere, leading the research team to conclude that Fairbanks’ extreme low temperatures are a factor in the compound’s formation.
“People in the community really are not aware of this,” said Jingqiu Mao, principal investigator on the research. “We feel it's important to inform the community about this new chemical compound in Fairbanks.”
Read more at: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Ice fog settles over Fairbanks in this 2006 photograph made from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (Photo Credit: Debbi Dean)
