@bobjonkman asks:
Q7. Forest fires across the world have blown smoke to places hundreds of (miles|km) from the fires. Air quality has gone down, some days to dangerous levels. Have you adjusted your biking because of low air quality? Changed your route? Worn an N95 mask? Stopped biking?
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @bobjonkman @bikenite
A7 Special case, I camp much of the time. Each morning I look online at the NOAA smoke map, then try to go where the smoke isn't. It's not always possible.
Not sure what I'll do if NOAA no longer has the personnel to make the maps...
PurpleAir is crowd-sourced, so it would not be affected by NOAA cuts.
@andytiedye @wanderinghermit @ascentale @bobjonkman @bikenite It is affected by people being able to afford a sensor to put on the network. Luckily, the US has pretty good coverage.
Albania, though... #BikeNite
True, but whatever Albania has will not be affected by cuts in the US NOAA in any event.
@andytiedye @ascentale @bikenite Places like this that didn't have their own strong meteorological and atmospheric science departments probably were using and relying on US departments more than we realized. I certainly didn't know how many (more developed even) European countries used NOAA data until the fascists started slashing.
But even in the US, the coverage is going to be better in places with a higher average income. Not everyone can afford to buy a sensor for that network. #BikeNite
I think #CrowdSourcing and #CollectiveAction are the keys here. People there might not be able to afford a sensor themselves, but could the local cycling club?
In a small country like Albania, it might be feasable to set up your own network using open-source software and less-pricey sensors (but beware of quality issues on the really cheap ones).
My Apple Watch usually displays the air quality, I'm not sure where it gets it from, but, wherever it is, it doesn't work in Australia, where I was recently visiting.
The loss of NOAA satellite data will be a blow to weather forecasting around the world. I am not sure that the impact on air quality measurement will be as high though, since you cannot accurately measure air quality from a satellite. It is unlikely that NOAA has air quality sensors on the ground in other countries.
@andytiedye @ascentale @bobjonkman @bikenite
Thank you! That could be very helpful.
Phil (ascentale)
Wandering Hermit
𝓐𝓷𝓭𝔂𝓣𝓲𝓮𝓭𝔂𝓮 𓀤
Megan Lynch (she/her)