Inside Salt Lake City's Dangerous Smog Dome

Winter weather in Salt Lake City, Utah is a strange event. The reasoning behind this is because snowstorms in the area tend to invert the typical trend of air getting colder with high altitudes. As the altitude gets higher the ground gets cooler, leaving a layer of toasty warm air high above the city. One could compare this to a roof while the mountains are like walls. This "living room"-esque setup caused a smog dome, trapping pollution in place until warm air comes and blows it away. The average the smog tends to sit seems to be around four days but others have lingered about for three weeks.

These domes are as dangerous as they are dreary. Acting as a lid over the metropolis area means that this smog is trapped in. The inversion effect traps fine particulates, known as PM2.5, in the air. These particles are produced by car engines, bonfires, and industrial emissions. The lid over the city traps these in, forcing citizens to be exposed to them much more than the typical period. They also reduce visibility, increase acidity of water, and deplete soil nutrients.

The affect these particulates have on humans is far from positive. Inhaling these particulates can cause asthma and congestive heart failure. Emergency-room visits have even been reported to spike when Salt Lake City has an inversion period. When it gets too bad students stay home and adults ecommute. Though, the city is working to cut down on emissions that fill the dome, aiming to increase car-efficiency standards and reduce traffic by implementing more public-transit. With these measures, officials hope to lighten the dome by 2040.

Original Article by Eleanor Cummins found here: https://www.popsci.com/salt-lake-city-smog-dome