UNDERSTANDING THE METEOROLOGICAL DRIVERS OF US PARTICULATE MATTER CONCENTRATIONS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most pervasive air quality problems facing the US, posing a major challenge for public health. PM is a complex mixture of anthropogenic, biogenic, and natural materials, suspended as aerosol particles in the atmosphere. In recent decades, US environmental legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, has been highly successful in reducing the atmospheric burden of PM nationally, with corresponding positive effects on public health. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been leading a major effort to improve the fundamental understanding of the multiple, complex links between global climate change and regional US air quality. One of the most important aspects of air quality management is the mitigation of air pollution episodes. The potential for climate change to significantly impact PM concentrations during air pollution episodes, with corresponding negative implications for public health, is situated within the broader context of the dominant role that environmental extremes play in conversations about climate change adaptation and mitigation.