Image: the calmly flowing Gila River meanders through flowers and shrubs and hills. Photo credit Josh Grant of AQRC.

Visibility Degradation

From the haze that sometimes obscures vistas in our parks, to the smog that frequently shrouds our largest cities, the most noticeable sign of air pollution is poor visibility. UC Davis students, staff, and faculty, especially as part of the IMPROVE Program:Image: on the left, clearly visible rock formations. On the right, the same image but with visibly impairing pollution.

  • monitor the airborne particles that are most responsible for reducing visibility in over 150 national parks, wilderness areas, and other remote sites across the U.S.
  • characterize the compositions and sizes of these visibility-reducing particles
  • identify the emissions sources most responsible for these visibility reduction
  • develop cost-effective policies for controlling emissions that reduce visibility