In Search of Blue Sky
The Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, working with the Utah Transit Authority, has installed research-grade air quality sensors on TRAX light rail cars and electric buses. As the TRAX trains and buses move around the Salt Lake Valley, the data provide a highly granular picture of how pollutants are distributed throughout the urban landscape.
The sensors measure the following pollutants:
- PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter), the main pollutant during wintertime inversion periods
- O 3 (ozone), an invisible gas that is the main pollutant during summer daytime periods
To see the current conditions, click here.
1: View of the box containing the air quality instrumentation along the length of the TRAX train car, closed.
2: The box on top of the TRAX train car, opened to show the air quality instrumentation.
For more details, see here.