On Tuesday, Jan. 29, Bill Simpson will present “The Science of Smoke: Fairbanks' Particulate Problem.” The talk is part of the 2019 Science for Alaska Lecture Series, sponsored by the Geophysical Institute and presented Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. at Raven Landing, 1222 Cowles Street. Later discussions will focus on Alaska's future climate, unmanned aircraft and space storms.

Cold winter nights trap air pollution near the ground in Fairbanks and North Pole, causing fine particulate concentrations to exceed health-based standards. This problem is so severe that on the stillest and coldest winter days, fine particulate concentrations exceed twice the U.S. air quality standard. To study the sources of unhealthy air, scientists have measured the composition of these particles. This talk will present the scientific understanding of this problem and answer the following questions: How do we know wood smoke is a major source? What about power plant emissions? Do burn bans work? The answers to these questions can help our community make evidence-based decisions to improve air quality.

For more information visit www.gi.alaska.edu/science-alaska-lecture-series/.

Talks are free and open to the public. All ages are encouraged to attend.