News Earth

Wildfires and farm fertilizer use are fueling ozone pollution

Those sources now rival cars and factories in emitting the chemicals that help create ozone

An orange haze from wildfire smoke hangs over a Los Angeles neighborhood. A new study says such fires boost ground-level ozone pollution levels.

Wildfire smoke, seen here blanketing Los Angeles in 2020, can drive up ground-level ozone pollution.

E4C/Getty Images

By Rachel Berkowitz

Images of California’s wildfires this winter speak for themselves about the fires’ devastating effects. But those pictures don’t tell the whole story. Together with soil emissions, the fires are driving an increase in ground-level ozone pollution — causing a fundamental shift in our atmosphere’s chemistry, researchers say, and potentially rendering air pollution standards unmeetable.