Use of residential heating fuel is the main contributor of primary sulfate pollution in Fairbanks’ wintertime air, according to research conducted during an international science program in the community in 2022.
Use of residential heating fuel is the main contributor of primary sulfate pollution in Fairbanks’ wintertime air, according to research conducted during an international science program in the community in 2022.
Authors of a recent research paper write that the finding, along with other program outcomes, will help air quality managers decide what improvement methods to use. The information may also benefit other high-latitude urban areas during winter.
University of Alaska Fairbanks professor William Simpson, an atmospheric/environmental chemist and co-author of the paper, said the research foretells that a reduction in airborne primary sulfate likely is coming.
“The finding that most particulate sulfate is directly emitted is good news because primary sulfate should decrease along with fuel oil sulfur reductions that began in September 2022,” he said.
Read more at: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Photo Credit: Leif Van Cise (UAF)
