Air stagnation

[Mark Taratoot]

Well, here we are in the second week of the year, and we've got our first air stagnation event forecast.  From now through Sunday night, we will have an inversion in our atmosphere.  That means pollutants get trapped in the valley and can't escape.

If you use wood for heat, please be cautious with your fires now more than ever.  Burn only dry, well-seasoned wood.  Burn your fire hot; don't damp it down.  If you have a modern stove with a catalyst, thank you!  A catalytic converter in your stove can reduce pollutants leaving your chimney.  They do wear out, and if it's been a few years since you've replaced it, please consider doing so.

If you have another source of heat, please consider using that the next few days to keep the pollutants from wood smoke from causing harm to others.  If you are sensitive to wood smoke, run a HEPA filter in your home to help improve indoor air quality, and ask your neighbors to manage their woodstoves appropriately.  

--

Mark Taratoot

mtar...@gmail.com

Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. -Wendell Berry

[mtaratoot]

The air stagnation advisory has now been extended to persist through Friday morning.

[Mark Taratoot]

We had an early reprieve this morning.  No fog!  Sun came out!  The ground warmed enough so that our lower atmosphere is once again happily unstable and pollutants aren't trapped at the surface.  But don't hold your breath.  At least not now.  Breathe in the good air, but get ready for another temperature inversion.  

Yep.  There's another stagnant air warning forecast starting around 19:00 on Saturday and lasting through about 10:00 on Tuesday morning (17-20 January).

Tonight and tomorrow will be better times for using wood heat than Saturday through Tuesday.  Thanks for helping your neighbors breathe easier.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Corvallis" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to south-corvall...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/b9e84ba9-3fe3-41e8-9d36-cdf575f5ca31n%40googlegroups.com.