When Canadian wildfire smoke covered New York this summer, nearly half of the state's counties lacked data on air quality. A task group led by Fellow Alistair Hayden (Veterinary College) installed sensors in these counties, allowing state and federal agencies to observe smoke plumes in real time, collect data, and issue timely alerts to the public.
“In talking to officials from around the state, it quickly bubbled up that many upstate communities had no data about their air quality,” Hayden said. “Smoke and population health was a concern, and we found that 28 of New York’s 62 counties did not have a single air-quality sensor able to detect fine particulate matter... the main component of wildfire smoke.”
With support from a Cornell Atkinson Rapid Response Fund award, the research team was able to quickly purchase and install the new sensors. |
