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NOHW40 PHFO 292047
PNSHFO

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1000 AM HST TUE APR 29 2008

... THIS IS NATIONAL AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK...

THIS WEEK MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE OZONE SEASON FOR MANY AREAS IN 
THE UNITED STATES. EACH DAY OF AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK WILL 
FEATURE A UNIQUE TOPIC RELEVANT TO EDUCATION AND PREPAREDNESS.

TODAY WE HIGHLIGHT THE CAUSES OF POOR AIR QUALITY. YOUR AIR QUALITY 
CAN VARY DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH AIR POLLUTION IS PRODUCED IN YOUR 
COMMUNITY AND HOW MUCH POLLUTION IS CARRIED INTO YOUR COMMUNITY BY 
THE WIND AND WEATHER CONDITIONS. 

OZONE FORMS WHEN TWO GROUPS OF KEY POLLUTANTS...NITROGEN OXIDES AND 
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS...COOK IN THE SUN. FOR EXAMPLE...PARTICLE 
POLLUTION CAN BE DIRECTLY EMITTED IN SMOKE FROM A WOODSTOVE BUT A 
LOT OF PARTICLES FORM WHEN GASES REACT IN THE AIR. NITROGEN OXIDES 
AND SULFUR DIOXIDES CONTRIBUTE TO PARTICLE FORMATION. 

THESE OZONE AND PARTICLE FORMING POLLUTANTS COME FROM A WIDE VARIETY 
OF SOURCES INCLUDING CARS...TRUCKS...BUSES...POWER PLANTS AND 
INDUSTRIES. NATURAL SOURCES SUCH AS...WILDFIRES...DUSTSTORMS...AND 
VOLCANOES CONTRIBUTE TO PARTICLE POLLUTION. TREES AND OTHER 
VEGETATION ALSO EMIT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO PARTICLE 
AND OZONE POLLUTION. WEATHER PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN THE LEVELS OF OZONE 
AND PARTICLE POLLUTION IN YOUR COMMUNITY. SUNLIGHT AND HEAT PROMOTE 
OZONE FORMATION. LIGHT WINDS AND TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS CAN KEEP 
POLLUTION CONCENTRATED NEAR THE GROUND. DEPENDING ON ITS DIRECTION 
THE WIND CAN BRING IN MORE POLLUTION SOMETIMES FROM HUNDREDS OF 
MILES AWAY...SUCH AS VOLCANIC EMMISSIONS FROM KILAUEA ON THE BIG 
ISLAND. GEOGRAPHY CAN AFFECT POLLUTION LEVELS TOO. MOUNTAIN RANGES 
CAN PREVENT POLLUTION FROM DISPERSING.TOMORROW WE WILL LEARN ABOUT 
THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF POOR AIR QUALITY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK...VISIT US ON THE 
WORLD WIDE WEB AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/ 
WWW.AIRQUALITY.NOAA.GOV.

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