So much for clear mountain air.
A recent study by researchers from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that on days with moderate to high emissions from oil and gas production, the levels of harmful ozone in the northern Front Range exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s health standards.
Unlike the ozone in the Earth’s upper atmosphere that protects us from the sun, ground level -- or “bad” -- ozone is created when nitrogen oxides in the air react with volatile organic compounds released by things like vehicle emissions or oil drilling. The resulting ozone causes smog and is harmful to our health, according to the EPA.
While the state has stringent emissions standards for oil and gas production, the study, published in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, suggests that they may not be stringent enough. Overall, it encouraged more extensive measurement of things like nitrogen oxides and ozone to better understand how pollutants are being created and how they travel in the air.
“Better understanding of emissions and of the relative contributions of the various pollutants in the region will increase the effectiveness of mitigation actions and regulations,” the authors said.