The is a project to look at the trends in air pollution in Salt Lake City. SLC is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, and because of this, air pollution gets trapped in the valley, often for long periods of time, before rain or snow temporarily clears it.

We looked at four different types of air pollution: Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, PM 10, Ozone, and Carbon Monoxide (CO). PM2.5 refers to smaller particulate matter, and PM10 refers to larger particulate matter.

From the graphs, one can see a seasonal trend in the different types of air pollution: in the winter a process called 'inversion' traps particulate matter and CO in the valley, often for long periods of time, before a storm clears it temporarily. In the summer, high temperatures speed up the chemical reactions in the lower atmosphere that contribute to Ozone formation.

All data in this repository come from the following governmental website: https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data/download-daily-data

A good overview of the air pollution problem in Salt Lake City is the following article: https://catalystmagazine.net/what-causes-salt-lake-s-air-pollution-and-why-you-should-care/