Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
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Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
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Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#2I did grad school in SLC and they suffer from the same geographical/topological problems as Beijing: both cities are basically bowls trapped in by mountains on all sides, where wicked inversions often occur in the winter that trap pollution in with no relief until the winds blow in. Now for this from the article:
> For weeks, industrialized cities in northern China have been dealing with bouts of sickening smog several times more toxic than Utah's. But by U.S. standards, Utah's pollution index is off the charts with readings routinely exceeding a scale that tops out at 70 micrograms a cubic meter. The EPA sets a standard for clean air at no more than 35 micrograms.
70 AQI, talk about first world problems! Right now in Beijing its around 90, and that is considered very good for us! Last night was 486, and I was crazy enough to go for a walk. Many of us laowai in Beijing get depressed in the winter because of the poor air quality.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#3I did grad school in SLC and they suffer from the same geographical/topological problems as Beijing: both cities are basically bowls trapped in by mountains on all sides, where wicked inversions often occur in the winter that trap pollution in with no relief until the winds blow in. Now for this from the article: > For weeks, industrialized cities in northern China have been dealing with bouts of sickening smog sever…
> Many of us laowai in Beijing get depressed in the winter because of the poor air quality.
I'm confused about the implication here. Are westerners (laowai) more prone to getting depressed from poor air quality? Chinese (native/migrant) aren't affected?
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#4A professor in atmospheric sciences at the U of Utah has a great blog and has been writing a lot about the inversions lately:
http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/
I live in SLC. The air is indeed pretty ugly right now. On the other hand, my house is a few hundred feet higher than the valley floor and is mostly above the inversion.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#5I live in SLC. It is pretty bad, though to be fair you get really pretty sunsets...
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#6I spent a year in Idaho years ago. I was really surprised at how smoggy/dirty the winter air gets in some of these Mountain west places that are prone to inversions.
On top of that, woodburning in fireplaces/stoves is also really popular in some of these areas. I remember a few days in Pocatello where you could barely see to the end of the block.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#7I did grad school in SLC and they suffer from the same geographical/topological problems as Beijing: both cities are basically bowls trapped in by mountains on all sides, where wicked inversions often occur in the winter that trap pollution in with no relief until the winds blow in. Now for this from the article: > For weeks, industrialized cities in northern China have been dealing with bouts of sickening smog sever…
> Many of us laowai in Beijing get depressed in the winter because of the poor air quality. I'm confused about the implication here. Are westerners (laowai) more prone to getting depressed from poor air quality? Chinese (native/migrant) aren't affected?
There's surely some degree of acclimation that has much to do with how much time you spend outside.
It makes sense a foreigner who (I assume) can hole up on bad days would feel the grodiness more acutely.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#8I did grad school in SLC and they suffer from the same geographical/topological problems as Beijing: both cities are basically bowls trapped in by mountains on all sides, where wicked inversions often occur in the winter that trap pollution in with no relief until the winds blow in. Now for this from the article: > For weeks, industrialized cities in northern China have been dealing with bouts of sickening smog sever…
> Many of us laowai in Beijing get depressed in the winter because of the poor air quality. I'm confused about the implication here. Are westerners (laowai) more prone to getting depressed from poor air quality? Chinese (native/migrant) aren't affected?
I'm sure someone from Kunming moving to Bejiing would get depressed also, but someone who grew up in northern China might just see it as normal.
Depression often has to do with standards and expectations, not necessarily the situation itself. Edit: or to say, its about the relative situation between the past and present. If the present has been stable, good or bad, then you won't get into a funk.
For example, say you fly economy your whole life, its not great, but you are perfectly happy with it, then one day you get magically bumped up to business...and oh my god you can sleep on your 9 hour flight! But you can't afford to ever fly business again...so you get depressed whenever you fly economy.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#9I live in SLC. It is pretty bad, though to be fair you get really pretty sunsets...
And with a good strong wind you get the added bonus of smelling dead brine shrimp rotting in the great Salt Lake. I lived there for most of my life and will never forget that smell.
Re: Toxic fog settles over Salt Lake City
#10A professor in atmospheric sciences at the U of Utah has a great blog and has been writing a lot about the inversions lately: http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/ I live in SLC. The air is indeed pretty ugly right now. On the other hand, my house is a few hundred feet higher than the valley floor and is mostly above the inversion.
Definitely helps to live in the foothills or on a mountain somewhere. Going to the U of Utah, it was a decent option.