Particulate matter, aerosols, and greenhouse gases, whether produced by coal-burning power plants; oil-fueled cars, buses, and trucks; or even fireplaces and stoves stoked with wood: are they increasing rates of lung disease, asthma, and heart attacks in Western North Carolina? Are they taking the blue out of the Blue Ridge Mountains, threatening the natural beauty that draws people and economic activity to the region?
We need to know now, in order to act as quickly as possible to improve conditions on the ground and in our skies.
PROPOSED PROJECTS
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Installation of atmospheric detectors, similar to those used by the NASA AERONET project, for Western North Carolina and the Southeastern United States.
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Development and deployment of superior atmospheric detectors.
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Determining which elements of the Blue Ridge Mountains’ pollution are nature-based, which are man-made, and how they interact.
