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Description

According to national data Cache Valley has the highest concentrations of atmospheric ammonia in the nation. This study aims to answer the questions of whether climate variables and events such as precipitation, averaged winds, geopotential height, and teleconnections can be used to predict the behavior of pollutants and how human biology is potentially affected. Data from the Utah Climate Center shows that the 3rd yearly quartile has the highest levels of airborne ammonia due to the high levels of fertilizer use and livestock emissions in the farming industry in Cache Valley. After data analysis, there seems to be a connection between climate variables and atmospheric ammonia, specifically, precipitation appears to have the strongest (negative) correlation due to atmospheric scattering of particulates during precipitation events. In addition, according to data from Utah's Public Health Data Resource there also seems to be a connection between peak ammonia season and occurrence of asthma incidences requiring a hospital visit. There is still much research to be done on the impacts of airborne ammonia on human health, but due to the limited resources available to our team we were only able to obtain data pertaining to asthma attacks, as more information becomes available we hope to incorporate it in our presentation.This research is especially significant to Cache Valley and the State of Utah at large due to its implications of climate and air quality prediction, and public health.

Publication Date

12-9-2021

City

Logan, UT

Keywords

atmospheric ammonia, climate change, human health, fertilizer usage

Disciplines

Climate | Kinesiology | Nutrition

Climate Change Impacts on Atmospheric Ammonia and Implications for Human Health

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